The Edge Podcast: Skip Partington, President of Barnhill Contracting

Skip Partington started his construction career cutting asphalt with an axe on a patching crew. No quickie saws. Just boots on the ground, a straight line, and a sharp blade. He's been at Barnhill Contracting for 38 years. His first assignment? Cleaning out coal feed bins at the asphalt plant.

Now he runs one of the largest and most respected heavy civil contractors in the Southeast.

I sat down with Skip on The Edge Podcast to talk about what it takes to lead a 75-year-old family business, why work zone safety is deeply personal for him, how he thinks about bidding and staying independent, and what he's actually doing to prepare the next generation. Here are my biggest takeaways.

A 75-Year-Old Company That's Not Acting Like One

What struck me most about this conversation was how seriously Barnhill is investing in new technology - not as a buzzword, but as a core part of their succession plan.

They're running autonomous rollers. They're exploring AI for mix designs and documentation. They're deploying software across their divisions to improve efficiency and give their people better tools. Skip's take on it was blunt: "If we don't utilize technology, we're gonna just fall into mediocrity."

That's a powerful statement from a company built on relationships, craft, and people who've been there for decades. But that's exactly the point. Barnhill isn't choosing between culture and innovation. They're treating technology as the bridge between this generation and the next.

Skip told me his goal is to have the technology infrastructure in place so the next generation can make good decisions profitably. He sees it as inseparable from succession planning. You can't attract and retain the next wave of talent if you're asking them to work the way we worked 20 years ago. Working hard is one of the tools, as Skip put it, but it can't be the only tool.

This is something I think a lot of contractors struggle with. They see technology as a cost center or a distraction. Barnhill sees it as a retention strategy, an efficiency play, and a competitive advantage — all at once. And they're not just talking about it. They're testing things, experimenting, and getting comfortable being uncomfortable with new approaches.

Divisional Autonomy Done Right

Barnhill runs six civil divisions and a building group. Each division has a VP or division manager who owns their P&L, their people, and their geography. Skip gave them a lot of credit: "It doesn't seem fair for me to sit here in Rocky Mount and dictate how things should run in Kitty Hawk because I'm not there."

I'm a big believer in this model. It creates ownership. It creates accountability. And it creates healthy competition between units. The division leaders are the boots on the ground. They know their communities, their customers, and their crews. Giving them autonomy — with guardrails — is how you scale without losing your soul.

The Call No One Wants to Get

We talked about something heavy. In 2024, Barnhill lost a team member — Michelle Von Zuergen — when a drunk driver entered a work zone at roughly 70 miles per hour. It was a day before her 54th birthday.

Skip got the call at 1 AM.

He's been fighting since then - working with the North Carolina AGC, CAPA, and state legislators to increase police presence and strengthen work zone laws. But progress is slow, and Skip isn't a patient man when it comes to protecting his people.

Here's what gets me: you can do everything right. Barricades up. Flashing lights on. Police on the other end. And a piece of plastic is still the only thing separating your crew from 70 mph traffic. That's unacceptable. We pave at night in tight lane closures because we've decided the public shouldn't be inconvenienced. Other countries shut down entire interstates on weekends and get better compaction, better joint density, and nobody dies. We need to do better.

What He Looks At Every Day

Skip's daily rhythm is a mix of technology and old-school leadership. He's got a monitor showing every load dropping from the plant and fleet tracking on every truck. He reviews cost reports weekly. He communicates constantly with his COO and division managers.

But his real barometer is the field. He called field visits "like a vacation day." Put on a vest, walk the site, talk to the crews. Ask what's going right and what's going wrong. He said the people on the ground are his goalpost — they tell him what needs to happen.

He doesn't get out there as much as he'd like. His words, not mine. But the fact that it bothers him tells you everything about his priorities.

Paying On Time, Every Time

Barnhill has a reputation for paying subcontractors on time. Skip's take: "Number one, it's the right thing to do." But it's also smart business. You get the best subs, you build trust, and you earn more competitive pricing over the long run.

I've written about this before and I'll keep writing about it. Paying on time is one of the simplest competitive advantages in construction. It costs you nothing extra and earns you everything.

Staying Independent

With private equity/Fortune 500 buying up contractors everywhere, Skip is content staying on his island. Barnhill is proudly family-owned and has been operated by multiple generations of the Barnhill family. People who've left for publicly held companies have come back telling him the family atmosphere was what they missed most.

Skip's not anti-growth. But he wants to grow smartly, maintain their values, and keep the culture that's kept people at Barnhill for 30, 40, 50+ years.

Investing in People

Barnhill runs an emerging leader program for high-potential foremen, project manager development classes, and a value-based leadership initiative led by their VP of Leadership and Development, Greg Odey. Skip's point was clear: the next generation wants a pathway. They want to know why and how. You've got to open the doors and get a little uncomfortable.

One thing that stuck with me: Skip still calls himself the protégé. After 38 years in the business, he signs up to learn from everyone else. "Everyone else is my mentor." That kind of humility in a leader is rare. And it's exactly why people stick around at Barnhill.

Listen to the Full Episode

Give it a listen. Skip is the real deal - I’m proud to know him - and this conversation has something for anyone leading a construction company, managing people, or thinking about what the next 10 years looks like for our industry.

Link to the full episode 🎙️ :

Resources:

Barnhill Built

Find Skip on LinkedIn

Carolinas AGC

Carolina Asphalt Pavement Association

In Case You Missed It:

Trust is a Profit Strategy

Intelligent Bidding

How Often Do You Visit The Field

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About the Author

Tristan Wilson is the CEO and Founder of Edgevanta. We make AI agents for civil estimating. He is a 4th Generation Contractor, construction enthusiast, ultra runner, and bidding nerd. He worked his way up the ladder at Allan Myers in the Mid-Atlantic and his family’s former business Barriere Construction before starting Edgevanta in Nashville, where the company is based. Reach out to him at [email protected]