Donald Hayes brings more than 20 years of commercial construction experience across the Eastern and Central United States, having led projects ranging from $800,000 to over $100 million in value. His experiences spans a diverse mix of market sectors, including hospitality, mixed-use and campus developments, office, retail, light industrial, multifamily, and institutional projects. Throughout his career, he has been responsible not only for project execution, but also for preconstruction strategy, financial management, risk mitigation, and client relations.

Prior to founding Ironstead Construction, Donald held senior leadership roles with well-respected regional and national contractors, including Senior Project Manager and Operations Manager positions. In these roles, he managed high-profile hospitality renovations and ground-up developments, historically sensitive restorations, occupied high-rise projects, and fast-paced commercial environments-often under aggressive schedule and demanding operational constraints.

Notable project experience includes large-scale hospitality renovations and restoration for brands such as Marriott, Westin, Hilton, Sheraton, Fairfield, JW Marriott, as well as complex mixed-use and campus developments, such as Campus 244 and Halcyon, logistics facilities, self-storage, and multifamily. Many of these projects were executed in operating environments, required close coordination with multiple AHJs, and demanded a high degree of planning and precision to protect owners’ assets and ongoing operations.

More recently, Donald transitioned into an Operations Manager role, where he was responsible for developing company-wide project controls, financial systems, risk management processes, scheduling standards, and team training programs. This experience directly informs Ironstead’s approach today-one built around repeatable processes, clear ownership, transparent reporting, and proactive problem-solving rather than reactive project management.

Ironstead Construction was intentionally formed to apply these lessons in a focused, disciplined environment-one that prioritizes client experience, eliminates unnecessary complexity, and treats each project as a long-term relationship rather than a transactional engagement. Clients of Ironstead benefit from senior-level involvement, proven decision-making, and leadership experience typically found in much larger organizations, delivered through a responsible and highly accountable firm.

While Ironstead Construction may be a new name, it is lead by experience, grounded in proven execution, and fully committed to delivering predictable outcomes and lasting value for its clients.