Henry Gilford, President and CEO
As Chief Executive, Mr. Gilford oversees the corporation’s strategic management, marketing, and business development. He also has executive responsibility for firm operations including planning, estimating, project management, marketing, staffing, recruiting, financial management, and field operations. He provides leadership and executive supervision for all projects, proposal development, contract negotiations, and client relations.
Mr. Gilford is personally involved in all project aspects to ensure the firm’s mission – providing client satisfaction that in turn leads to client loyalty – is accomplished in each project. Under Mr. Gilford’s leadership, Gilford Corporation accomplishes this objective through partnership, teamwork, planning, training, communication, attention to detail and the belief that excellence and professional relationships are paramount to our success.
Gilford Corporation’s corporate resume encompasses projects for local, state, and federal agencies; private commercial development; and international construction. Significant engagements include projects for the Department of Defense, Department of State, National Institutes of Health, National Park Service, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, National Institute of Standards and Technology, and many other private and public sector clients.
Mr. Gilford earned a Bachelor of Science Construction Engineering degree from Alabama A&M University. He holds Civil Engineering Certifications and Registrations in the District of Columbia, Maryland, and Wisconsin. His fields of concentration include Heavy and Building Construction, Civil Engineering, Municipal and Highway Engineering, Construction Cost Estimating, Construction Management, and Construction Safety.
Prior to founding Gilford Corporation, Mr. Gilford’s employment history included:
District Engineering, Inc., Washington, DC – As Principal in Charge of Civil Engineering and Construction Management, Mr. Gilford was responsible for writing construction specifications and developing construction cost estimates. He also assisted in all phases of business development and served in the capacity of project manager and project engineer on several projects.
Dillingham Corporation, Pleasanton, CA – Mr. Gilford was responsible for several significant assignments in the Washington, DC area for this California based heavy construction firm. Duties included preparing and managing construction cost estimates for several hundred million dollars of bid work consisting of earth and rock excavation for tunnels; waste water treatment facilities; cut and cover for subway structures; locks and dams; and architectural finish contracts for the Washington Metropolitans Area Transit Authority. He also managed construction and subcontract work for major cut and cover construction projects; maintenance engagements; and relocation / restoration of major utilities and buildings in Washington, DC.
International Business Machines Corporation, Gaithersburg, MD – Mr. Gilford was initially employed in Huntsville, AL and later transferred to Gaithersburg, MD. As a manufacturing engineering mechanical and tool designer, Mr. Gilford designed pneumatic, hydraulic, and power actuated tools and equipment as well as pulleys and other physical apparatus for computer disk drives. While working in the Federal System Division, he designed tools and equipment for fabrication and assembly of the Saturn V Space Vehicle Instrument Unit control center on projects contracted by NASA.