Leadership + about
64 years. Three generations. 38% employee-owned.
Founded in Cleveland in 1962. Family-led for 50 years; transitioned to ESOP in 2008. Today: 38% employee-owned with senior management committed to long-tenure leadership.
At a glance
1962
Founded · Cleveland, OH
38%
Employee-owned
$2.4B
Annual revenue · 2025
ENR
Top 200 GC since 1992
Executive leadership
The senior team
Marcus Hartman — President & CEO
Joined Meridian as a project engineer in 1993. CEO since 2018. Engineering degree, Purdue. AGC America board member. Led the firm through 2008 ESOP transition + recent revenue doubling.
Janelle Stevens — COO
Joined in 2002 as a senior PM. COO since 2019. Construction Management degree, IIT. Oversees field operations + project execution across all sectors.
David Chen — CFO
Joined 2014 from a regional bank’s commercial-construction lending team. Oversees finance, accounting, ESOP administration, risk management.
Aisha Patel — Chief Pre-construction Officer
Joined 2007 as senior estimator. Leads pre-construction across all sectors. AACE Certified Cost Professional. Drives the firm’s estimating + value-engineering excellence.
Carlos Romero — Chief People Officer
Joined 2016. Oversees recruiting, talent development, ESOP communication, DEI strategy. Led the post-pandemic workforce stabilization + diversity-recruitment program.
Margaret Liu — Chief Safety Officer
Joined 2010 from a major industrial-construction safety program. Led the EMR reduction from 0.84 to 0.62. Drives field-led safety culture.
The story
From regional concrete contractor to ENR Top 200
1962 — founded
Brothers Frank + Mike Hartman start a concrete + structural contractor in Cleveland with 8 craft workers. First major project: a small industrial expansion for a Cleveland steel mill.
1980s — diversification
Expansion into general contracting. Successful regional industrial work. Healthcare practice launches with the Cleveland Clinic relationship that continues today.
1992 — first ENR ranking
Hits ENR Top 400 list. Regional brand established across OH, PA, MI.
2008 — ESOP transition
Frank Hartman steps down as CEO; firm transitions from family ownership to ESOP. 8% employee-owned at transition; 38% today.
2014 — major sector expansion
Mission-critical + advanced manufacturing practices launched. Partnership with hyperscale operator on first major data center.
2018 — Marcus Hartman CEO
Frank Hartman’s grandson, having come up through the ranks since 1993, becomes CEO. ESOP ownership accelerates.
2024 — $2B revenue
First $2B revenue year. ENR Top 200. 1,840 staff. ENR Specialty Contractor of the Year for self-perform structure.
2026 — today
$2.4B revenue. 64 years. 38% employee-owned. Active in 6 states. Sustainable, diverse, and committed to next generation of construction leadership.
Diversity + inclusion
A real commitment, measurable in the data
Workforce diversity
38% diverse workforce. 28% women in field roles (industry: 11%). 18% Black + Latino in management roles (above national average for construction).
Apprenticeship + entry-level
Apprenticeship programs in 4 cities. Partnership with Cleveland Builds, ChicagoCAN, INFOCUS, Detroit Workforce Initiative. Conversion-to-full-time rate 92%.
Subcontractor diversity
Active DBE / MBE / WBE / VBE / SDB participation programs. Federal participation thresholds met or exceeded on all federal + state work. Substantial private-sector participation.
Mentorship + sponsorship
Internal mentorship program pairs senior leaders with rising talent. Active sponsorship of women + people of color into senior PM + estimating tracks.
Pay equity
Annual third-party pay-equity audit. Disclosed in our annual ESG report. Currently no statistically-significant gender or racial pay gap at any level.
Workforce reporting
EEO-1 + state-required diversity reports filed annually. Public summary in our annual ESG report. Industry-leading transparency on these metrics.
Industry leadership
Where Meridian engages publicly
AGC of America
CEO Marcus Hartman serves on the AGC Board. Active engagement on safety, sustainability, federal infrastructure policy, workforce development.
ABC + AGC chapters
Active participation in Northeast Ohio + Pittsburgh + Indianapolis + Chicago + Detroit chapters of both AGC and ABC. Many board roles + committee chairs.
ENR + Engineering News-Record
Active subject of + contributor to ENR coverage. Published thought leadership on safety, sustainability, ESOP transition.
Trade associations
ABC, ASA, NAWIC, NAMC, USGBC, ACEC. Active leadership roles in many.
Workforce policy
Meridian executives have testified to federal + state policy bodies on construction workforce development, apprenticeship reform, infrastructure investment.
ESOP policy
ESOP advocacy at federal level. Marcus Hartman testified at House Education + Workforce committee on ESOP legislation in 2023.
Leadership questions
What people ask
- Partly. Marcus Hartman (current CEO, 3rd generation) is largest individual shareholder, but ESOP holds 38% and senior management another 22%. The Hartman family no longer has majority control.