Leadership

Paul Jones is President and Chief Executive Officer of W. W. Gay Mechanical Contractor, Inc. and is proud to be carrying on the legacy of his grandfather, William W. “Bill” Gay. Paul’s industry roots were established when he joined the company for his summer job in 1999, working on service trucks with longtime journeymen and mentors where he gained invaluable experience.

Because W. W. Gay Mechanical offers a vast portfolio of services across many markets, Paul has design, build and leadership experience in a variety of project types including healthcare, higher education, office buildings, retrofits, government, military, industrial plants, power plants, data centers, parking garages, theme parks and clean room environments. Paul joined the Orlando office in 2005 and quickly became a valued member of the operations team. He was promoted in 2013 to oversee the operations, management, and development of the Central Florida market. As a result of his leadership and his team’s commitment to excellence, revenues more than doubled from 2014 to 2015 and that office has continued to grow each year since. He was then promoted to President and Chief Operating Officer in 2018 and re-located to the Jacksonville corporate office. In January 2021, Paul was appointed as Chief Executive Officer and brings a clear and bright vision for the organization.

Paul graduated from the University of Florida where he earned his Bachelor of Science in Building Construction and was a proud member of Sigma Lambda Chi International Construction Honor Society. He is a Certified Mechanical Contractor, Certified Plumbing Contractor and Certified General Contractor in Florida.

Tom Smith began his career with W. W. Gay Mechanical Contractor, Inc. in 1991. Much of those 30 years have been spent between the Jacksonville and Gainesville offices, heavily involved in all aspects of the business. During his 5-year apprenticeship, Tom worked in many divisions including A/C, Controls, Plumbing and Test & Balance. After his apprenticeship, he began in Project Management and was then relocated to the Gainesville office in 1997. He was promoted to Vice President in 2002 and Director of Operations in 2012, where he oversaw all aspects of the business. In 2020, Tom re-located back to the Jacksonville office to serve as Executive Vice President and head of Operations.

Tom served our country in the United States Army Aviation for 4 years. During his service in Europe, he also received his Associates Degree from the University of Maryland. Upon returning home, he began studies at Southern Illinois University for a business degree in Workforce Management. Tom is also a state-certified Mechanical, Plumbing and Underground Utility Contractor.

Travis Camp is the Chief Financial Officer and Vice President of W. W. Gay Mechanical Contractor, Inc. He joined the company as an Assistant Controller in 2007 serving alongside company leadership by assisting with financial reporting and managing back-office functions. After nine years of expanding his responsibilities and role within the company, he was promoted to Chief Financial Officer in 2016. In this capacity, he has been leading the effort to modernize the company’s ERP while using newly captured data and metrics to assist operations in driving the company forward.

Travis’ exposure to W. W. Gay Mechanical Contractor, came at a young age. His uncle, a pipefitter with 40+ years at the company, would share stories with him of working for the company with “the best employees in the business”. Travis came to Jacksonville in 1997, to attend the University of North Florida where he earned, with honors, a Bachelors of Business Administration in Accounting and later graduated with a Masters of Business Administration degree. In 2001, he began his career as an auditor with Arthur Andersen and continued in that role with Harbeson, Beckerleg, and Fletcher CPA’s in Jacksonville. In 2007, Travis became a Certified Public Accountant in the State of Florida. His 6 years in public accounting, including annual audits of several construction contractors, brought him invaluable exposure to the financial reporting structure and best practices inside the industry.

Wayne Durban started with W. W. Gay in the Drafting Department in 1976. Four years later, he began Estimating Takeoffs and assisting the Chief Estimator in 1980 where he established relationships with all aspects of the business from the field team, customers, subcontractors to engineers and owners. He received his Building Construction degree from the University of North Florida in 1982, which led to a dual role of Estimating and Project Management. As a Project Manager, Wayne managed projects at universities, government bases, healthcare facilities and commercial projects. He became Vice President and Chief Estimator in 1993 and was then promoted to Senior Vice President in 2007. He served as Estimating Manager along with a role in Customer Relations.

Over his long career with W. W. Gay, Wayne has enjoyed interfacing with customers and selling a company he believes in. He is most grateful for the opportunity he had in working closely with Mr. Gay in the bid room for many years.

Chris Stalnaker is Vice President and Director of Operations for the W. W. Gay Gainesville office and has been with the company since 1998. Starting out as a pre-apprentice in Gainesville, he continued his education through the Jacksonville Plumbers Pipefitters JATT where he graduated in 2003 as a Foreman. Shortly after, he was promoted to Project Superintendent where he worked on and oversaw projects of many different sizes and types including healthcare, industrial, higher education buildings, sports complexes, and more. He held that position from 2003-2012 before being promoted to Field Operations Manager where he managed all labor produced out of the Gainesville office. After 8 years in that role, Chris was promoted in 2020 to Director of Operations where he oversees the operations, management, and development for the Gainesville office.

Chris’s focus is to add value to others and hopes to build the Gainesville operation into an even stronger foundation for generations to come.

Michael Rizzo is Vice President and Operations Manager for the W. W. Gay Orlando office. Before finding his way to W. W. Gay, Michael’s construction career began in 2002 working for a military contractor in Jacksonville, FL. He began in the field and gained experience working placing concrete, tying rebar, formwork, marine construction, and civil construction operations. Much of his time was spent overseeing and managing projects for NAVFAC (Navy/USMC), US Customs & Border Patrol, and US Coast Guard between Kings Bay, GA and Port Canaveral. Michael joined the W. W. Gay family as a Project Manager in 2010, working first out of the Daytona Beach office. He managed projects in government, healthcare, commercial, and industrial sectors. In 2018, Michael was promoted to oversee the operations, management, and development for the Orlando office.

Michael studied Engineering Technology at Daytona State College. He has completed both the Mechanical Contractors Association of America’s (MCAA) Institute for Project Managers and Advanced Institute for Project Managers in Austin, TX. His biggest focus is on continually growing the Central Florida operation.