CEO of the Year 2023 Finalist: Steve Swinney

Colorado is full of devoted entrepreneurs, business leaders and tech-savvy visionaries who are constantly taking the business world to new heights. It’s no secret that here, at ColoradoBiz, we love the Colorado business community. That’s why, every year, we spotlight the most impressive CEOs throughout our Centennial state and give credit where credit is due — to the forward-thinking minds constantly chasing the next great idea and upholding their business practices to the most purposeful ideals. We’re proud to introduce our finalists for CoBiz’s prestigious 2022 CEO of the Year award.

Steve Swinney

Founder and CEO

Kodiak Building Partners

Highlands Ranch, Colorado

Website: kodiakbp.com

Under Steve Swinney, Kodiak Building Partners acquired seven new companies in the last year and grew to more than 6,000 employees, a 5 percent increase from 2022. Since 2019, Kodiak has more than doubled its staff to become one of the largest private employers in the state. 

After an impressive career in finance, acquisitions and private equity-backed ventures, Swinney launched KBP in 2011 with the idea of bringing economy of scale to the building-materials sector with a decentralized business model. Since its founding, the company has acquired interests in more than 100 locations in 25 states. 

A key to KBP’s strategy has been Swinney’s belief in preserving the individual cultures and identities of acquired companies. For example, Kodiak maintains a small corporate team that supports, rather than controls, acquired companies, thus avoiding excessive layers of management/corporate regulation. It’s also an affirming nod to the people who made these acquired companies desirable in the first place.  

In 2017, Swinney established The Kodiak Building Partners Foundation to expand the company’s capabilities for philanthropic giving, which surpassed $1 million in 2022. The foundation facilitates Kodiak’s operating partners in collecting donations for various organizations and enables Kodiak to accept donations to help employees in need. He also introduced the “Patriot Project” at Kodiak to support the Tunnel to Towers Foundation and its mission to assist families of American veterans and first responders. The month-long initiative raised more than $20,000 for Tunnel to Towers. 

Mike Taylor is the editor of ColoradoBiz.