Executive Team

Pat Murphy, Jr. is our President and CEO. The great-grandson of our founder, John C. Murphy, Pat is the fourth member of the Murphy clan to serve as president of the company. Under his leadership, Murphy Company has grown to be one of the nation’s leading and innovative mechanical and industrial contractors with cutting-edge technology, a workforce of 1,000-plus in Missouri and Colorado, and an impressive client roster. A graduate of the University of Notre Dame with a B.S. in Administration and Economics, Pat also is a graduate of the MCCA’s Leadership Institute. He joined Murphy Company in 1995 as an estimator and then worked in virtually every department within the company to learn the business inside and out.

Pat is an active community leader as a member of the Young President’s Organization, the St. Louis Regional Chamber, and the Regional Business Council. Pat and his wife, Laura, believe in giving back to the community, especially as members of United Way’s de Tocqueville Society in St. Louis and Denver. He is a longtime board member of Chaminade College Preparatory School, his high school alma mater. He also has served as Secretary/Trustee for SSM (St. Mary’s) Health Foundation. Always at the forefront of industry leadership, he helped found the AGC of St. Louis Young Constructors Forum (YCF) and served with the local AGC board. Pat played soccer for Notre Dame. He also has a passion for fishing with his family and his favorite captain in Florida. Pat married his high school sweetheart and, together, Laura and Pat have two daughters and a son.

Rob Koester, CPA, is our Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. A graduate of Truman State University with a B.S. in Accounting, Rob began his career with Deloitte and joined Murphy Company in 2003. Since then, he has worked diligently to ensure Murphy is always in the soundest of financial positions to tackle multiple large projects and, when necessary, to weather any temporary downturns in the construction market. Rob has provided the financial leadership to help support Murphy’s growth over the last two decades. He oversees the HR , IT, Procurement, Facilities, and Risk Management departments and has expanded the talent and resources dedicated to these essential areas of our business. Rob is an active community volunteer and serves as Treasurer of the SSM Healthcare Hospital Foundation, is the founder of the St. Clair Stars Youth Baseball Club, and is on the board of directors for American Contractors Insurance Group.  Rob and his wife, Christi, have two children, a daughter, and a son. He is an avid St. Louis Cardinals baseball fan and loves traveling the world.

Tom Skaggs, our Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer – Missouri Operations, has been a member of the Murphy team for over 30 years. Tom led our safety efforts for many years, moving into a broader operations role in 2014.

Tom was first introduced to the complexities and importance of world-class safety performance while working in the nuclear weapon division of the U.S. Air Force. Tom oversaw Murphy’s safety program for two decades, building the company’s training program and establishing an enviable safety record in the industry. He also started and served as general manager, and then, COO of QualSafe Solutions, a subsidiary division of Murphy Company that provides safety-related services to owners and other construction companies. For nearly 15 years, Tom was the chairman of the National Safety and Health Committee for the Mechanical Contractors Association of America (MCAA), which represents approximately 2,700 firms.

He is the proud father of an active high school boy, who enjoys playing football and running track. In his spare time, Tom enjoys hunting, fishing, writing, and playing music.

Chris Carter is Murphy Company’s Executive Vice President of our Service groups. With more than 25 years’ experience in mechanical and industrial contracting and service, Chris lives and breathes customer service. He deploys our highly experienced technicians when and where you need them – for routine maintenance, scheduled upgrades, or in emergency situations. He understands your mechanical systems serve the heart of your daily work and will ensure all your systems are working properly at all times. He has earned an enviable record for helping facility managers keep their buildings in top working order. Chris is a member of the American Society of Healthcare Engineering (ASHE), the Building Owner and Managers Association (BOMA), and the Mechanical Contractors Association of America (MCAA). He is most actively involved in the Mechanical Service Contractors Association (MSCA) where he was inducted as Chairman of the Board in 2016. Prior to his appointment as Chairman, Chris served on the board of managers, education committee, and various task forces. Chris is passionate about education and employee development and frequently teaches industry classes related to sales, sales management, and leadership. Outside of work, Chris enjoys running, playing music, LSU Tiger football, the St. Louis Cardinals, and any venue where he can enjoy time with his wife, Christy, and three children.

Greg Friess is Murphy Company’s Senior Vice President and General Manager of Colorado. He is a mechanical engineer and oversees all our estimating, preconstruction, engineering, and sales/marketing functions for our Colorado operation. Starting in the industry as a mechanical drafter, Greg worked his way into estimating, pre-construction, operations, and ultimately into his role overseeing the ‘Get-Work’ side of our business. In the field, he managed greenfield data center construction in Colorado Springs, complex healthcare renovations, and office construction. He brings strengths in pharmaceutical, biopharma, mission-critical, healthcare, food/beverage, and commercial and industrial construction. He holds a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Cleveland State University and is a former president of the Rocky Mountain Chapter of ISPE. He is regularly involved in ASHRAE, ASPE, AGC, in addition to a long run with ISPE. A native of Cleveland, Ohio, Greg, and his wife Raechal raised five beautiful kids, all adults now, and they continue to be the focus for him and Raechal. Greg is an avid runner and loves hiking in the Rockies, aviation, and salt-water fishing. But most of all, Greg is a passionate and loyal Cleveland Browns fan.

Doug Becker is Murphy Company’s Chief Operating Officer of Colorado Construction. Originally from St. Louis, Doug started with Murphy Company in 1997 as a summer helper in Missouri. He then moved to Colorado to attend college and support Murphy Company as an intern and project engineer while he worked toward graduation from Colorado State University. He has spent his Murphy career as a successful operations leader and then Vice President where he led the regional restructuring of our construction teams in late 2019. His passion for recruitment and development of employees has benefited our position in the Mountain West marketplace and placed us in a strong position for future growth. Doug’s knowledge and expertise allow him to influence the overall Murphy Company strategic plan, and continue driving the company’s operational performance.