Suffolk Hires Ken VanOverberghe as National Design Build Vice President Amid Growing Industry Demand for More Efficient Project Delivery

National construction innovator strengthens its design-build bench with a seasoned strategist known for uniting teams, simplifying complexity and delivering expansive projects

BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Suffolk, one of the most innovative and successful builders in the country, has hired Ken VanOverberghe as Senior Vice President, National Design Build. Mr. VanOverberghe will be responsible for all aspects of Suffolk design-build projects nationwide. Mr. VanOverberghe will partner closely with Suffolk’s regional leaders to expand the integrated delivery services, elevate the client experience and position the company for sustainable growth as demand for the design-build delivery method continues to accelerate.

Suffolk’s hiring of Mr. VanOverberghe comes at a pivotal moment as clients throughout the country are increasingly turning to the design-build method to deliver their projects. According to the Design-Build Institute of America’s 2025 Utilization Study, design-build is expected to grow to 47 percent of all U.S. construction spending by 2028, making it the most widely used project delivery method. As this shift accelerates, Suffolk continues to make strategic investments in top-tier talent to meet rising demand, elevate project performance, and position the company for sustainable growth in an evolving built environment.

“The future of great buildings depends on great collaborators. Ken has an innate ability to translate a client’s vision into a design-build strategy that unlocks its full potential,” said Chris Lansizera, Senior Vice President of Suffolk Design. “We’re entering an era where integration, creativity, and technical rigor matter more than ever. Ken has built his career around bringing teams together, challenging assumptions, and turning complexity into clarity. I am confident he will be an extraordinary asset to our clients and our Suffolk Design team.”

In 2020, Suffolk launched Suffolk Design, an innovative in-house design-management practice that is today comprised of over 90 licensed architects, engineers, and design technologists focused on streamlining traditionally fragmented handoffs between architects and builders, reducing risk, and accelerating delivery on large, complicated projects.

Mr. VanOverberghe brings more than a decade of senior design-build leadership experience from Jacobs, where he oversaw a portfolio of complex infrastructure and transit projects across the Eastern United States and Canada. As Vice President of Operations for Design Build, he was responsible for more than $250 million in design delivery. Over his tenure, he built a reputation for turning around high-risk, schedule-challenged megaprojects by restoring on-time and on-budget megaprojects, including commuter rail and transit programs across Indiana, Texas, Washington D.C. and Virginia. Mr. VanOverberghe’s skillset in strategic planning and hands-on execution positions him as a critical leader for Suffolk’s national design-build expansion.

Suffolk is currently leading several major design-build projects nationwide, including the Rebuild USVI initiative, delivering four new public schools and a curriculum center on St. Croix, as well as the St. Thomas Educational Facilities Bundle 2, which will modernize and expand multiple campuses on the island. The company is also managing significant design-build work in California and Florida, such as the University of California San Francisco Parnassus Central Campus Site Improvements and the Lightspeed Integrated Command & Communications Center in Miami.

About Suffolk
Suffolk is a national enterprise that builds, innovates and invests. Suffolk is an end-to-end business that provides value throughout the entire project lifecycle by leveraging its core construction management services with vertical service lines that include real estate capital investment, design, self-perform construction services, technology start-up investment (Suffolk Technologies) and innovation research/development.

Suffolk – America’s Contractor – is a national company with more than $9 billion in annual revenue, 3,000 employees, and offices in Boston (headquarters); New York City and Westchester County, New York; Miami, West Palm Beach, Tampa and Estero in Florida; Dallas; Los Angeles, San Francisco and San Diego; Las Vegas; Portland, Maine; New Haven, Connecticut; Herndon, Virginia; and Salt Lake City.

Suffolk manages some of the most complex, sophisticated projects in the country, serving clients in every major industry sector, including healthcare, life sciences, education, gaming, transportation/aviation, federal government and public work, mission critical, advanced technology and commercial. Suffolk is privately held and is led by Founder, Chairman and CEO John Fish. Suffolk is ranked #8 on ENR’s list of “Largest Domestic Builders” and #10 on its list of “Top CM-at-Risk Contractors.” For more information, visit www.suffolk.com and follow Suffolk on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube.