STAFF
Meet the TEAM at HEYCON!
Behind every successful project is a team of dedicated professionals who make it happen. At Heycon, our staff brings decades of hands-on experience, technical expertise, and a shared commitment to getting the job done right.
We’re proud of the people who make our work possible — and we’re confident you’ll enjoy working with them, too.
Joseph R Heyward Jr (Jody)
Joseph R. Heyward Jr brings 25 years of experience in the construction industry to Heycon. As the President, he specializes in managing and growing Heycon. As the co-founder of Heyward Construction and Management, Inc (est 2005) along with his father and lifetime mentor Joe Heyward, they grew the business from the ground up, successfully completing many challenging concrete projects throughout the southeast. In 2019 under Jody’s leadership, Heyward Construction Management, Inc formed a partnership with Gillam and Associates, Inc to create Heycon. Heycon excels in performing concrete, civil and industrial scopes. Jody leads by example and motivates team members to excel and improve their skills, allowing Heycon to promote and train talent from within the company. The Heycon team has met many challenges while performing and completing high-profile industrial and commercial projects, and always promotes a safety culture that everyone can be proud of.
- B.S. in Civil Engineering from The University Of South Carolina
- OSHA-30
Professional Experience:
- Favorite Project
- Project Plastic Omnium - turnkey concrete package for a 755,000 SF greenfield manufacturing facility project completed in Greer, SC in 2017 for Gray Construction. This successful and challenging project contained multiple large production pits, super flat slabs and a very aggressive project schedule.
Personal Interests:
Outside of work, Jody enjoys spending time with his family, fishing, hunting, and team roping which he believes contributes to his well-rounded approach to life and work.
Jeffrey B Still (Brent)
Bio coming soon.
Ryan Falk
Ryan Falk brings 10 years of experience in the construction industry to Heycon. He specializes in business development, estimating, scheduling, and project management from a design and execution standpoint. He has been instrumental in completing over $50 million dollars of construction for Heycon over the past 5 years.
Education & Certifications:
- Construction Engineering Management, M.Eng. - University of Alabama at Birmingham
- Environmental Engineering, B.S. - Georgia Institute of Technology
- Forestry, A.A.S - Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College
- Licensed General Contractor in GA/SC
Professional Experience:
- First Project
- Road Rehabilitation and Widening, Lincolnton, GA
- Civil/utility project with paving, stormwater management, utility relocation, and concrete.
- Favorite Project
- Project Diego, Augusta, GA
- Manufacturing project with deep foundations, pits, elevated foundations, and mass pour cooling systems.
Personal Interests:
Outside of work, Ryan loves spending time with his wife and daughter in Evans, GA. He enjoys traveling to MLB stadiums (25/30 completed), exercising, weekend projects, and playing golf with friends.
Kenneth Whetstone
Kenneth brings 18 years of experience in the construction industry to Heycon. As a Director of Preconstruction, he specializes in project selection, estimation and procurement as well as project setup (budget creation, subcontract negotiation and creation, etc.). With a background in engineering design, he has been instrumental in helping bridge the gap between field crews and design teams to provide our clients with the results they desire, as well as fortifying our relationships with local municipalities and utility providers through open communication and code adherence.
Education & Certifications:
- B.S. in Civil Engineering from University of South Carolina
- Licensed Professional Engineer (PE)
- LEED AP Certification through US Green Building Council
- Primary Qualifying Party (PQP) for Water & Sewer Lines through SCLLR
Professional Experience:
- Senior Engineer at Brown and Caldwell (2007-2016)
- Participated in the creation of design plan and specifications to meet client needs
- Managed junior engineers including checking their work and providing constructive criticism, handling schedules and interviewing potential employees
- Attended client meetings to determine client desires and project meetings throughout projects to ensure those desires were met
- Built system models and maps in ArcGIS
- Performed field inspections of various types including pump station conditions and function, building construction, pipeline installation and stormwater.
- Vice President at Palmetto Fabricators, Inc. (2016-2022)
- Acted as project manager for all projects, which required handling all client interaction via telephone, email and in-person site visits
- Managed all non-officer employees which involved developing tasks and workloads to keep each employee engaged toward successful project completions, balancing schedules, holding discussions about employee progress/regress, interviewing and hiring qualified personnel to add value and skills to our team, and letting go of ineffective staff
- Acted as head of estimating, which involved seeking out new projects, leading a team of estimators, calculating values for material, profit, overhead, etc. and working with clients to finalize contracts/purchase orders
- Project Manager at Heycon LLC (2023-Present)
- Acted as project manager for all grading and utility projects, which required handling interaction with field crews, clients, owners, municipalities and vendors.
- Processed material invoices as well as created subcontracts, purchase orders, project schedules and project budgets
- Acted as chief estimator for grading and utility projects
- Spearheaded the company’s effort in becoming licensed in SC as Water and Sewer Line Contractors
Personal Interests:
Outside of work, Kenneth enjoys spending time with his family, as well as golf, volunteering, and woodworking, which he believes contributes to his well-rounded approach to life and work.
Blake Mayes
Blake Mayes has 20 years of experience in the construction industry that he brings to Heycon, LLC. As Safety Director, he is a senior leader responsible for overseeing all the safety and health-related aspects of Heycon’s operations. He has been instrumental in Project Dark Star; Project Diego and many other high-profile commercial buildings, leading safety initiatives.
Education & Certifications:
- Newberry College – BS in Sports Management; 2000, Newberry, SC
- Osha 510, Safety, Employment, Waste, Stormwater Compliance Certification-GC IVES Certified Trainer in Aerial Boom Lift & Scissor Lift, Forklift and Rough Terrain Telehandler. Trainer in Excavation Safety Training for Competent Persons. Trainer in Confined Space in Construction. CPR/AED, First Aid and Bloodborne Pathogens (BLS) Certified.
- Other Qualifications available per request.
Professional Experience:
- First Project
- Walmart #632, Mt Pleasant SC June 2005- March 2006 (New Construction / Building and Sitework Project. Helped manage all subcontractors and was responsible for the site’s safety and Walmart’s comprehensive compliance program.
- Favorite Project
- Project Diego August 2022- April 2025. Heycon’s Safety Director Member of Gray’s Construction’s Onsite Safety Committee. Asked by Gray to give trench safety, confined space entry presentation each year onsite for Construction Safety Week.
Personal Interests:
Outside of work, Blake enjoys spending time with his wife, three daughters and labrador. His hobbies are attending college football games with friends, hunting, and fishing. He believes this time spent contributes to his well-rounded approach to life and work.
Wil Brantley
Spencer Clark
Concrete Division
Peyton Evans
Division
Amanda Hendrix
Kathy Miles