Batson-Cook Company announced that David Barksdale, chief operating officer, is retiring after a 40 years with the 102-year-old general contracting and construction management firm, effective immediately. Kevin Appleton, currently senior vice president and manager of healthcare Atlanta, will succeed Barksdale as COO, and Denny Godwin, a healthcare project executive, will become vice president of healthcare Atlanta.  All three executives are headquartered in the company’s offices in Atlanta.
 
Barksdale, who joined Batson-Cook after graduating from Auburn University with a bachelor’s in building science, will serve as executive advisor to the company’s corporate management team during the transition.  He began his career as a field engineer in the Jacksonville, Florida, regional office, and held both field and project management positions before being named senior vice president and general manager of that office in 1999. Thirteen years later, after 35 years in Jacksonville, he relocated to Atlanta to head the company’s regional office there, and was appointed executive vice president and chief operating officer in 2014.
 
“David has been fiercely loyal to Batson-Cook for 40 years,” said Randy Hall, president and CEO. “It was imperative that his successor have not only an operations mindset, a track record of achievement and loyalty to the company, but also a passion to take the company to even higher levels of success,” he continued.  “I strongly believe that Kevin is that person.”
 
Appleton, as head of Atlanta healthcare, oversaw construction of all healthcare projects in Georgia. Like Barksdale, he joined Batson-Cook as a field engineer following graduation from Auburn University, where he earned a bachelor’s in civil engineering. He rose through the ranks to become a project superintendent, by which time he was working almost exclusively on hospital projects. He transitioned to healthcare project management in 2010, and was named senior vice president and general manager of healthcare Atlanta just four years later. His personal project portfolio tops $1 billion, of which $700 million represents healthcare work.
 
Godwin, a 24-year construction veteran, joined Batson-Cook in 2013. He holds a bachelor’s in construction from Georgia Southern University, and serves on its College of Civil Engineering & Construction Management Board. He is a Certified Healthcare Contractor, the highest level of certification attainable from the American Hospital Association, and his personal construction portfolio totals nearly $400 million across multiple market sectors.