Stephen King (not the author) joined Irby Construction Company as Director of Information Systems this December.

Irby is proud to welcome Mr. King to the team. He has enjoyed a long career in technology and comes to Irby most recently from Hudson’s Bay Company. Stephen is a Jackson area native and a graduate of Mississippi College.

Stephen and his wife Stacy have two sons, Wiley and Hunter. Wiley is an adult St. Jude kid survivor. He has battled a brain tumor since his high school days. Hunter is a graduate of Mississippi College and also in the computer field.

When Stephen is not at Irby, you can find him on stage or in the recording studio playing guitar and making music. In fact, Stephen was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame in 2014.

On Thursday, December 7, Irby hosted its annual Service Awards Luncheon at headquarters in Richland, MS. Twenty-nine service award recipients were honored. Recognitions ranged from five to 40 years. Service awards are distributed to employees at five-year milestones.

Irby is proud that so many of its team members have a long tenure with the company. There’s no better testament to the culture of the company.

Irby hosted an Open House Event in the Lockhart regional office Wednesday, December 6. Surrounding community members and clients were welcomed to tour the facilities and meet some of our friendly staff operating out of the office. Several LCRA clients joined Irby employees from surrounding areas for a barbecue meal. The Mayor of Lockhart even stopped in to say hello!

“This was a great opportunity to connect with people in the community of Lockhart, LCRA clients, and several Irby guys that we don’t get to see as often as we wish we could,” said Rick Shouse, Irby Executive Vice President.

For more information, view the event press release here.

Irby’s newest office, located at 1408 Blackjack St. in Lockhart Texas will be home to those serving LCRA and other clients in central Texas. The company is set to host an open house early in December. The event will allow invited clients and community members the opportunity to mingle with the Irby team and explore the company’s 14,000 sq. ft. space, which includes 4,000 square feet of office space and 10,000 square feet of warehouse.

On October 31, the Irby family took a few minutes out of the workday to celebrate Halloween at corporate headquarters. The team gathered for a quick jolt of sugar and to cast their vote for the best, funniest, and scariest costumes of the day.

The Human Resources team didn’t disappoint with their yellow brick road and handful of Oz characters. In fact, it was Amanda Lott (Director of Human Resources) who won Best Overall Costume for her depiction of the Wicked Witch of the West.

Of course, it’s hard to compete with Pennywise, the clown from “IT,” when it comes to what’s creepy. Tommie Gandy (Tools Foreman, Equipment) won walked away with the title of scariest costume for the day.

Last but not least, Bradley Allbritton (Tool Coordinator, Equipment) nearly stole the show with his impersonation of Irby’s own character, (Equipment Compliance) Bill Joy. Everyone got a kick out of Bradley’s costume, which was all in good fun and made for a great laugh.

In the last several months Irby Construction Company has offered a fond farewell to several of the company’s most tenured team members due to retirement.

Pete Tomlinson began working for Irby Construction the day after his 18th birthday and served the company ever since. Pete started working in the field and retired 46 years later as Director of Operations.

Charles Gatewood’s story is quite similar. After 50 years at Irby, Charles retired as Senior Vice President. Superintendent Gary Thornton has retired after more than 40 years on the team. Jenner Collins, Director of IT has retired after 20 years with Irby.

Last but not least, CFO, Bob Croft is turning over the reins to the financial side of things after working with us for 25 years. Mr. Croft will be serving as Executive Advisor over the next few months.

“The tenure of our team is a testament to the fact that people love working at Irby and that opportunity is here to rise up the ladder,” said (Greg Berry, Director of Recruiting and Special Projects). We’re hiring linemen right now. Who knows? Maybe one of the new folks will have a story like Charles or Pete.”

To learn more about openings at Irby, visit our careers page or contact Greg Berry.