Irby Construction Company is pleased to announce that Westley Spickard has been named President, effective July 1, 2025.

Westley is no stranger to Irby; he was part of our team from 2021 to 2023, when he served as Senior Operations Manager. Since then, he has continued to grow within the Quanta family, holding leadership roles at MG Dyess and most recently serving as Vice President of Electric Power Operations for Quanta’s South Region, during which time we worked together frequently.

With over 17 years of leadership experience in project management and operations, Westley returns to Irby with a better understanding of not only our industry but also our distinctive company culture and the opportunities for growth at Irby Construction Company. 

“One of the most important things I bring back to Irby is a true understanding of what a unique place this is to work,” he shared. “I intend to preserve and strengthen the culture that makes Irby such a great company to work for while empowering our people to manage our growth effectively.”

Under Westley’s leadership, Irby is well-positioned to build on its legacy with a renewed focus, driving operational strength, strategic growth, and emerging opportunities in the power infrastructure industry.

When catastrophic flooding struck the Texas Hill Country in the early morning of July 4, Legend Foundation Services saw its chance to return the generosity they have seen first hand.

In just days, the Legend team began mobilizing to help. Mechanic Dustin Vice answered the call Monday afternoon, July 7. Irby Construction Senior Vice President Brian Beck had a simple and urgent request: Could Dustin put together a crew to help flood victims in the Texas Hill Country?

“I jumped at the opportunity,” Vice recalls. That evening, he gathered his family and began loading supplies. By Tuesday night, a six-man crew from Legend was driving close to 600 miles from Geismar, Louisiana, to Comfort, Texas—their cook trailer and 20-foot enclosed trailer packed with everything needed to feed a community in crisis. There were eight 160-quart ice chests full of meat, vegetables, and fruit, along with paper goods and other supplies… CLICK HERE to read the rest of the story. 

Irby Construction Company, a premier utility infrastructure solutions provider, has joined forces with SMT Energy and CenterPoint Energy to officially break ground on SMT Houston IV, a 160 megawatt / 320 megawatt-hour Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) located in the Houston Zone of the ERCOT market.

This landmark project underscores the critical role of grid-scale energy storage in advancing reliability and resiliency across Texas. Once operational, SMT Houston IV will be capable of delivering fast-response power during peak demand periods, supporting grid stability and resiliency and renewable integration.

Irby Construction is serving as the Engineering, Procurement, and Construction (EPC) contractor, bringing substantial expertise in electrical infrastructure to the project. SMT Energy, through its affiliate SMT Houston IV LLC, is the project owner and developer. CenterPoint Energy serves as the interconnecting utility, integrating the system into Houston’s broader electrical network.

Construction will begin this month and is expected to be complete in early July. “We’re excited to work with SMT on this project. We have invested a year of hard work to ensure that the project is engineered efficiently, and we are ready to get our boots on the ground and start construction,” said Amanda Cobb Davis Irby Director of Operations for Battery Energy Storage Systems.

A groundbreaking ceremony, held on-site in Houston, featured a symbolic cord-cutting in place of the traditional shovel ceremony—signifying a bold step forward into a more electrified and flexible energy future. Representatives from all three organizations were present, along with key project stakeholders.

“This groundbreaking reflects years of detailed planning and collaboration with CenterPoint Energy, Harris County, FlexGen, and Irby Construction Company. Our focus now shifts to executing a tightly managed construction phase, prioritizing safety, quality, and schedule from the first day on site through commissioning.” said Kevin Midei, SMT Senior Vice President of EPC. “We are proud to be underway and deliver this grid strengthening project to Houston.”

“Projects like this demonstrate how collaboration and forward-thinking infrastructure come together to power a more resilient energy future. At CenterPoint, we recently completed nearly 90 percent of our overall grid resiliency improvements. This is one more action we are taking to build a more resilient and reliable grid to better serve our customers,” said Tony Gardner, SVP & Chief Customer Officer, CenterPoint Energy.

SMT Houston IV will contribute significantly to ERCOT’s ancillary services markets, deliver high-speed grid balancing, and help mitigate the effects of load volatility and renewable intermittency.

Irby was among the first in the industry to construct BESS projects. In 2019, the company began construction on the Manatee BESS site with Florida Power and Light (FPL). It was the world’s largest BESS project at the time. Since then, Irby has built over 30 BESS sites, with more than 20 currently under construction or under contract.

Beginning in Texas on January 20, a powerful winter storm moved eastward, bringing record-breaking snowfall to Louisiana, Alabama, Mississippi, and even Florida. Between January 20–22, hundreds of locations along the Gulf Coast reported new single-day snowfall records, marking this as one of the most significant winter storms in Southern United States history.

Beaumont, Texas saw its snowiest day since the Valentine’s Snowstorm of 1895 with 5.2 inches. 11.5 inches fell in New Orleans, Louisiana breaking their record of 8.2 inches, and Pensacola, Florida saw an astounding 10 inches, rivaling their record of 3 inches from the same snowstorm in 1895.

In response to the storm’s impact, Irby deployed 15 crews for two days in the Lake Charles, Louisiana area to assist with restoration efforts. Thank you to all our employees who step up to the occasion and for being the Absolute Performers we know you are.

On Thursday, September 26, Hurricane Helene made landfall near Perry, Florida, as a Category 4 storm. Less than two weeks later, Hurricane Milton struck near Tampa as a powerful Category 3 storm. Hurricane Helene triggered flash flood and hurricane warnings that stretched deep inland, reaching northern Georgia and western North Carolina. Meanwhile, Hurricane Milton delivered over 18 inches of rain, winds exceeding 100 miles per hour, and tornadoes that tore through several Florida communities. Both storms caused widespread damage, marked by severe winds, heavy rain, and tornadoes, leaving a trail of devastation behind them. Combined, the two storms caused power outages impacting over 3 million customers in Florida, 570,000 in Georgia, 760,000 in South Carolina, 416,000 in North Carolina, and 98,000 in Virginia, according to Power Grid International. In the wake of both storms, the governors of Florida, Georgia, Alabama, the Carolinas, and Virginia declared states of emergency.

Before either storm made landfall, Irby Construction began mobilizing to support our customers across the Southeast. We take pride in serving our customers and affected communities during these difficult times and remain committed to our work until full restoration is achieved. Our hearts are with the thousands of people, businesses, and communities that have been impacted by these devastating storms.

If you’d like to donate through the Quanta Cares Program to help others during this challenging time, there are three ways:

1.  Payroll Deductions:
   Elect a dollar amount to come from your paycheck through BenefitSolver. Deduction amounts can be changed at any time.
2. Quanta Cares PayPal: Donate via PayPal
3. Check:
   Make a check payable to “Quanta Cares” and mail it to:
   Quanta Services, Inc.
   2727 North Loop West
   Houston, TX 77008
   ATTN:  Quanta Cares

Irby Construction Company hosted its annual Superintendents’ Meeting on August 5-6 in Flowood, MS. Every year, this meeting brings together Irby Executives, Regional Leaders, Superintendents, Project Managers, and others from the corporate office all in one location to provide updates and share information for the company’s continued growth and success

This year’s theme, “Be an Absolute Performer,” took an active approach to our company motto, “Absolute Performance.” Among other things, being an “Absolute Performer” means being accountable, seeing the bigger picture, setting expectations, connecting with your team, listening to those around you, and teaching others what you do.

The Superintendents’ Meeting included panels regarding safety, superintendents, project management, finance, equipment, DOT/LYTX, legal, IT, and bidding. Throughout every discussion, there was a thread of safety, reiterating that safety is paramount and must be driven from leadership down to every individual within Irby.

We’re thankful for the ability to bring Team Irby together in this way and are already looking forward to the 2025 Superintendents’ Meeting!

Congratulations to Paul Rendon, Technical Foreman in Irby’s Texas Region, for receiving the Quanta Commitment Coin for his exceptional efforts on the job!

Paul recounts a recent Friday morning: “As I was heading from the Llano yard to the ROW through Thunderhill Ranch, I saw a man lying on the ground screaming for help. He had rolled his side-by-side vehicle and had been there for three hours. I called 911 and stayed with him until the ambulance arrived. The paramedics determined he had a broken ankle and thumb and called for a life flight to the hospital. I wish him a full recovery.”

Thank you, Paul, for being a dedicated and caring employee, both on the job and in the community. It’s people like you who make Irby a great place to work!

On Thursday, May 16, Houston, Texas, was hit with a smattering of powerful, damaging storms. Irby Construction Company crews mobilized quickly thereafter to restore power to Texans in need.

Multiple storms, extremely high wind speeds, and tornadoes left thousands of residents without power for days. Irby was glad to assist Houston residents in any way we could.

Pictured below are Irby Linemen Justin Howard, Payton Harris, Ryan Holloway, and Chance Regan, who have worked tirelessly to bring aid to Houstonians. Irby Construction is here for you, Texas, and as well as all of our customers this storm season.

Congratulations to Florida Power & Light for consistently ranking among the most reliable utilities in the nation. In the most recent statistics from the U.S. Energy Information Administration, FPL’s service reliability was nearly three times better than the national average.

Read this article from Miami’s Community News to learn more.