FlatironDragados Elevates New President, COO in US Leadership Shakeup
Construction Dive reports that FlatironDragados has named Richard Grabinski president of FD-USA, its U.S. group, and promoted Dale Nelson to chief operating officer, according to a July 20 announcement from the heavy civil infrastructure firm. Grabinski, who joined Flatiron Construction as an operations manager in 2005 and most recently served as COO, will focus on diversifying the firm’s project portfolio and growing its presence in existing markets. Nelson, a nearly 30-year company veteran who joined in 1997 as a project manager and engineer, moves up from executive vice president and will lead operational performance across FD-USA. The moves follow the 2024 merger of Flatiron and Dragados into a combined infrastructure giant, and the 2025 spinout of SPC Construction, a subsidiary made up of Schiavone Construction, John P. Picone and E.E. Cruz that focuses on transportation and water infrastructure work in the New York City region. The company also named new leadership for its Canadian arm, appointing Mirsad Hairlahovic as president of FD-Canada and Rafael de la Barreda as executive vice president for preconstruction and west operations.
What It Means for Subcontractors
- FlatironDragados’ stated push to diversify its project portfolio and expand in existing markets signals more bid opportunities ahead for civil, structural, and heavy infrastructure subcontractors already working with Flatiron or Dragados legacy operations.
- SPC Construction’s focus on transportation and water infrastructure in the New York City region makes it a target for subcontractors in HDD, pipefitting, and civil trades looking to break into that specific subsidiary’s project pipeline.
- New COO Dale Nelson’s mandate to improve “predictability of project outcomes” suggests subs should expect tighter scheduling and performance expectations on upcoming FD-USA bid packages.
