Rocky Mountain Momentum

Tyler Richardson rang in the new year with mile-high aspirations for growing McCarthy’s Colorado operations.

Since stepping into his current role as business unit leader in fall 2025, Richardson has hit the ground running to level up McCarthy’s impact across the region. “We are building on a strong legacy of the McCarthy partners who have been here for years,” he says. “My priority is to strengthen our relationships with clients and project partners, so they know we are dedicated to growing and investing in Colorado.”

As Richardson connects with contacts for breakfast, lunch or happy hour, his goal is to get a pulse on the regional construction landscape while building the relationships that drive long-term success. 

His Colorado business strategy centers on four primary markets: healthcare and aviation (which he calls the “two stable lanes” because of McCarthy’s long-standing track record in those sectors) as well as science & technology and manufacturing (the “two lanes of growth” where McCarthy can further leverage its specialized expertise regionally).

Prior to landing in the Mile High City, Richardson spent 15 years making his mark in McCarthy's Southern Pacific Region. His previous positions span the full project lifecycle—from pursuit to delivery.

Though McCarthy's downtown Denver office sits about 1,000 miles from his previous San Diego home, Richardson’s transition has been surprisingly seamless. 

He’s actively collaborating with fellow business unit leaders Kris Montgomery in Omaha, Joe Lewandowski in Kansas City, and Josh Gaghen and Aaron Lich in St. Louis to develop coordinated project pursuit strategies across the region.

Path to Leadership

Richardson grew up in the Tri-Cities area of Eastern Washington, a desert-like area he likens to the 25-mile stretch between downtown Denver and the city’s international airport. 

His introduction to construction came early, courtesy of his dad—a 43-year veteran of the sheet metal union—who taught him valuable skills in a backyard shop equipped with every tool imaginable. 

Starting in high school, he worked as a laborer/carpenter framing houses and constructing pole buildings. During one of those jobs, Richardson experienced a defining moment when a business owner asked him to step up and run a project. 

While completing the construction management program at Washington State University, Richardson landed a McCarthy internship working on the new Lundquist Tower at Torrance Memorial Medical Center in Southern California. 

After earning his degree, Richardson signed on full-time with McCarthy as a project engineer in 2012. He quickly climbed the ranks, leaning into diverse roles that broadened his perspective and value to the company. That career progression included positions as project manager, BIM manager on a design-build job, and director of the Specialized Solutions Group (SSG), a practice area serving clients with ongoing work programs in occupied facilities.

Eventually, he pivoted from operations into business development, ascending to a vice president, business development role that brought him to the front end of pursuing projects and setting them up for success. 

As Richardson continues to build momentum across the Rocky Mountain region, he's committed to translating that competitive spirit into growth opportunities for his teammates.

His advice to them echoes what he told his five-year-old son, Nixon, as he started kindergarten in Denver: “If you're not nervous or uncomfortable, you're not growing.” 

Richardson urges his colleagues to apply that same mindset to their own career paths. “Raise your hand and be open to new opportunities, because there's only going to be more of them at McCarthy,” he says.