Leadership

Prior to her tenure at PIH, Phillips founded Avisco, Inc., a U.S. Department of Energy contractor that managed a wide range of projects encompassing a variety of construction services, including land clearing and grubbing, heavy earthwork, site development and environmental remediation. She was the only shareholder and the only Chairman and CEO in the nearly 30-year operating history of Avisco. It grew into one of the larger companies of its kind in the Southeastern United States. In 2015, Avisco combined its operations with P&J. In addition to her positions with Avisco, P&J, and PIH, Phillips has developed and operated shopping centers, commercial office buildings, art galleries, and retail clothing stores, while also serving as a Trustee or Board of Directors member for several businesses, charities, and educational institutions.

Under Phillips's leadership, P&J has achieved substantial growth and consistent profitability. P&J has grown into a national contractor having performed work in 43 different states since 2000 with regional offices in Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, Texas and California. P&J generates approximately $500 million in revenue annually and employs more than 1,000 people. Phillips is an alum of Western Carolina University in Cullowhee, North Carolina, and he served on the university’s Board of Trustees from 2000 to 2009.

McMullen previously worked for Avisco, an environmental construction company, as Vice President of Operations.

As CFO for PIH, Bryan’s looking to our future to facilitate the kind of growth that helps us serve our clients better. He has a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration from the University of Notre Dame and a Masters in Business Administration from Santa Clara University.

Thompson joined P&J in 1990 and diligently and capably worked his way up through organizational leadership. He has served as a laborer, pipe layer, equipment operator, engineer’s assistant, and safety manager. He joined P&J’s Safety & Health Group in 1994, helping grow the division to create and uphold safety as a corporate and moral imperative at PIH and its subsidiaries.

Previously, Torgerson founded a strategic communications consulting firm, Frame+Function, to serve a national client base. She worked with clients to craft message platforms, develop full-scale marketing plans, and design opinion research projects. Prior to Frame+Function, Torgerson was the Vice President for a public affairs firm in Austin, Texas, for 11 years. Torgerson is certified in Systematic Development and Informed Consent (SDIC). She is a graduate of Leadership Austin’s essential class 2009 and Introduction Knoxville 2018.

Rose has a wide-ranging knowledge of legal, investment, banking, tax, insurance, and accounting matters. This background contributes to his role as the President of Phillips Family Investments, Inc. (PFI), the family office for the members of the Phillips family. In this role, Rose is responsible for managing all wealth planning, wealth management, tax planning, trust management, family governance, and philanthropic matters for the family. Prior to his current positions, Rose served for 19 years as the CEO of a family office in another midwestern state where he was responsible for managing all financial, accounting, and legal matters for the family office.

Shuler’s experience is largely related to business administration, specializing in travel. He is the President and a member of the Board of Directors for World Travel Service, Inc. (WTS), a privately-owned travel management company headquartered in Knoxville, Tennessee. WTS is one of the largest corporate travel agencies in the United States with more than $250 million in annual sales. WTS is owned by BCD Travel (a BCD Holdings, N.V. company), the world’s third-largest travel management company. Previously, Shuler was an estimator and eventually served on the Board of Directors for Avisco.

In addition to spending time within P&J focused on heavy civil construction and disaster response, Whitson and Teddy Phillips started Buffalo Construction, a residential construction company in Knoxville, Tennessee, which operated for more than 25 years.

The professional, physical, and personal health of our employees is paramount at PIH. Lee leads the rest of our dedicated human resources team to find and support the best people, so PIH can do its best work. Lee graduated from Miami of Ohio University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Management and Organizations.

Mike has put his strategic thinking and planning skills to work managing operations for growing organizations, giving them room to expand their business and increase profits. For PIH, he takes a big picture look at our enterprise, finding opportunities to streamline project management procedures and provide targeted, data-driven solutions for our clients.