Haydon Leadership

Meet Katie, President & CEO for Haydon. Katie was born in beautiful Winnemucca, Nevada but grew up in Phoenix. She attended Xavier College Prep for high school, ASU for a BS in Accountancy, and Thunderbird for her MBA in Global Management. Upon graduation from ASU, Katie accepted an accounting position at a large publicly held corporation, then years later worked as Controller of a small, privately held Phoenix-based land development company. The diversity of experience between these two organizations and depth of knowledge gained throughout her accounting career is something she calls upon every day. However, it was her time at Thunderbird, School of Global Management that she describes as “memorable” and “life-changing”. It was Thunderbird that really opened her eyes to the importance of culture, the global mindset that was instilled in her through her studies and is what laid the foundation for her approach to leadership. Upon graduation, Katie packed one suitcase and moved to Madrid, Spain to start a new life as a newly minted MBA. As she attempted to perfect the Spanish language (an ongoing goal) and traveled to over 27 countries, Katie learned an appreciation for culture, acceptance, and gained a worldly education.

The economy of 2009 meant Spain was not issuing work visas, so it was time to start a new adventure. Katie returned home to the family business and in 2010 joined the accounting department at Haydon. Through the years, Katie has held many positions in the organization, continually learning the business. But it was her intentional focus, development, and continuous improvement of the culture and people at Haydon, that made her Executive Vice President. As EVP her main responsibility is strategy: to position the company for sustainability and growth for the next generation. Her passion for the business and the people who work at Haydon is unwavering and obvious to anyone who know her.

Katie is extremely active in the community and is a member of the Greater Phoenix Economic Council, Westmarc, Leadership West, Arizona Chapter of the Associated General Contractors, Arizona Builders Alliance, The Consul Corps of Arizona, Canada Arizona Builders Council, and Junior League of Phoenix. Her philanthropic work spans across these organizations but her heart is with the Esperanza School for Homeless Children, which is her preferred organization for charitable efforts. Katie was recognized by the Construction Financial Management Association as a 2020 Emerging Leader and was featured as one of the 20 Young Leaders Shaping Commercial Real Estate in 2020, by AZ Big Media.

When Katie is not engaging with the people at Haydon or in the community, you can find her with her family or traveling, which is still one of her greatest pleasures and passions.

Matt Carpenter, Chief Operating Officer of Haydon Companies, grew up in Sisters, Oregon. He has earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Wildlife Sciences from Oregon State University and holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Construction Management from the Del E. Webb School of Construction at Arizona State University.

After graduating from OSU, Matt moved to Arizona to accept a job offer with Arizona Game and Fish. He soon found an opportunity working for the Sheet Metal Union as an apprentice on Bank One Ballpark which today is known as Chase Field. In 2000, after a few years as an apprentice, upon his enrollment to ASU he found an internship opportunity with Haydon Companies. As an intern, Matt was able to experience every stage of a project from estimating to its completion. From there, Matt’s consistency and determination to overcome challenges has propelled him forward and shaped him into the leader he is today.

“It’s not about where you start; it’s about where you finish,” Matt says. He knows that it was the intentional mentorship that he received in his early years at Haydon that helped shape his professional career. Providing mentorship and developing young professionals is one of his favorite parts of the job. Matt understands that sharing lessons learned from years of experience with the next generation is vital to the future of the construction industry and for Haydon.

As COO of Haydon Companies, Matt has many responsibilities in making key decisions that will impact the future of the company. His job is to provide strategic vision for growth and provide the necessary resources to Haydon to continue to be a high caliber competitor in the construction industry. The values he lives by, hard work, perseverance, and embracing challenge, are evident in the success and growth of Haydon.

When Matt is not providing strategic vision for growth for the company or pioneering methods for entering new market sectors, you can find him with his family at his daughters’ swim meets or golfing with his son.

Meet Eddie, Chief Information Officer & Chief Administrative Officer at Haydon. Eddie was raised in Tucson, Arizona and was always fascinated by numbers as a child. When a summer internship in college led him into a position in IT, he was immediately drawn in. His mathematical skills, along with his passion for technology launched him into a career lasting over two decades.

Eddie joined Haydon in 2012 to lead the development of our IT department, the same year we made the shift from consultant-based IT to a full in-house team. Throughout the past twelve years, Eddie has grown and evolved the IT department at Haydon immensely.

As Chief Information Officer & Chief Administrative Officer, Eddie is responsible for internal and external support services. He ensures these services are in alignment with the companies’ strategic objectives and that services are delivered in compliance with their stated Service Level Agreements and Customer Satisfaction requirements.

When Eddie is not getting his hands on the greatest tools for Haydon, you can find him spending his free time exploring the local events around town with his family.

Joe Malone, Senior Vice President for Haydon’s Civil Division, grew up in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He completed his Bachelor of Science in Construction Management at the Del E Webb School of Construction at Arizona State University.

Joe got his start in construction in 5^th grade. Joe’s dad worked on a lot of drill rigs and would take Joe to work with him. At a young age, he was around heavy equipment frequently and as he got older, he would work summers at his uncle’s residential construction company doing roofing projects, small additions, and demos. During his junior year of high school, he visited Arizona for a college tour of Arizona State University. After he graduated high school, he moved to Tempe, Arizona to attend the Del E Webb School of Construction.

In 2006, Joe began interning at Haydon Companies with the takeoff department while completing his courses at ASU. Upon graduation, Joe was hired on full-time as a Project Engineer with the Civil Division. From there, he was promoted to Senior Project Engineer to Project Director, and Director of Operations for Heavy Civil. He has most recently been promoted as the Senior Vice President of the Civil Division.

As Senior Vice President, Joe has the privilege of providing leadership and guidance to Project Engineers, Project Managers, Project Directors, and Superintendents in the Civil Division at Haydon and is also very involved with the Summer Internship for college students. He strives to work with each team to make sure that the Haydon Fundamentals are upheld in every aspect of a project, from start to finish. Ownership is a fundamental value that Joe lives his life by and conducts himself professionally. Ownership for Joe means stewarding the “weight of leadership by taking ownership of decisions made and mistakes of the whole team.”

When Joe is not helping to provide guidance and leadership to project teams, you can find Joe either traveling with his wife and daughter, outdoor hunting, building jeeps to rock crawl, or volunteering at a nonprofit organization.

Chance, a native of the Bitterroot Valley south of Missoula, Montana, discovered his passion for construction while working for a general excavation company during college, which led him to get his Construction Engineering Technology (CET) degree at Montana State University in Bozeman. In 2008, after earning his CET degree, Chance made Phoenix his home and got professionally licensed as a Professional Engineer in Arizona in 2015.

Guided by Noam Chomsky’s thought-provoking quote, “colorless green ideas sleep furiously,” Chance embodies a questioning mindset, always seeking to challenge himself and improve. He values advice such as “don’t worry about titles, titles come with experience” and embraces the concept that “there is no 99-yard line,” implying that in tasks, reaching the end isn’t the crucial point; it’s the final 1%-10% that truly counts. Achieving the first 90% may seem substantial, but it often accounts for only 60%-70% of the effort. It’s the last 10% that distinguishes excellence and gives a project its finished appearance.

Outside the office, Chance, along with his wife and two daughters, enjoy quality family time. They explore the diverse landscapes of Arizona and southern California through their shared love for camping.

Beyond his professional expertise, Chance is a hobbyist woodworker and DIY enthusiast, always willing to tackle new challenges. Whether excelling in activities or learning from occasional setbacks, Chance’s commitment to continuous improvement and attention to detail sets him apart as a valued member of our team.