Building The Next Generation

It Started with an Internship 

Tyler never expected to build a career in construction. As a civil engineering student at the University of Kentucky, he planned to focus on water resources engineering until an internship at Gray in 1997 opened a different path. 

Like many interns, his first assignment wasn’t glamorous. He spent days organizing paperwork in a jobsite trailer before eventually getting the chance to step onto the project site. Once he saw industrial construction firsthand, something clicked. 

One conversation from that internship has stayed with him ever since. While spending time in the Lexington office, Gray’s CEO, Jim Gray, asked how the internship was going. Tyler expected a quick hallway chat; instead, Jim invited him to share his perspective on the experience and encouraged him to write down ideas for improving the program. 

Tyler’s recommendations helped influence the next iteration of Gray’s internship program, but the lasting impression came from something much simpler: a leader took the time to listen. Simple acts of trust became something Tyler would encounter again and again throughout his career. 

Growing Into the Role 

Tyler’s career has taken him through project management, business development, market leadership, acquisitions, and now helping strengthen collaboration across Gray’s family of companies. One chapter stands out because it challenged him in entirely new ways. 

During the Great Recession, Tyler was asked to launch Gray’s Food & Beverage market, despite having no formal sales experience and facing an economy that had largely stopped investing. 

“I failed for like three years,” he says matter-of-factly. 

Few calls were returned, and wins were hard to find. But his leaders never pulled the opportunity away. They trusted him to continue growing. 

Looking back, Tyler doesn’t dwell on the setbacks. He remembers the people who believed in him before the results showed up. The lesson wasn’t overnight success—it was the value of steady support and consistent leadership. 

Another Kind of Project 

Outside the office, Tyler is usually spending time with his two sons. 

He and his elder son have climbed together since 2015, sharing countless days on rock faces in Kentucky’s Red River Gorge and planning adventures farther from home. His younger son has taken a different path through athletics, giving Tyler the chance to coach teams, cheer from the sidelines, and create unique memories together. 

Then there’s Tyler’s special project: his 60-acre property in the Gorge. Over 10 years, he has improved roads, cut trails, and imagined what the land could become one day. It’s a passion project and another reflection of how he approaches his work—recognizing potential, turning steady effort into progress, and enjoying the process as much as the product. 

Whether he’s climbing, coaching, or blazing trails, Tyler finds purpose in small investments that add up over time. 

The Legacy of Trust 

In reflecting his time, Tyler says leading Gray’s newly acquired companies through integration was the greatest—and most rewarding—challenge of his career. Stepping outside of Gray’s traditional business meant immersing himself in different cultures and teams with deep expertise of their own. Along the way, he discovered that integration wasn’t about making every company look the same. It was about learning from one another while building something stronger together. 

Today, Tyler’s role centers on helping Gray’s companies work better together. After years of growing Gray’s Food & Beverage business and supporting the integration of new companies, he now spends much of his time connecting people, sharing stories, and helping teams across the Gray family of companies better understand each other’s strengths. 

Asked why he’s spent nearly 30 years at Gray, Tyler answer is direct: consistency. Consistency in values and leadership. 

Looking back, consistency is what connects every chapter of Tyler’s story. It’s the thread that runs from an intern’s early conversation with the company head, through seasons of growth, to how he leads his own team today. More than any building or business, Tyler is proud of the culture of trust, curiosity, and steady investment in people that he sees in Gray every day.