Ben Nelson

President

Ben began working as a parts runner and laborer for Pilchuck Contractors in 1990. After graduating from the University of Washington in 1996, he began work­ing full-time for Pilchuck Contractors. He has moved up through the company as an estimator, project manager and operations manager. Pilchuck was purchased by Michels Corporation in 1999 and 2013, Pilchuck transitioned into Michels Pipeline Construction.

Ben Nelson is the president of Michels Pacific Energy in Santa Clara, California

Kevin Parker

Vice President

Kevin Parker joined Mears Group in 1984 and is presently vice president of Safety, Health, Training, and Environmental Compliance. Kevin started attending DCA functions in 2008, and was awarded Safety Director of the Year in 2012. He regularly attends the spring DCA Safety Congress and has been both a roundtable panelist and moderator at the April DCA & AGA Utility Workshop. He is co-chair of the DCA Safety/Risk Management Committee, and is a member of the DCA Government Relations Committee, DCA Work Group on the Golden Shovel Standard, and DCA OQ Portability Task Force.

Kevin Parker is Vice President of Safety, Health, Training, and Environmental Compliance for Mears Group.

Ray Swerdfeger

Treasurer

Ray grew up watching the company grow from a few employees to over 500 at its peak. As a child, Keith would often take Ray to work on the weekends teaching him to operate backhoes and loaders. From the age of 15, summer and winter breaks from school were mostly spent in the field learning to install pipe and build brick manholes. After high school, Ray went on to earn a Bachelors of Science degree in Construction Management from Colorado State University. In January of 1995, he started full time with the company as a crew foreman in New Mexico. In 1997, Ray became superintendent of the directional drilling crews in Denver. He expanded the directional drilling into a full service trenchless division.   

Ray Swerdfeger is president of K.R. Swerdfeger Construction, Inc., in Pueblo, Colorado.

Robert Darden, CMP, CAE

Executive Vice President

Rob joined the staff in July 2009 bringing to DCA over 25 years of international meeting management and association experience, most recently as Executive Director of QuEST Forum, an international telecom association. Previously he held executive positions with the Young Presidents' Organization and Spear One Productions. Rob graduated from Louisiana State University and is a member of the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE), Meeting Professionals International (MPI) and has earned certifications as a CMP (Certified Meeting Professional) and CAE (Certified Association Executive).

Rob and his wife, Sheri, live in Plano with their two children, Andrew and Ashley.

Robert G. Darden is Executive Vice President for Distribution Contractors Association, in Richardson, Texas.

Michael Hickey

Immediate Past President

Mike started in the business as a commercial diver in 1978 for Oceaneering International in Morgan City, Louisiana. In 1980, Mike returned to New York and started work as a laborer in the gas utility industry. In 1990, Mike and his three brothers joined the Hallen family. In 1994, Mike was put in charge of the utility operation for Hallen and has done so ever since. Mike is currently the chairman of the DCA Safety / Risk Management Committee.

Mike Hickey is currently the Executive Vice President of Operations for The Hallen Construction Company in the New York tri state area.

Shepard Poole

Past President Director

Shepard began his construction career as a part-time laborer with The Hallen Construction Co. Inc. in 1986.  He has served on the strategic planning committee, the safety/risk management committee, the DCA-Dale R. Michels scholarship committee, and the executive/finance committee.  Poole was the DCA president in 2009.

Shepard Poole is the president and chief executive officer for The Hallen Construction Co. Inc. in Island Park, New York.

Mark Albert

Director

Albert studied business at Rhode Island College and engineering at the University of Rhode Island prior to founding AGI Construction.  AGI has grown from a small family-owned company into a regional natural gas contractor servicing New England and upstate New York with nearly 300 employees.  Albert has recently been asked to serve on the Board of Directors for the Northeast Gas Association.  He also serves as a Co-Chair of the Government Relations Committee with the DCA and he is completing a one-year appointment as director at large with the DCA.

Mark Albert is the founder and chief executive officer of AGI Construction (AGI), headquartered in Smithfield, Rhode Island.

Doug Anderson

Director

Doug began his career as a laborer in 1993 for Mueller Pipeline (MRM) in St. Paul, Minnesota.  During his time with the MRM network of companies, Doug worked in New Jersey, Buffalo, and various areas of the Midwest.  He filled the roles of fuser, operator, and foreman before being promoted to manager of distribution for Iowa, Wisconsin, and Illinois.  During that time, he worked on several fiber optic, pipeline, and distribution projects.  

Doug joined the INTREN team in Union, Illinois, in 2011.  As director of operations, Doug helped established contracts in the Baltimore and Philadelphia areas while continuing to expand their Midwest footprint. Doug joined Miller Pipeline in 2019.

Doug has been member of the DCA since 2011. He has participated on various committees and works with the Labor Committee during negotiations. 

Doug Anderson joined Miller Pipeline in 2019.

Dan Carson

Director

Dan Carson is the president of Carson Corporation headquartered in Lafayette, New Jersey. Dan has 30 years of experience in the construction industry as a specialty contractor performing both HDD and Civil Construction. Dan joined the DCA in 2013 and is a vice-chairman on the HDD Committee. 

Dan Carson is the president of Carson Corporation headquartered in Lafayette, New Jersey

Steve Dockendorf

Director

Steve started his career as a laborer and fuser for NPL Construction Company in 1980. Over the next 38 years, Steve has held various positions with NPL: foreman, safety director, general superintendent, area manager for Minnesota, regional manager in the upper Midwest, and now vice president of operations for NPL's Minnesota region. In addition to his role in Minnesota, Steve is also vice president of safety for all of NPL.

Steve Dockendorf is vice president of safety and Minnesota operations with NPL Construction Company.

Jeff Green

Director

Jeff began his industry career in 1985, working for Pittman Construction, St. Louis, as a laborer for the water and gas utilities.  In 1990, he joined NPL as a general foreman, and in 1995 he moved his family west to grow the company as an operations manager and regional manager.  Jeff was instrumental in starting operations in Colorado, California, Utah, and Ohio, and was responsible for the start of the Special Projects division.  Jeff joined InfraSource as vice president of transmission in 2013 and is currently the company’s president. 

Jeff Green is the president of InfraSource in Kansas City, Missouri, and is currently the co-chairman of the DCA HDD committee. 

Jim Lagios

Director

Jim started as a laborer for Michels Pipeline in the HDD division in 1989 and has moved up through the ranks of several reputable HDD organizations over the last twenty-five years. Jim is currently the president of Atlas Trenchless.
Jim has 26 years extensive hands-on experience in the HDD industry, having held senior management positions in several high profile HDD organizations.

Jim Lagios is President of Atlas Trenchless.

Doug Reeves

Director at Large

Reeves started work in the utility industry performing power pole and power line inspections in Indiana in 1989.  A career change in 1990 initiated a shift to the natural gas industry, where Doug performed and later managed code compliance services such as leak surveys and line locating throughout the upper Midwest.  Reeves moved to Minnesota in 1997 and started work with Q3 Contracting in 1998.  During his time with Q3C, Reeves has held multiple positions in field operations management and estimating.  He was named president of the company in September 2017.  Reeves also serves on the DCA labor committee.

Doug Reeves is the president of Q3 Contracting Inc. (Q3C), located in Little Canada, Minnesota.

Woody Ferrell

Associate Member Director (Senior)

(Elected by the Associates)

Woody Ferrell serves pipeline contractors in the U.S. and Canada.  Woody is currently co-chairman of the DCA Membership Committee and has served on the Curtis Allen Scholarship Committee.  He has also supported the DCA Oil and Gas Pipeline initiative by attending DC fly-ins. 

Scott Cooper

Associate Member Director (Junior)

(Elected by the Associates)

Scott has been in the construction industry for 22 years.  Since graduating from East Carolina University with a bachelor’s degree in construction management, he has held various positions within Caterpillar, including production manager, customer service manager, senior marketing engineer, worldwide marketing manager for telescopic handlers, territory industry field sales, and service representative and national accounts manager.  Cooper is involved in construction advisory boards at East Carolina University (ECU) and Cape Carteret Community College.  He is currently the president of the Executive and General Advisory Board for Construction at ECU, representing 110 major companies.  Cooper serves as a board member for the Lee County Educational Foundation and is a committee member of the Cat Foundation within his division.  He is also a talent recruiter for the Building Construction Products Division.

Scott Cooper is currently a senior national accounts manager for the Building Construction Products Division of Caterpillar, Inc., in Cary, North Carolina.