Team Services Coordinator

Terry Baum

While growing up and even in college, I never saw myself working for the family business.  In 1992 I graduated with a bachelor's degree in Operations Management from the W.P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University, got married, moved to Tucson, AZ, and worked as a laborer for Sun Valley Masonry while my wife finished her bachelor's degree in Nursing at the University of Arizona.  My dad Kenny Baum, who at the time was OBCI's VP, thought I’d be a good fit in the accounting department.  I took my dad's offer and my wife and I moved back to Morton after she graduated in May of 1993.  

My first role was an accounting clerk whose main responsibility was to collect past due accounts receivable.  Fortunately for me, OBCI was without a controller and the accounting team needed leadership.  I found purpose in this effort and came alive in the accounting department.  Soon I was asking a lot of questions, streamlining processes and consolidating responsibilities so the team operated more effectively.  Moreover, while other family members focused on estimating and field operations, I was able to concentrate on other aspects of the business such as accounting standards, safety and risk management, fleet management, software & IT, HR and developing policies and procedures.  Over time I took on the roles of controller, then general manager, and in 2007 I became the president.  

It's been a challenging, yet rewarding journey.  Today, while all of the family members who nurtured my growth have retired, I am blessed to serve with a dynamic and dedicated Executive Team who are committed to OBCI's Core Values of Integrity, Commitment, Teamwork & Quality.

John Basham

John Basham attended Lincoln Land Community College in Springfield, Illinois, and has over thirty years of construction experience.  After a requested meeting with Butch Long of OBCI he happily joined the team in May of 2018.  Throughout the years, he has taken on more responsibilities such as union trades representation, equipment manager, and fleet fuel manager.  John strongly believes in the company’s values of integrity, quality, teamwork, and commitment.  He also loves OBCI’s family-oriented feel and the appreciation they always show their employees.  Outside of work, John loves to spend time participating in outdoor activities such as boating, fishing, and hunting.

Tony Cox

Tony Cox is very passionate about construction work as he grew up in the industry with a stepfather who was a contractor, attended building trades in high school, and joined the Carpenters Union upon graduation. After several years working with area General Contractor’s, he picked up on Otto Baum’s commitment to living up to the highest standards on every job, every time. When the Division Manager position came available, it peaked Tony’s interest. He is happy to be part of a network of great team members and goal setters. When not at work, Tony enjoys spending time with family, and outdoor activities such as hunting, biking, and fishing.....along with trying to better his golf game.

Jedd Rocke

Jedd Rocke was an electrician by trade and brought extensive experience to the Otto Baum team.  When the company he was working for was bought out, Jedd needed a place to work.  In May of 2000, he found OBCI and was hired on as an Estimator/Project Manager.  In 2019, he moved to the division manager role.  Overall, he appreciates the fair treatment of employees and the wonderful family/work balance.  When he’s not on the job, Jedd loves to camp, hunt, play/watch sports, and spend time with family.

Dan Bagley

Dan Bagley graduated from Bradley University in Peoria, IL, with a Bachelor of Science in construction and a minor in business administration.  After Dan and his wife had their second child, they decided to move back to the area from Chicagoland due to the pace of work and a tough work/life balance.  Dan believed Central Illinois and OBCI specifically would provide a much better fit for their family.  He had a friend that worked at CORE who recommended that he apply at CORE and OBCI.  Dan had worked in the restoration market in the Chicago area, so OBCI was a natural fit and the timing worked out perfectly.  He was hired on as a restoration division manager in March of 2007.  When Dan is off-the-clock, he enjoys spending time with his wife and kids, relaxing, and traveling.

Art Jefford

Art Jefford jokes that he attended the School of Hard Knocks.  In 1993, he was looking for a stable job with great benefits.  When he found OBCI, he knew it was a great opportunity.  He’s always felt it was a good company with good, hard-working people.  His duties have changed over the years and are sure to continue changing, but through it all, he believes he’s in the right spot.  When he has some free time, Art loves to spend time with his wonderful grandkids.

Rich Swanson

In 2011, OBCI was looking for a safety professional.  All the services that we perform are what Rich had done in his career, so he made the call, and the rest is history.  Rich noted early on with OBCI, that he thought the safety culture here is outstanding.  It shows that we strive to be the best of the best.  Support from the top down is what makes OBCI stand out from the rest.  Rich enjoys spending time with family and their dog Lexie projects around the house, and watching movies!

Scott Wallace

Scott Wallace graduated from Mid-State College with an associate degree in business administration.  As he was looking for a new job, he came across OBCI and immediately felt good about working there.  He started out doing union payroll in September of 1989 and fit right in with the rest of the employees.  The family-friendly atmosphere and fair treatment are just a couple of things Scott appreciates most about  OBCI.  After hours, Scott enjoys outdoor activities like camping and fishing and loves working out.

Stephanie Cobb

Stephanie Cobb graduated from Illinois Central College in 2001 with an associate degree.  She attempted being a stay-at-home mom but wanted to get back to work.  After encouragement from her family, and after acknowledging her experience with the construction field, she began looking for construction companies that have open office positions.  She came across OBCI and noticed their wonderful reputation and longevity and made the decision to take a receptionist position in April of 2013 and worked for a year mapping the company for an ERP transition.  At the time, OBCI did not have an HR department, but Stephanie had experience and eventually became the HR manager in 2015.  OBCI is best described by a quote from Walt Disney, “Around here, however, we don't look backward for very long.  We keep moving forward, opening up new doors and doing new things… and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths.”  In her spare time, Stephanie loves being a mom, reading, working on various home improvement projects with her husband, and traveling.

Riley Baum

Riley Baum graduated from Peoria Christian High School in 2018. After trying out several different career paths, he finally decided to take his Dad’s advice to come work for the family company. Riley quickly fell in love with the business and is looking forward to what the future holds. When not at work, Riley enjoys all things sports!

Tony Cox

Tony Cox is very passionate about construction work as he grew up in the industry with a stepfather who was a contractor, attended building trades in high school, and joined the Carpenters Union upon graduation. After several years working with area General Contractor’s, he picked up on Otto Baum’s commitment to living up to the highest standards on every job, every time. When the Division Manager position came available, it peaked Tony’s interest. He is happy to be part of a network of great team members and goal setters. When not at work, Tony enjoys spending time with family, and outdoor activities such as hunting, biking, and fishing.....along with trying to better his golf game.

Mitch Green

Mitch Green graduated from Southern Illinois University in Edwardsville, IL, with a Bachelor of Science degree. He realized in high school that he wanted to do construction, so he found an internship opportunity at Otto Baum Co. Upon completion of his internship, he was offered a full-time position. He was hired on as a Jr. estimator/project Manager in April of 2013 and was promoted to an Estimator/Project Manager in 2015. Overall, Mitch is grateful that Otto Baum Co. took a chance on a young guy with minimal experience. Management fosters employees’ development and rewards hard work with career advancement. Mitch loves to be with his family, biking and making music when he has some spare time.

Justin Thomas

Justin Thomas earned an associate degree in Construction Engineering Technology, which has helped him in his role at OBCI. In October of 2018, he was looking for a new position, and chose OBCI because they were a long-standing company. He believes company management truly appreciates him as an employee and his work, gives employees adequate resources, and values work/life balance. After work, Justin enjoys time with his family, carpentry and home repair, and trying new foods.

Stephanie Benson

Tim Gashaw

Tim Gashaw started with Otto Baum in high school as a co-op student. After graduation, he wanted a job in the trades & joined the Carpenters Union. Tim worked his way up to a Foreman at OBCI before becoming a General Superintendent in 2020. Tim is from Morton and enjoys spending time with his wife & 3 kids. 

John Basham

John Basham attended Lincoln Land Community College in Springfield, Illinois, and has over thirty years of construction experience.  After a requested meeting with Butch Long of OBCI he happily joined the team in May of 2018. Throughout the years, he has taken on more responsibilities such as union trades representation, equipment manager, and fleet fuel manager. John strongly believes in the company’s values of integrity, quality, teamwork, and commitment.  He also loves OBCI’s family-oriented feel and the appreciation they always show their employees.  Outside of work, John loves to spend time participating in outdoor activities such as boating, fishing, and hunting.

Tim Gillette

Tim Gillette graduated from Illinois State University in Normal, IL, with a bachelor’s degree in Construction Management. He has 13 years of management experience in the construction industry in various trades such as civil, post-frame, and roofing. Excited and thankful to be part of a local, reputable company, he joined the civil team as an estimator in April 2022. Tim enjoys going on adventures with his wife and sons, and off the clock spending time outdoors hunting and fishing.

Adam Hodgson

Adam Hodgson's background in construction began at a young age, working for concrete and roofing companies. He graduated from Bradley University with a degree in Civil Engineering. During his time as an engineer, he worked in design, construction, and maintenance planning for several communities. Outside of work he enjoys sports, the outdoors, and spending time with his family.

Kerri Fehr

Kerri Fehr graduated from college with a bachelor’s degree in Arts, Entertainment, and Media Management with a focus on Business and Accounting.  Kerri appreciates OBCI ‘s wonderful work environment, employees, and flexibility with family life.  Kerri’s husband was related to an employee, submitted her resume to HR, and she was hired in January of 2017.  When Kerri isn’t working hard at Otto Baum, she is either running or taking care of her kids, Lincoln, Adler and Isabel.

Scott Getz

In 2020 Scott Getz became an OBCI employee.  Scott had a great working relationship with several employees, and it made sense to become part of the team when the position of General Superintendent was offered to him.  Besides the relationships, Scott thought making the switch was a great move because of the stability; not many companies have been in business since 1937.  Scott started his career as a laborer for Local 996 in 1996.  Scott enjoys spending his spare time with his wife traveling to see his daughter play softball.

Brock Quinlan

Brock Quinlan attended a trade school where he gained extensive experience.  While searching for jobs, he found OBCI and believe it was his chance to advance his career.  He began work in July of 2018.  One of his favorite things about the company is working alongside great people.  Brock spends his time outside of work coaching kids’ sports, hunting, and fishing.

Kris Weiss

Kris Weiss joined Laborer Local 231 in 2008. In 2013, he moved up to Foreman Role. Then, in 2018, he began looking for a contractor to call home where he then started at Otto Baum that October. Kris enjoys being a part of a company with better quality and commitment to their employees. Kris and fiancé, Tiffany, enjoy spending most of their time cheering on both of their children’s travel sports events, camping, and going riding on their sxs’s.

Jedd Rocke

Jedd Rocke was an electrician by trade and brought extensive experience to the Otto Baum team.  When the company he was working for was bought out, Jedd needed a place to work.  In May of 2000, he found OBCI and was hired on as an Estimator/Project Manager.  In 2019, he moved to the division manager role.  Overall, he appreciates the fair treatment of employees and the wonderful family/work balance.  When he’s not on the job, Jedd loves to camp, hunt, play/watch sports, and spend time with family.

Ryan Locke

Ryan Locke is a high school graduate whose father (Ed Locke) worked at OBCI since 1968.  His father never had anything negative to say about the company, and so Ryan started in the field in June of 1991 as a bricklayer.  After three years, he became a bricklayer foreman.  After 24 years, he switched to the role of estimator/project manager in 2018.  When he’s off the clock, Ryan enjoys outdoor activities such as hunting, fishing, camping, and loves to train dogs.

Aaron Moser

Aaron Moser began working at OBCI through a high school internship and worked summers throughout high school and college.  Even though he received a degree in Aeronautical Science, Aaron was always drawn to the construction industry. Approximately a year after graduating, Aaron wanted to get back into construction, so he took a few masonry plan reading and estimating classes at Parkland College.

When he first started in August 1998, his job was sweeping parking lots, testing and rolling up water hoses, oiling and stacking concrete forms, etc. As his knowledge and experience grew, OBCI gave him the opportunities for which he was looking.  Aaron is grateful to be able to work for a company that values its employees and always strives to conduct business with integrity.  He’s always enjoyed working on home improvement projects and has recently moved into a house he and his wife built together.  When the weather allows, Aaron enjoys biking, fishing, hiking with his family, and always tries to make it down to Lake of the Ozarks a few times a year.

Travis Woolen

Travis Woolen graduated from Illinois State University, where he studied construction management.  He grew up with fellow employee, Jedd Rocke’s son, which played a role in his decision to work at OBCI.  He started his position in January of 2019.  He enjoys his job and has always believed OBCI to be a friendly company filled with great people who do great work.  Outside work, Travis enjoys hunting, fishing, and hanging out with family and friends.

Amber Lady

Amber Lady joined the OBCI team in 2021 when she saw a posting on LinkedIn.  The position of project administrator was a good fit because of her experience working for another local construction company.  Amber graduated from Eastern Illinois University with her Bachelors in Psychology and Sociology.  Amber admits she is a devoted soccer mom and loves traveling with her family.

Josh Gillette

Josh Gillette first started at OBCI in 1997 in the yard. It was meant to be a job to fill a year until he went back to school. He previously went to ICC for one year and ended up never returning.  After about a year, he started as a laborer for the crews in Eureka and Woodford county area mostly with the masonry crews.  Josh enjoyed the masonry jobs and in 1999 joined the Peoria bricklayers.  Josh recently was promoted to general superintendent and is excited to see what the future will bring.  When Josh is not at work, he spends time with his family while fishing, camping, hiking, or biking.

Kurt Haldorsen

Kurt Haldorsen aka "Curly" got into the trades as bricklayer because his dad & uncle were bricklayers. He first started with Stobeck Masonry which OBCI purchased in the early 2000s. Curly became a Foreman & worked his way up to General Superintendent where he is enjoying the challenges of the job. Curly is very active in his church & enjoys spending time with his wife & 4 kids.

Keith Martin

Keith Martin is a graduate of Effingham High School and started his career with OBCI to be the foreman on our Effingham High School Project in 1997.  In 2006, Keith became our masonry General Superintendent in the Champaign area.  When Keith isn't busy working, he enjoys spending time hunting, shooting sporting clays, and trail riding sport utility vehicles with friends and family.

Dan Bagley

Dan Bagley graduated from Bradley University in Peoria, IL, with a bachelor of science in Construction and a minor in Business Administration.  After Dan and his wife had their second child, they decided to move back to the area from Chicagoland due to the pace of work and a tough work/life balance.  Dan believed Central Illinois and OBCI specifically would provide a much better fit for their family.  He had a friend that worked at CORE who recommended that he apply at CORE and OBCI.  Dan had worked in the restoration market in the Chicago area, so OBCI was a natural fit and the timing worked out perfectly.  He was hired on as a restoration division manager in March of 2007.  When Dan is off-the-clock, he enjoys spending time with his wife and kids, relaxing, and traveling.

Derek Baum

Derek Baum started at OBCI in the warehouse when he was in high school. Wanting to be in the trades, Derek was first a laborer and then a bricklayer where is soon found a love for restoration. He recently became an Estimator/Project Manager to learn all aspects of the business. Derek is a 4^th generation of Baums working at OBCI. He lives in Morton with his wife and their 2 kids.

Carl Cole

Carl Cole received an associate degree in Business Administration.  Carl started in the field for OBCI in May of 2008, became a foreman in 2009, and advanced to estimator/project manager in 2013.  He loves OBCI’s family values and the great team of people he works with every day.  While he’s not working, he loves attending his kids’ sporting events, motocross, playing golf, and spending time with family.

Charlie Vins

Charlie Vins is a graduate of Morton College and a Tuckpointer by trade with 30 years experience in the construction industry. He joined Otto Baum in August 2022. Charlie appreciates the opportunity to be part of a team with strong core values that are in everyone’s DNA, both inside and outside of work hours. Outside of work he enjoys the outdoors and spending time with his family.

Mark McDaniel

Robert Karlin

After Bobby Karlin graduated high school in 2000, he attended The Art Institute of Chicago on a half scholarship. He couldn't afford to cover the other half, so he decided to get into the trades "for just a year" to save up money and attend the following year. He started at Pryor Construction because he had already been working with the older guys on side jobs since he was 10. After his first year he knew this was what he wanted to do. While going through his apprenticeship, a lot of potential was seen in him and that's when Bobby started running crews/stages of his own on larger projects.

Upon completion of apprenticeship, it didn't take long until Bobby was running work full time. Swiftly, he was handed the large, challenging projects with the success of everyone. Over the years his projects were receiving awards and magazine spotlight articles but was losing the passion he once had. Then fate had him connect with OBCI. After several meetings and discussions with the team and first-hand seeing the atmosphere at Otto Baum, Bobby realized this was where he was going to finish his career.

After work hours, Bobby's top priority is his family. His wife, the love of his life, Beckie, and his 3 little loves Dominic, Gianna, and Ellianna. The family is very active in scouting where they get to do plenty of hiking and camping, 2 things Bobby enjoys. When he has free time, he also enjoys woodworking and aqua scaping/fish keeping.

Shawn Wells

Shawn Wells earned an associate degree in Law Enforcement. He joined the OBCI team in April 2000 and was later promoted to the restoration general superintendent.  He enjoys working for a good company that offers consistent work. Outside of work, Shawn likes to work on personal construction projects and take his ’73 Camaro to local car shows.

Scott Wallace

Scott Wallace graduated from Mid-State College with an associate degree in business administration.  As he was looking for a new job, he came across OBCI and immediately felt good about working there.  He started out doing union payroll in September of 1989 and fit right in with the rest of the employees.  The family-friendly atmosphere and fair treatment are just a couple of things Scott appreciates most about OBCI.  After hours, Scott enjoys outdoor activities like camping and fishing and loves working out.

Dawn Skaggs

Dawn Skaggs graduated from Western Illinois University in 2007 with a B.A in Spanish and minor in International Business.  She started working in Accounting a year later and learned various aspects of the business from accounts payable and expense reporting to treasury and inventory. She really enjoys Otto Baum’s flexibility and relaxed atmosphere.  In her free time, she enjoys traveling with her family, baking, playing volleyball and being outdoors.

Kris Swanson

Kris Swanson started her career at OBCI in January 2015 after being a stay-at-home mom for 18 years. She started out as the receptionist, then quickly moved into the estimating administrative role after three months. After serving that role for several years, she was promoted to our project administrator for the concrete/civil division. She then decided it was time to retire and do the things she enjoyed full time. She retired in 2021. Fast forward to February 2023, a position opened for a part time remote credit card specialist position. Kris jumped at the chance to return to OBCI, and this opportunity gave her the perfect work/life balance. In her spare time, Kris loves spending time with her husband, loves the outdoors, and DIY projects. She has 3 sons, 3 daughters-in-law, 1 granddaughter, and looking forward to many more grandkids! Kris is married to OBCI’s Director of Safety & Risk Management, Rich Swanson.

Rich Swanson

In 2011, OBCI was looking for a safety professional.  All the services that we perform are what Rich Swanson had done in his career, so he made the call, and the rest is history.  Rich noted early on with OBCI, that he thought the safety culture here is outstanding.  It shows that we strive to be the best of the best.  Support from the top down is what makes OBCI stand out from the rest.  Rich enjoys spending time with family and their dog Lexie projects around the house, and watching movies!

Dana Carroll

Dana Carroll started at OBCI through a bricklayer apprenticeship program after high school graduation in 1975.  He has been an OBCI employee for most of his career and has loved it.  He has held positions as a bricklayer, foreman, restoration estimator, and a role with the safety department.  Dana appreciates OBCI’s commitment to employee success. He has twelve grandkids, whom he loves to spend quality time with, and enjoys participating in outdoor activities when he has some spare time.

Stephanie Cobb

Stephanie Cobb graduated from Illinois Central College in 2001 with an associate degree.  She attempted to be a stay-at-home mom but wanted to get back to work.  After encouragement from her family, and after acknowledging her experience with the construction field, she began looking for construction companies that have open office positions.  She came across OBCI and noticed their wonderful reputation and longevity and made the decision to take a receptionist position in April of 2013 and worked for a year mapping the company for an ERP transition.  At the time, OBCI did not have an HR department, but Stephanie had experience and eventually became the HR manager in 2015.  OBCI is best described by a quote from Walt Disney, “Around here, however, we don't look backward for very long.  We keep moving forward, opening up new doors and doing new things… and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths.”  In her spare time, Stephanie loves being a mom, reading, working on various home improvement projects with her husband, and traveling.

Jessica Wolfe

As a senior in high school, Jessica Wolfe began working part-time for a construction company in their office. She continued to work there while putting herself through college, graduating from Illinois Central College and then from Illinois State University with a degree in Elementary Education.  After working for many years, Jessica became a stay-at-home mom while volunteering at her son's schools and being an Easter Seals Ambassor family. When she went back to work, Jessica went into banking as a Teller. Recently, she started in HR with Otto Baum in 2022 which combines all of her skills…education, finance, and construction knowledge. Jessica really enjoys working at Otto Baum and all of the Unions. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her son & extended family, Cardinal baseball, "Dad" jokes, thrifting, and road trips.

Tristan Handly

Leah Hewitt

Leah Hewitt is an intern at Otto Baum. She is participating in her high school's co-op program during her senior year. She enjoys learning new things, organization and working with the OBCI team. When Leah's not working at Otto Baum, she enjoys spending time with her family and friends, going to church and youth group events, going on mission trips, and working at the local ice cream shop in Tremont, Pinky's.

Art Jefford

Art Jefford jokes that he attended the School of Hard Knocks.  In 1993, he was looking for a stable job with great benefits. When he found OBCI, he knew it was a great opportunity.  He’s always felt it was a good company with good, hard-working people.  His duties have changed over the years and are sure to continue changing, but through it all, he believes he’s in the right spot.  When he has some free time, Art loves to spend time with his wonderful grandkids.

Doug Weidner

Doug Weidner came to OBCI when his former employer sold to a foreign company and things got VERY slow there. General Superintendent, Josh Gillette (a family friend), recommend Doug for the position of scaffold manager and the rest is history. Doug chose OBCI due to knowing multiple people that have or do work at the company and none of them complain a lot about their jobs.  Doug felt an instant comfort with the company because his interview felt like he was sitting with some old friends having a good conversation.  It wasn’t nerve-racking or awkward... it felt just like family. That made him feel accepted before he was even offered the position.  Doug enjoys his position because he always has opportunities to make improvements and be more efficient with how he does his job daily.

Doug graduated from Pekin High School, attended ICC for a few classes, and went to a vocational school for a welding and pipe fitting degree.  In his free time, he enjoys family time especially in God’s great outdoors.  Doug likes to farm a little and take things apart/put them back together.

Brock Wiegand

Brock Wiegand started as a warehouse team member in November 2016.  He enjoys working at OBCI because of the positive work environment and being in the warehouse is a fast-paced environment that keeps him on his toes.  In Brock’s spare time, he enjoys boating, fishing, and hunting and anything else the outdoors offers.

Jerry McGuire

Jerry McGuire started with OBCI in 1996.  He started out working the warehouse and now is our Fleet Manager.  Jerry is certified with the State of Illinois to inspect trucks and trailers owned by OBCI.

Kyle Hasler

Kyle Hasler started in the Urbana warehouse in October 2014.  Since Kyle is the only warehouse person in the Urbana warehouse, he is always on the move.  He strives to make sure the request of the field personnel is met in an accurate and timely fashion.

Ross Herrmann

Ross Herrmann started in 2005 with OBCI, after a friend had referred him for a position in the weld shop.  Ross had a desire to do something different because he had been pouring concrete most of his career.  In his spare time, Ross is spending time with his wife and 4 daughters plus foster daughter, really enjoys bike rides, owns custom precast products and often does projects for OBCI.

John Darling

John Darling came to OBCI in June 2020 after being referred by another OBCI employee.  John and his wife are good friends with Brock Quinlan, and Brock said plenty of good things about the company.  Brock's comments motivated John to apply for a warehouse team member position.  Once John was hired, he observed that OBCI genuinely cares about the work they do, the people they work with, and making employees feel a part of the team.  In his free time, John loves hanging out with his wife and three boys doing outdoor activities.

Jeremy Thurman

Jeremy Thurman was an OBCI bricklayer foreman for many years before he brought his skills to Otto Baum's Yard where he works to make the yard more efficient.

James Bennett

James attended Illinois Central College graduating in 1997 with an associate degree in Applied Sciences. He immediately went to work in the construction field specializing in many heavy equipment product lines. His passion for repairs started when he was very young working in his uncles' shop. Many children dream of playing in the dirt so it was a perfect fit, and he would be paid to do it!  James decided to accept a position at OBCI based on his knowledge of Otto Baum and its family-oriented environment, many of the employees he has either worked with during his 25-year career or knows in his private life and felt that Otto Baum was truly a perfect fit .  In his spare time James coaches girls' softball and spends time with his wife and four daughters.