PROJECT EXECUTIVE
BARTON MALLOW BUILDERS, SOUTHFIELD
EMPLOYEES: 2,500
REVENUE: $6.4B
COLLEGE: SAN JOSE STATE UNIVERSITY
Stephen Ocaña, a project executive at Barton Mallow Builders in Southfield, has been interested in the construction industry since his childhood, when he lived in the suburbs of Oakland, Calif., in the San Francisco Bay Area.
“They were building home communities out there for as long as I can remember,” Ocaña says of his hometown. “My dad would take me out to the pasture area where they were building, and (we would) watch them build.”
During high school summers and while in college at San Jose State University in San Jose, he worked as a laborer for a friend’s father’s contracting company, where he dug ditches and pushed brooms.
Following graduation, Ocaña put his civil engineering degree to work at a pair of general contractors in his native California. He worked on a California flagship hospital and then on seismic renovation projects, mastering complex delivery methods, including integrated project delivery, in health care environments.
He also got married and, after having their first child, his wife suggested they move to Canton Township, where she grew up. Ocaña landed at Barton Malow in 2016, and his first project was a $100 million expansion of the emergency center at Corewell Health’s William Beaumont University Hospital in Royal Oak.
Moving on, between 2021 and 2023, he was named a senior project manager working on various significant projects.
Currently, he’s a project executive overseeing the Henry Ford Health: Destination Grand, after completing the Wayne County Criminal Justice Center, both in Detroit. In his new position, Ocaña combines deep technical expertise with a talent for leading high-performing teams. He also builds trust with owners, architects, and stakeholders to ensure efficient progress and successful results on complex programs.
Even with all of that background and know-how, Ocaña admits the Henry Ford Health assignment gave him pause.
“This is massive and it’s going to reshape the city skyline, for sure,” he says. “I was super excited and a bit scared at the size of a $1 billion job that’s a million square feet. You ask yourself, How are we going to put this puzzle together?”
But Ocaña says learning something new keeps his interest in his day-to-day occupation.
“Every day, you’re watching the puzzle pieces go together, without a manual,” he says. “This is a one-of-one custom structure for Henry Ford. It’s going to be pretty rewarding (when it’s completed).”
In addition, Ocaña is focused on the future of his profession, mentoring local high school students and trying to get more people into the construction trades.
“That craft is in desperate need of people,” says Ocaña, who plays soccer competitively in an over-30s league in his free time and enjoys watching his daughters participate in school and community activities.
Ultimately, though, results drive Ocaña.
“I thoroughly enjoy seeing a tangible impact every day,” he says. “At the end of the day, you can see the work that’s been done.”
— Tim Keenan
