J.W. Brookshireand J.D. Slaughter standing together in front of a large display

Leading the way in top-tier EPC.

S&B’s leadership team knows how to deliver for our customers. Learn more about them.

Executive Leadership Team

James G. Slaughter, Jr.Chairman Emeritus
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James G. Slaughter, Jr.

Chairman Emeritus

Son of company co-founder James G. Slaughter, Sr., ​James G. Slaughter, Jr., has spent his entire career at S&B, filling both engineering and construction positions. He received his B.S. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Houston and attended graduate school at the University of Toledo as well as the Program for Management Development at Harvard Business School.

James is a current member of the National Academy of Construction, past President of the Houston Area Contractors’ Safety Council, and past member of the Construction Industry Institute (CII) where he served the following roles:

  • Member of the Executive Committee
  • Member of the Board of Advisors
  • Chairman of the Strategic Planning Committee
  • Chairman of the Project Definition Rating Index research team
  • Chairman of the Alignment research team
  • Productivity Metrics Champion
  • Member of the Nomination Committee

James has been honored with the CII’s two highest awards, the Caroll H. Dunn Award of Excellence for significant achievements in improving the engineering and construction industry and the Richard L. Tucker Leadership & Service Award for significant contribution to the advancement of CII’s mission. He also received the National Academy of Construction's Ted C. Kennedy Award for improving all aspects of the construction industry and driving positive change in the most critical areas - safety, workforce development and productivity. His roles with the National Academy of Construction include:

  • President
  • Vice President
  • Chairman of the Membership Committee
  • Chairman of Dispute Avoidance Committee
  • Member Safety Committee
  • Chairman of Strategic Planning Committee
  • Co-founder and core member of the National Construction Forum

Additionally, James was awarded the ECC Achievement Award, which honors those who exhibit the traits of industry leaders, such as bold risk-takers, true visionaries, and professionals of integrity who’ve had a positive, lasting impact on the business.

James has pioneered “zero accidents” safety since 1987, perhaps his greatest industry role.  S&B has led the industry in safety for 20+ years, and James has freely shared S&B processes with peers. He also has put S&B on the forefront of craft training and a focus on bringing women into construction.

J.D. SlaughterChairman
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J.D. Slaughter

Chairman

​James D. “J.D.” Slaughter, PE is Chairman of S&B Engineers and Constructors, Ltd. He is the grandson of S&B’s co-founder James G. Slaughter, Sr and son of current Chairman-Emeritus, James G. Slaughter, Jr.  

A degreed Chemical Engineer from Texas A&M University, he holds Professional Engineering licenses in Texas, Louisiana, and North Carolina.  J. D. currently serves on the Engineering Advisory Council at Texas A&M and is past-Chair of the Chemical Engineering Advisory Council. He serves as co-chair of the Construction Sector Council for the Greater Houston Partnership’s Upskill Houston initiative.

Outside of the industry, he and his wife Angie serve on the National Leadership Council of World Vision USA and are active with many other charitable organizations.  J. D. and his wife, Angie, are blessed with five children and live in Brenham, TX.

J.W. "Brook" BrookshireChief Executive Officer
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J.W. "Brook" Brookshire

Chief Executive Officer

Brook Brookshire is responsible for overseeing the total S&B enterprise, which employs more than 4,500 people in multiple offices throughout the US and abroad. He joined S&B in 1983, working his way through the ranks from a construction field hand to estimator, proposal manager,  IT manager and many years as Vice-President of Business Development, securing major contracts with leading midstream and downstream operators. 

Brook is the son of company co-founder, William A. Brookshire. As CEO, he continues to operate S&B according to its original values of honesty, integrity and safety. He’s also passionate about expanding his father’s legacy of promoting education through the William A. Brookshire Foundation, which provides scholarships for many students who would not otherwise be able to attend college. Since 2010, well over 1,000 students have benefited from this foundation. 

Brook lives in Houston with his wife, Julie. Their son, James William Brookshire II, also lives in Houston and works for S&B. When not spending time with his family, Brook enjoys racing sports cars and shooting sporting clays. 

John ParkerPresident and Chief Operations Officer
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John Parker

President and Chief Operations Officer

John Parker joined S&B in 1990 and served as a civil / structural engineer, estimator, project engineer, project manager, project director, operations manager and senior vice president of EPC and construction before being promoted to his current role.

John has experience in managing both grassroots and revamp projects and has been integral from the conceptual phase through construction, including startup activities. He is adept at managing all facets of projects throughout their lifecycles, including scope development, execution planning, cost estimating, scheduling and construction planning.

John earned bachelor’s degrees in Civil Engineering and Architecture from Texas Tech University. He is a Licensed Professional Engineer in the state of Texas.

Jeff SipesExecutive VP, Chief Commercial Officer
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Jeff Sipes

Executive VP, Chief Commercial Officer

Jeff Sipes oversees commercial development across the S&B family of companies, primarily focusing on new markets and geographies.

After earning his bachelor’s in Civil Engineering from Texas Tech University, Jeff embarked on a career as a civil engineer and today has more than 30 years of experience in the EPC industry. In 2010, he was elected to the Texas Tech Civil Engineering Academy and continues to serve as an ambassador for the University’s International Experience Program.

In his free time Jeff enjoys the outdoors, cycling and fishing, as well as spending time with his wife Meredith and their four children.

Dean QuinnExecutive VP, General Counsel and Secretary
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Dean Quinn

Executive VP, General Counsel and Secretary

Dean Quinn joined S&B in 2001 and is responsible for all legal, risk management, human resources and compliance matters. Prior to S&B, Dean served at another international EPC company, handling legal and business matters for projects around the world. He began his career in private law practice, trying construction and commercial lawsuits and advising business clients.

Dean works with and serves on the boards of several academic, community and philanthropic institutions. He earned his Finance and J.D. degrees from Texas Tech University.

Valerie CarlsonExecutive VP, Chief Financial Officer
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Valerie Carlson

Executive VP, Chief Financial Officer

Valerie Carlson is responsible for optimizing S&B’s financial performance and oversees the company’s accounting and finance functions.

Valerie joined S&B from Members Choice Credit Union, where she served as Chief Financial Officer. She has more than 20 years of experience in oil and gas, construction, and financial services. Valerie earned her bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Houston – Victoria and her master’s degree in accounting from the University of St. Thomas. She is a licensed CPA.

Gordon BeaverSenior VP, Safety, Security and Training
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Gordon Beaver

Senior VP, Safety, Security and Training

​Gordon Beaver joined S&B in 1995, serving several years as Sr. Safety Manager before being promoted to Vice President and later Sr. Vice President. Before S&B, Gordon built a long and distinguished career with another major EPC firm where he worked his way up from a structural iron helper to senior safety manager.

Business Unit and Operations Leadership

John MartinPresident, Oil, Gas and Chemicals
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John Martin

President, Oil, Gas and Chemicals

John joined S&B in 1997 in the mechanical engineering department. He spent his early career in various home office and field engineering roles before being elevated to management. During his time at S&B, John has held several management positions including project engineering/mechanical engineering department manager, associate director of project management, vice president of alliances and projects and senior vice president of engineering. 

Today, John oversees S&B's Oil, Gas and Chemicals business. 

 John received a Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Houston as well as an MBA from Houston Baptist University.

Ray ShermanPresident, Energy Transition, Power & Industrial
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Ray Sherman

President, Energy Transition, Power & Industrial

Ray began his career with Ford, Bacon and Davis, LLC (FB&D) as a mechanical engineer, working on two of the largest paper machine rebuild projects in FB&D's Pulp and Paper Division. He was later lead mechanical engineer for FB&D's Special Project Division, that was developed to focus on smaller maintenance/capital projects. Ray was quickly promoted to Special Projects Manager, where he gained considerable experience working across multiple industries including Specialty Chemicals, Pulp and Paper, Chemicals, Carbon Black and Wood products. In addition to the multiple industry exposure, he gained considerable experience in the Management, and Project Development, of small to medium size Engineering and Construction projects.

​In 2001, Ray was promoted to Vice President at FB&D of the Pulp and Paper Division, Monroe, LA operations. He served as Alliance Coordinator for one of FB&D's large alliances with a major pulp and paper manufacturing company.

In 2006, he became Vice President, Operations Manager and transferred to FB&D's corporate headquarters in Baton Rouge, LA. In 2011, Ray was promoted to Senior Vice President of the Process Business Unit overseeing projects for each office location (Baton Rouge, LA, West Monroe, LA, New Orleans, LA, Lake Charles, LA, Greenville, SC, Raleigh, NC, and Kingsport, TN). In 2020, Ray was promoted to President of FB&D.

When FB&D integrated with S&B in 2021, Ray became President, Energy Transition, Power & Industrial.

Danny RiosPresident, Infrastructure
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Danny Rios

President, Infrastructure

Prior to being promoted to President of S&B Infrastructure, Ltd. and S&B Infrastructure Private, Ltd., Danny served as Senior Vice President from 2004 to 2018. Mr. Rios has over 20 years of experience in all facets of planning, design and construction management.

​Mr. Rios has served as Principal-in-Charge for millions of dollars of infrastructure projects and has extensive experience in managing projects involving roadway and drainage design, environmental assessments and permitting, public involvement, traffic control for construction projects, utility relocation projects, ROW mapping and property acquisition, stormwater pollution prevention plans, and NPDES permitting. He has coordinated with various municipal agencies and private utility companies, as well as state and federal agencies.

Before joining S&B Infrastructure, he spent 10 years with TxDOT Corpus Christi where he attained the position of District Design Engineer.

Sandy LeeChief Executive Officer, Saber Equity
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Sandy Lee

Chief Executive Officer, Saber Equity

Sandy Lee brings more than 30 years of EPC industry experience to her role as CEO. Throughout her career, she has worked on diverse projects ranging from technical engineering and analysis to project and corporate management. Sandy has led numerous full-service EPC alliances, expansion and grassroots projects for some of the most prominent names in the industry, including LyondellBasell, Motiva, Dow Chemical, Shell and Chevron.

As CEO of Saber Equity, Sandy’s highest priorities are investment portfolio oversight and operational excellence. She works closely with the leadership team, providing strategic direction to identify quality investment opportunities and provide the right solutions to our clients.

Dale HaynieSenior VP, EPC and Construction
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Dale Haynie

Senior VP, EPC and Construction

Dale Haynie began his career in the industry as a pipefitter and has been with S&B for 21 years. Throughout his time with the company, he has held roles managing technical services and providing direct oversight for operations on multiple projects for key clients as an area operations manager. 

Today, Dale oversees all construction activities and integrated EPC projects at S&B with a focus on execution excellence.

David YatesSenior VP, Engineering Operations
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David Yates

Senior VP, Engineering Operations

David has been with S&B for more than 34 years. He has worked on a variety of refinery, petrochemical, power, transportation terminal and other industrial projects since joining S&B. In his current role, David is responsible for operational performance of projects, interfacing with clients and S&B senior management, and serving as Department Manager for the Project Engineering department. Prior to his current position, David’s roles have included Manager of Projects, Alliance Manager, Program Manager, Project Manager, Project Engineer, Lead Engineer, and Design Engineer. 

David is a licensed professional engineer in the state of Texas. He holds both master's and bachelor's degrees from the University of Texas at Austin. 

Kent DanforthSenior VP, Chief Procurement Officer
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Kent Danforth

Senior VP, Chief Procurement Officer

Kent Danforth oversees all functions of procurement, including purchasing, expediting, logistics, materials management and source inspection.  Additional responsibilities include construction services, third-party rentals and facilities management for all S&B properties.

Kent began his career with the United States Army and then segued into shipbuilding as an apprentice fabricator and welder.  Once he completed his apprenticeship academics Kent moved into procurement and supply chain management, which has lasted for 33 years with three separate companies. 

Kent has international experience, specifically with a focus on the Middle East supply chain. For the last 11 years, Kent has held positions at S&B as a Subcontracts Manager, Procurement Manager, Director Procurement and VP Procurement before being elevated to his current role.

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