Leadership

Paul Jones is 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.

Chris Stalnaker is Vice President 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 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.

Matt Furlong is Vice President, Preconstruction of W.W. Gay Mechanical Contractor. After joining the company in 2015 as an Assistant Project Manager, he quickly jumped to the position of Project Manager. There he gained experience in manufacturing, clean rooms, central energy plants, process piping, FDA life science facilities, and high-end office buildings. After 7 years of managing work in the commercial and light industrial markets, he continued to grow his leadership skills as the Vice President, Special Projects with responsibilities that included leading W.W. Gay’s Information Technology department, overseeing the construction of our new headquarters, as well as supporting the pursuit and management of special projects. In 2023 Matt accepted a promotion to his current role where he oversees preconstruction activity across the company. He is pleased to continue the family legacy in the company as his grandfather worked as a chiller mechanic for Mr. Gay decades ago.

Matt graduated from the University of North Florida with a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering as the Mechanical Engineering Student of the Year. He is also a proud member and past president of ASHRAE Jacksonville Chapter.

Walt Traxler is Vice President of Gainesville Operations and has been with W. W. Gay since 2002. He was hired as a Project Engineer at the Brain Institute Minors Office while attending college at the University of Florida, assisting on various projects at the UF Health Science Center Complex. He worked full-time while finishing his degree at the M.E. Rinker, Sr. School of Construction Management where he graduated in 2003. Shortly after graduation, Walt was promoted to Project Manager and worked on the UF Cancer Genetics Research Complex, a $23 Million Dollar HVAC Mechanical project, which was, at the time, the largest in Gainesville company history.

From 2003-2020 he has managed many types of projects with the Commercial team, including laboratory research, animal care, site utilities, energy plants, and the majority in healthcare. After 17 years in that role, he was promoted to VP of Commercial Operations where he oversaw operations, management, and development of the Commercial Team, as well as the Estimating department. In 2023, Walt was promoted to oversee all Gainesville operations.

Walt’s focus is on teaching and coaching the next generation and building on the solid foundation that was laid by incredible field and office staff that came before him.