Leadership

Paul Jones serves as Chief Executive Officer of W.W. Gay Mechanical Contractor, a premier full-service commercial and industrial contractor based in the Southeast United States. Paul’s career with W.W. Gay began in his high school years as a summer employee, and in 2005, he joined the Orlando office full-time. By 2013, he was promoted to oversee operations, management, and development for the Central Florida market. His leadership capabilities led to another promotion in 2018 when he became President and Chief Operating Officer, prompting his relocation to the Jacksonville corporate headquarters. In January 2021, Paul assumed the role of Chief Executive Officer, where he continues to bring a dynamic and forward-thinking vision for the company’s future.

Paul is deeply committed to serving the Jacksonville community, holding several key positions. He is Chairman of the Board of Trustees for the Local 803 Plumbers and Pipefitters Health and Welfare and Pension Fund, a Trustee for Local 234 Plumbers and Pipefitters, a member of the Board of Directors for the Jacksonville Chamber of Commerce, and an Advisory Board Member for United Community Bank.

His accomplishments have been recognized by various prestigious awards, including the Jacksonville Business Journal’s 2020 “40 Under 40” Award and the University of Florida’s 2021 “40 Gators Under 40” honor. Paul is an active member of the Young Presidents’ Organization, Gator Bowl Sports, Jax Civic Council, Guardian Ambassador, and has previously served on the UF RISE Advisory Council.  

In addition to his leadership roles, Paul has dedicated significant time to various charitable and professional organizations. He served a three-year term on the Board of Directors for Junior Achievement of North Florida (2018–2022) and held numerous leadership positions during his seven-year tenure on the Board of Directors for the Central and Northern Florida Chapter of Make-A-Wish Foundation. In recognition of his expertise, he was appointed by Governor Ron DeSantis to the Florida Building Commission, where he chaired the Plumbing Technical Advisory Committee until September 2022.

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

Paul is honored to lead W.W. Gay Mechanical Contractor, building on its solid foundation and continuing its legacy of excellence.

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.

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.

Anthony White, Chief Strategy Officer, leads development and implementation of W. W. Gay’s strategic initiatives, which activities across our organization in concert with our company mission, vision and values.

Anthony spent 17 years developing and executing capital projects for Fortune 500 customers primarily in the food and beverage manufacturing market at Haskell, prior to joining WW Gay. There he led teams to engineer, procure and construct manufacturing and distribution facilities including complex HVAC, utility, process and packaging systems. Additionally, Anthony led market strategy, business development, project execution and account management initiatives for the North American Beverage alcohol market.

Anthony is a graduate of the University of Florida, earning a Bachelor of Science in Building Construction as well as a Master of Business Administration. Anthony is also a Certified General Contractor in Florida.