Meet RO’s First Chief Operating Officer

A Conversation with Justin McAfee and Mike Dempsey

Justin McAfee has led RO since 2019, the third generation of family leadership at the company. He’s not going anywhere. But this year, he’s bringing on a new member of the executive leadership team: Mike Dempsey, RO’s new President & first COO. The two sat down to talk about the change and what it means for the future of the business.

A Fun Fact to Start

Justin: What’s something people may not know about you?

Justin: For me, it’s daily meditation. I’ve been doing it consistently for about three years, and it’s been transformative for my mental health and how I start my day.

The path here

Mike: Tell me about your path back to RO.

Justin: I came back 16 years ago and worked in a number of different parts of the company. I got to meet a lot of people and work with many emerging leaders across the organization. In 2019, I stepped into my role as President and CEO.

The journey since has been an incredible period of growth. We’ve expanded into new markets, grown our business units, and moved into new regions. With that came increased complexity, more questions, more challenges, and more leadership demands. While we had a strong executive leadership team, what we were missing was someone who truly understood the business inside and out.

Mike: What excites me most is bringing an in-the-trenches mindset to the leadership team. Our people across job sites and throughout the business know they have someone at the table who understands their challenges and can see the business from their perspective.

Leadership across regions

Justin: One thing I’m really excited about is having leadership spread across regions. Having a President and COO who isn’t based in Dallas is a huge benefit. Your connections across Austin, San Antonio, Houston, and beyond allow us to better connect with our people across the company.

Mike: One of the first questions I got was whether I was moving to Dallas, and I’m not. A positive that came out of COVID is that we’ve learned how to lead effectively across regions.

Justin: How do you see the CEO and COO roles working together day to day?

Mike: I see it as you working on the business, while I have one foot in the business and one foot on it. Overseeing day-to-day operations while contributing to strategy with the executive leadership team.

Justin: That’s the perfect way to put it. This transition also allows me to stay more connected to our people. I want to spend more time on job sites, talking with our teams, and staying grounded in what’s happening across the company.

Culture really does eat strategy for breakfast, and we can’t lose sight of that.

25 years of change

Justin: You joined RO 25 years ago. What are some of the biggest changes you’ve seen?

Mike: We’ve grown from about 100 people in one office to more than 600 across five offices. We’ve expanded from tilt-wall suburban office buildings into healthcare, data centers, and multiple market sectors.

A lot has changed, but a lot has stayed the same. We’ve always had a nimble, entrepreneurial culture, and we have to protect it. It’s a real differentiator, and our clients and trade partners respect how we operate.

Innovation has also been a big part of our history. There were periods where we led the industry, some lulls along the way, and now we’re accelerating again with tools like Compass, AI, and emerging technologies. Staying nimble allows us to push new processes and ideas forward.

A family business, a shared culture

Justin: RO was founded in 1969 by Pat O’Brien and Steve Rogers. Pat always valued innovation, even before tools like Revit or 3D modeling existed.

My dad, Preston, joined in the 1990s and brought a completely different approach. New clients, new relationships, and a strong focus on business development. He was an incredible connector and helped plant our flag as a premier builder, especially in Dallas and Austin.

What’s special about a family business is the consistency of values, from Pat, to Preston, to me. Those family values became RO’s core values, and they truly drive behavior. They’re not just words on a wall.

Mike: Culture is everything. Each region has its own flavor, but we need to stay connected. Nimble, entrepreneurial, and innovative across the board. That RO Ride we talk about is hard to describe, but our clients and trade partners know it when they experience it. That’s something we need to protect as we evolve.

The 2030 vision

Justin: When I picture RO five years from now, I want us to be known for predictability. When you work with us, whether you’re a client, trade partner, or employee, what you expect is what you get.

That means being great planners, building strong teams, and creating a fulfilling experience for our people. As projects have gotten larger and more complex, planning has become even more critical. We need to give our teams runway and set them up for success.

Construction isn’t a prototype business. Every project is unique. There are unknowns and things outside our control, but if we plan well and build capacity, we can respond effectively when things change. It’s similar to how we think about safety. We know incidents will happen, but we want to fail safely. That same mindset applies to predictable outcomes.

When we talk about the RO Ride, we’re talking about predictability for everyone involved: owners, trade partners, and our internal teams.

Mike: Predictability doesn’t mean nothing will change. Things will happen, weather, supply chains, unforeseen challenges. Predictability means communicating clearly, planning ahead, and keeping everyone informed so there are no surprises.

Refreshed core values

Justin: As we grow and evolve, we’re refreshing our core values to make them more actionable and behavior-driven.

• Protect Life & Well-Being. This goes beyond job-site safety and includes mental health. We want everyone to go home safely every day, physically and mentally.
• Own the Outcome. This is about moving from a victim mindset to a creator mindset. Taking responsibility, following through, and making things happen.
• Stronger Together. Construction is the ultimate team sport. We succeed by building strong, aligned teams and supporting one another.
• A Better Way. Innovation remains critical. We want to continue investing in technology, processes, and ideas that move our industry forward.

Looking ahead

Justin: I’m genuinely excited about where we’re headed. We have strong leadership, a resilient business, and a clear vision. This is an opportunity to take RO from good to great.

Mike: I’m grateful for the opportunity and excited to continue building the future of RO together.