Industrial Revolution
Grant St. George plays a key role in expanding the footprint and impact of McCarthy’s thriving Industrial team.
A childhood fascination with power tools left little doubt that Grant St. George was wired to build.
“As a kid, I used to get in trouble for using my dad's power tools when he wasn't home to build bike ramps, chairs and other random stuff in the garage or the basement,” he says.
Those early inclinations gained additional traction as St. George pitched in at his family’s business— Commercial Plating Company—which specializes in electroplating and metal finishing for the ammunition industry.
“I've got a lot of memories of going to work with my dad on a Saturday to help him…whether it was sweeping the floor, helping load parts into a machine or fixing stuff,” he says.
St. George didn’t realize it at the time, but those experiences set him up for long-term success as part of McCarthy’s industrial team.
Since joining the company as a project engineer in 2007, he’s worked on a wide range of installation, expansion and renovation jobs at industrial facilities across the Midwest.
That whirlwind 17-year journey has included projects at U.S. Steel and SunCoke Energy in Granite City, Illinois; Ameren Missouri’s Rush Island and Labadie Power Plants; Conoco Phillips Wood River Refinery in Wood River, Illinois; Thomas Hill Energy Center in Moberly, Missouri; Westar Energy in Topeka, Kansas; the BP Whiting refinery in northwest Indiana; multiple marine clients in the Houston area, as well as ongoing projects for Nestle Purina.
“I’ve traveled quite a bit over the years, which opened up lots of great career opportunities for me,” he says. “One of the things I'm most grateful for is how much time I got to spend with our superintendents and general foremen. Because they came from the building trades, it was a great way to learn about the right way to build, plan and connect with people in the trades.”
In his current position as vice president operations, St. George leads field operations for McCarthy’s thriving industrial team, which specializes in delivering a broad range of projects within the manufacturing, power and process markets. “My role involves making sure we've got the right people in the right places on our teams and working with directors to set projects up for success,” he explains. “Once projects are up and running, it's important to maintain relationships and make sure that our teams are satisfying owner needs.”
Since stepping into this leadership position in April 2024, St. George has been working closely with the preconstruction and estimating team to successfully position McCarthy with potential industrial clients.
As one of the largest self-perform industrial general contractors in the region, we can take on a wide variety of projects at every scale. Most industrial clients are savvy about building, and they seek a partner that can come in and manage complex projects from start to finish. That's something we excel at.”
Skating to Success
A native of south St. Louis County, St. George earned a bachelor’s degree in industrial technology and engineering at Southeast Missouri State University (SEMO) in Cape Girardeau, and an MBA from Webster University.
Though he had no immediate aspirations to embark on a construction career, he worked as a carpenter during college and discovered how much he enjoyed it. “I've always appreciated people who work with their hands, and that helped steer me toward what I would eventually do,” he says.
After graduation, St. George worked at his family’s business for a couple of years, but always knew he wanted to strike out on his own.
As fate would have it, he received a major career assist while playing pick-up hockey with a couple of buddies who made their living as a McCarthy carpenter and superintendent. “They had nothing but good things to say about working for McCarthy, and they convinced me to reach out and try to get an interview,” he says. “I pestered (current Vice President Talent Management) R.J. Morris for six months straight until he finally caved in and hired me.”
After initially serving as a quality engineer at the Lumiere Place casino and hotel in downtown St. Louis, it didn’t take long for St. George to gravitate to industrial projects.
I’ve always enjoyed the fast pace, technical complexity and self-perform scope of industrial work."
Now, St. George is eager to leverage his 17 years of hands-on experience, knowledge and relationships to help McCarthy’s industrial team achieve new heights of success.
“I’m genuinely excited about the opportunities that we have in front of us,” he says. “It’s an exciting time for our team members and the overall growth of our group.”
Grant with his wife, Lindsay, and their kids, Wyatt and Maggie.
Get to Know Grant St. George
- Grant lives in Eureka with his wife, Lindsay, two kids: Wyatt (11) and Maggie (8); and a yellow lab named Bella.
- He met his wife while working as a bartender in college (she was a waitress at the same restaurant).
- Grant currently serves as a coach for his son’s hockey team: the Chesterfield Falcons.
- An outdoorsman, he enjoys hunting, fishing and taking his family camping.
