How Grit and Grace Built a Billion-Dollar Culture | Al Petrangeli

Episode Summary:

In this episode of Built With Purpose, host Chris Fay sits down with Al Petrangeli, COO at Carroll Daniel Construction and former CEO of Balfour Beatty’s Southeast Region, to explore what it takes to lead with humility while driving massive growth. From growing up in an Italian family restaurant to leading billion-dollar construction businesses, Al shares his story of servant leadership, grit, and building organizations where people and culture come first.

He opens up about the toughest transitions in his 46-year career, how humility and communication anchor effective leadership, and the mindset that helped Carroll Daniel 5× its revenue while maintaining the same family-driven culture. This is a powerful look at how vision, trust, and people-first leadership can scale both business and impact.

Key Takeaways:

• Grit beats knowledge. You can train for skills but grit, mindset, and accountability drive long-term success.

• Servant leadership scales. Great leaders enable others to win, even when it means rolling up their sleeves.

• Humility is strength. Owning challenges and embracing change builds credibility and trust.

• Communication is culture. Town halls, open-door policies, and visible leadership keep teams aligned.

• Growth requires reinvention. Every new stage demands stronger systems, smarter strategy, and aligned people.

• Legacy is impact. True leaders leave behind people who are better because of their influence.

• Vision with discipline. A five-year compass and nimble course corrections create scalable, sustainable success.

• From success to significance. At the highest levels, leadership becomes about giving back and building others.

• Behavioral leadership wins. In construction, and business, 60% of success is behavioral, not technical.

• Humility fuels legacy. Al’s story reminds us that greatness is built not on ego, but on lifting others higher.

Built With Purpose shares thoughtful conversations with the people who design, build, and improve the world around us.

Hosted by Chris Fay, the show blends experience from commercial construction and tech leadership to explore how values, systems, and steady execution create enduring companies.

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If you care about building teams and businesses that last—without losing sight of purpose—this podcast is for you.
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