Founded in 2011, the Advanced Construction Southwest Group (“ACS” or the “Company”) has sold 100% of the company to an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (“ESOP”).

ACS is a leading wood framing contractor in the Southwestern United States, specializing in Type III and Type V multi-family and commercial construction. Their team of highly skilled and experienced framing professionals serves national and regional general contractors and property owners in Northern and Southern California and Arizona.

ACS operates from its offices in Orange, California, San Jose, California, and Phoenix, Arizona, with a large project-based employee presence serving its customer base in some of the nation’s largest and most active metropolitan statistical areas (“MSAs”) in the Southwestern U.S.

For CEO and founder Bret McLeod, the last 11 years have been focused on company-wide growth and specializing in the Northern and Southern California markets. Under Bret’s leadership, ACS pursued a range of technologically driven growth opportunities, including a fully operational components manufacturing plant in Northern California and a renovation division focused on state- mandated seismic retrofitting across California.

The success of the company is credited to its values of integrity, determination, and adaptive problem-solving. These values, paired with the exceptional growth of the business, have resulted in an excellent reputation with an attractive customer base, strong financial performance, and a positive long-term outlook. When thinking of the best way to steward this success for the next generation of leadership, Bret wanted to consider an option that would ensure this excellence continues.

After considering his succession planning options, Bret concluded that transitioning the ownership of ACS to an ESOP was the best solution for all involved. Bret said, “The ESOP provided a succession plan that aligned with my goals while providing financial flexibility for the business. Add the fact that the ESOP creates a meaningful way for our employees to participate in the ongoing and future success of the business while providing new opportunities for the new owners — it just made sense for us.”

Bret will serve as the Chairman of the Board and Chief Strategy Officer with a focus on guiding the organization toward the next phase of management in the coming years.

Chad Trott, Chief Operating Officer, will be assuming leadership and the role of CEO in the ACS employee-ownership era. Instrumental in establishing major new clients in both the Arizona and California markets, Chad has an impressive track record in maintaining and expanding relationships across the region.

Chad commented on the transition, saying, “We see this transition as a natural step forward for ACS. It not only affirms our values and team culture but also reinforces our unwavering commitment to delivering exceptional service to our customers. The ESOP sets the stage for a prosperous and sustainable future for ACS.”