Skanska Promotes Three Florida Executives

TAMPA, Fla. (June 16, 2021) – Skanska recently announced the promotion of three executives in its Florida building division. Mandy Weitknecht has been promoted to Vice President of Business Development for the state of Florida and Nelmarie Bowe and Brian Peterson have been promoted to Project Executives.

In her new position, Weitknecht’s role will expand to spearhead business development for Skanska statewide, including key markets such as South Florida, Central Florida, Tampa, and Fort Myers. As project executives, Bowe and Peterson will be responsible for generating business, negotiating contracts, estimating, bidding and profit/loss of assigned projects, as well as the supervision of project management staff.

“As the state’s growing population underscores a significant need for improvements to the infrastructure of key sectors such as healthcare, higher education and public spaces, it’s important we maintain the best-in-class team,” said Michael C. Brown, Skanska’s executive vice president and general manager for Florida building operations. “Across the board, these promotions are well deserved. I look forward to Mandy, Nelmarie and Brian’s continued success pursuing and bringing to life construction projects that have a positive impact in the communities we serve across Florida.” 

Over the past two years, Weitknecht has led efforts to secure several large healthcare and education construction projects for Skanska in the Central Florida region, including the successful pursuit of the Orlando Health Jewett Orthopedic Institute in downtown Orlando. She will also continue her work with Skanska’s Diversity and Inclusion (D&I) division to offer internal training programs and workshops specifically surrounding the LGBTQ+ community in Central Florida, with the goal of supporting efforts to make the construction industry more inclusive. Weitknecht earned a bachelor of science degree in marketing and a master’s in business administration from the University of Central Florida in Orlando.

Bowe began her career in construction with Skanska more than 15 years ago after landing an internship with the company – an opportunity that would pave the way to her current role as project executive. Demonstrating her leadership and commitment to the company, she also took on the initiative to start the Skanska Young Professionals (SYP) group in South Florida in 2007,organizing charity events that contributed to the community in a meaningful way. Currently, Bowe is overseeing work on the Florida Atlantic University Student Union project, ongoing services at Broward Health and work for a confidential pharmaceutical client in South Florida. Bowe graduated with a bachelor of science degree in industrial engineering with a minor in sales engineering from the University of Florida. She is also ICRA Certified, has completed OSHA’s 30-hour safety course, and has been recognized by Engineering News Record as a top 20 under 40 and the South Florida Business Journal’s 40 Under 40.  

Peterson has 20 years of construction industry experience and has spent more than half that time working with Skanska. Some of his most notable projects include BayCare Health System Corporate Headquarters, Tampa International Airport Main Terminal and Concessions Redevelopment, and numerous projects for higher education clients in the region, including Pasco-Hernando State College and the Hillsborough Community College South Shore Campus, which won the Best of the Best, Tampa Green Building Project award. Peterson is currently leading the new mixed-use lab and office project for the University of South Florida’s (USF) Research Park, Moffitt Cancer Center Faculty Office Building Renovations project and wrapping up work for a confidential Fortune 500 client. He is a graduate of the University of Florida with a bachelor of science degree in building construction and is a certified Green Globe Professional.

Currently, Skanska has more than a dozen active construction projects across the state, including the Imagine Clearwater Park, Orlando Health Jewett Orthopedic Institute, the University of Miami’s Frost Institute of Chemistry and Molecular Science, and Lee Health Gulf Coast Medical Center in Fort Myers. Visit skanska.com