Employees

Catherine Underwood joined Branch in May 2000 after completing her master’s degree at Virginia Tech and has served our firm across multiple departments, positions, and leadership roles. Hired as an Estimator, she has also worked as a Project Manager and then as a Project Executive. Her organizational and problem-solving skills have proven invaluable in bringing complex projects to successful completion. Cathy has held executive leadership responsibility at Branch Builds since being named Vice President in 2010 and later Senior Vice President in serving as the Business Unit Leader for our Roanoke, Virginia, and Charlotte, North Carolina, offices. As a respected construction executive, she has earned an outstanding reputation for establishing true partnerships with clients, industry partners, government officials, and business leaders alike.

In 2019, Julie Beth Vipperman joined The Branch Group, Inc. as Chief Human Resources and Marketing Officer. Julie Beth will be responsible for leading all aspects of the Human Resources and Marketing functions which include branding, internal, and external communications. She brings with her over 20 years of leadership in HR and Marketing roles with global companies across petrochemical, retail, manufacturing, and hospitality sectors. Julie Beth holds a Ph.D. from Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business, a Master’s Degree in Labor and Industrial Relations from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and a bachelor’s degree in Organizational Communication from Miami University, Oxford, Ohio. Most recently, Julie Beth was the VP of Global Employee Experience for Carlson Wagonlit Travel (CWT) in Minneapolis, and is now located in Roanoke, Virginia. Julie Beth serves with the CEO, CFO and SVP as part of The Branch Group’s Administrative Committee, which works with the full authority of the Board of Directors on matters that must be resolved between regularly scheduled Board meetings.

Jeff joined Lacy as President in 2016 and played a key role in the discussion leading up to The Branch Group’s acquisition of the company. A Southwest Virginia native and graduate of Virginia Tech, he spent more than 12 years with a contractor focused on Government Technology as Chief Operating Officer and then as President/Chief Executive Officer. Jeff contributes his expertise in general and program management, business development, bid procurement, and contract administration to the Lacy leadership team. His experience, resilient spirit, and competitive nature have enabled him to facilitate the company’s turnaround and post-acquisition strategies.

Ernie Caldwell was named President of G.J. Hopkins, Inc. in 2011 after serving the company in multiple capacities for over a decade. He began his construction career as a Service Technician for G.J. Hopkins in 1993. After a brief hiatus with the company to work as a Design Engineer for another company, Ernie returned home to G.J. Hopkins as the Manager of Special Projects and Engineering Division. His experience in designing, developing budgets, negotiating contracts, and installing and servicing HVAC and plumbing systems in commercial, industrial, and health-care facilities provides a strong foundation for his current role as President of the company.

Patrick Bartorillo joined the Branch Group in 2013, and has recently been named President of Branch Civil, Inc. A native of rural NE Pennsylvania and a 30-year member of the heavy-highway industry, Patrick has demonstrated a strong understanding of the business throughout his career, as well as organizational leadership and management capabilities. The recent merger of Branch Highways and E.V. Williams has posed numerous project and organizational challenges, which Patrick has embraced with tenacity, patience, and resolve. He has served the company by restructuring its management to meet strategic objectives, and has overseen and implemented demanding organizational changes introduced by our overall expanding radius. As president of Branch Civil, he continues with his responsibility of managing the projects’ financial reporting and margin recognition, while providing the company with a composed, calm voice of wisdom.

Bob Wills joined The Branch Group, Inc. as the Chief Financial Officer in 2017 with extensive experience in leading finance, operations, and technology for public and privately held companies in the manufacturing, construction, defense, engineering, and services sectors. He has consistently led companies through numerous mergers and acquisitions, divestitures, business integration, and restructuring across the U.S., Europe, Mexico, Central and South Americas, and APAC. Bob plays a key role in securing the Branch Group’s overall success by implementing plans to achieve strategic initiatives and positive change that drive profitable revenue growth and process improvement.