WATSONVILLE, Calif., Jan. 30 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- GraniteConstruction Incorporated (NYSE: GVA) today announced that William E. Barton,the Company’s Chief Financial Officer, will retire after 28 years of serviceto Granite. LeAnne M. Stewart, will join Granite on February 4, 2008 and willassume the role of Chief Financial Officer effective March 1, 2008. Bartonwill continue with the Company through mid 2008 to ensure a smooth transitionand to provide consulting services as needed.
"On behalf of all of us at Granite, I would like to thank Bill for hisoutstanding service as our CFO and for the significant contributions he madeto Granite during his long tenure," said William G. Dorey, Granite Presidentand Chief Executive Officer. "Most notably, Bill helped guide us from aprivately held construction company in Watsonville to a nationally-knownpublicly traded company. As a long-standing member of our management team,Bill has been instrumental in the growth of this Company. I wish him all thebest in his retirement and am grateful that we will continue to benefit fromhis experience and expertise through the transition."
"I am delighted to welcome LeAnne to the Granite family," continued Dorey."Her broad financial and operational experience will add significant strengthto our management team and I am confident that she will play an integral rolein contributing to the Company’s success. I look forward to working withLeAnne and benefiting from her expertise and insight as we work together toachieve Granite’s long-term strategic goals."
Most recently from 2004-2006, Stewart served as Senior Vice President,Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer of Nash Finch Company, where she hadbeen since 1999. In this capacity, her accomplishments included overseeingthe financial operations of the Company, including all Securities and ExchangeCommission and SOX compliance, leading the Company’s investor relationsfunction and negotiating and syndicating the Company’s $300 million bankcredit facility.
Prior to her work at Nash Finch, Stewart also held various financialmanagement positions at Enron Europe and before that, at Ernst & Young.Stewart earned an MBA degree from the Wharton School, University ofPennsylvania. She is a Certified Public Accountant and a Certified ManagementAccountant. She earned a bachelor’s degree from The College of St. Benedictin St. Joseph, Minnesota.
About Granite
Granite Construction Incorporated is a member of the S&P 400 Midcap Index,the Domini 400 Social Index and the Russell 2000. Granite ConstructionCompany, a wholly owned subsidiary, is one of the nation’s largest diversifiedheavy civil contractors and construction materials producers. GraniteConstruction Company serves public and private sector clients through itsoffices and subsidiaries nationwide. For the 5th straight year, Granite wasnamed to FORTUNE’S List of 100 Best Companies to Work For. For moreinformation about Granite, please visit their website athttp://www.graniteconstruction.com.
SOURCE Granite Construction Incorporated
