February 20, 2026

Skanska SVP Howell retires after 38 years of construction leadership

Photo courtesy of Skanska USA Building

Howell’s recent award-winning projects include Kaye and Sound Transit’s L300 Lynnwood Link Extension.

Skanska USA Building Senior Vice President Mark Howell retired on Feb. 6 after 38 years with the firm where he served as an SVP since 2014.

Howell, who graduated summa cum laude from Washington State University with a B.S. in Construction Management, joined Skanska (then Baugh Construction) in 1988 after 3.5 years with Kiewit, where he was a project engineer.

From his earliest Boeing office building projects to his recent work on the L300 Link Lynnwood light rail extension, Howell “played a pivotal role in securing and stewarding some of our most strategic and long-standing client relationships,” Skanska USA Building said in a letter celebrating Howell's retirement. “His ability to develop high-performing teams, align priorities, and deliver results has been a hallmark of his leadership.

The DJC caught up with Howell to talk about the Boeing work that spanned nearly four decades, the role the GC/CM method has played in the industry, and why he'd still lean heavily on healthcare work if he was just starting out today.

Q. How did your work with Boeing evolve over the years?

A. It's been a complete evolution. I've been lucky enough to watch the evolution of how Boeing manufactures a plane evolve and help them with various building and modernization needs as they have advanced their technology and how they deliver airplanes. From the early days of lots of people working on one plane to now more of an assembly line model with delivery on a daily basis, it's been fun to help support their growth.

Q. Your work on PAC Tower was one of your first GC/CM projects. How did the GC/CM method change things, and how do you see it continuing to evolve?

Photo by Katie Morton [enlarge]

Howell supported Sound Transit’s award-winning Lynnwood Link Extension L300 project, including 2.3 miles of elevated guideway, 1.4 miles of at-grade guideway, two elevated stations, and a parking structure.

A. The GC/CM process creates a collaborative environment where everyone is working together. Prior to that, many clients were doing lump-sum bid. Doing that job really earned the client's trust and solidified the GC/CM model in their mind. When we finished the job, we had a dinner with the client and they said that this was the first time a job had finished early, savings were returned and they hadn't needed to exchange business cards of each other's lawyers.

Q. Can you tell me a little more about your favorite projects and what you loved about working on them? You mentioned Union Station, Boeing HQ and the L300 Lynnwood Link extension in your retirement speech.

A. All of these projects were placemaking projects that have made an impact for our communities. We helped Boeing by giving them a place where they could focus on selling more planes. We helped Good Samaritan provide better care to their community. And L300 is one that is improving traffic and mobility all across the region. It's been exciting to be a part of monumental projects that make a difference for people and companies.

Photo by Seamus Payne [enlarge]

Howell also recently worked on Belltown’s Kaye, a 31-story multifamily high-rise that won AGCW’s Excellence in Innovation award last month.

Q. What can people in the AEC industry do to build resilience and flexibility in moments like these?

A. Always be learning and always be curious. Developing a broad base of skills shows adaptability and shows value for an organization and for our clients.

Q. What are the sectors or projects you would be most excited in working in if you were just starting out today?

A. I've always gravitated towards projects that are challenging and that have had technical aspects to them. Today I'd still choose working in healthcare because of the challenges of building around ongoing operations without disruption, and the big impact our work can have on an organization and their ability to provide a higher level of care to a community.

Q. What else should I have asked you?

A. You didn't miss anything. It's been a great run, and I'm looking forward to the next third of my life!