Vince Walker
Vincent Walker, director of construction operations for Community Builders of Kansas City (CBKC) and CB Constructs, the internal construction management division of CBKC, came to the organization after more than 30 years in residential and commercial construction.
“I went to the University of Missouri at Columbia, studying architectural design and real estate, but started home building right after college,” he said. “I had been exposed to the industry through my father’s career and had been around home builders and developers from my earliest days so, it is where my heart is.”
Through multiple economic cycles Walker gained experience with his own and multiple companies across all spectrums of commercial and residential construction and came to appreciate the time it takes to see the results of his labors.
“I have probably developed 100s of acres of residential ground,” Walker said. “It is a great experience to be able to bring a project along from the very beginning but realizing it can be several years between land acquisition to home production and finally families within the community.”
In the last economic downturn, Walker started looking for opportunities that might be less reactionary to market conditions and turned his attention to the whole non-profit sector, not just construction.
“I knew Emmet (Pierson, Jr., CEO of CBKC) through our daughters who played soccer together since they were grade schoolers and we kept in touch,” he said. “I called him to tell him I was thinking about going to work for a not-for-profit and ask what I should look for, what the life is like.”
After a few conversations, Pierson asked him to consider working for CBKC. “We talked several times,” Walker added. ”Emmet convinced me that CBKC needed and was ready for what I could contribute in skill set and experience. I started in the summer of 2024.”
What surprised Walker about his work with CBKC? “How diversified the projects are and how so much is done with so little staff, CBKC has a lot of projects going on in different sectors,” he said.
Walker is pleased with what the in-house capability of CB Constructs brings to the organization in stretching the dollars further and more closely aligning with community priorities. “In the suburbs, the vast number of residential and commercial projects being offered provide choices to the public,” he said. “In the urban core, choices are more limited so every renovation, every new build and service offering, has the potential to make an enormous impact on the residents and businesses we serve.”
Beyond the bricks and mortar, Walker appreciates the work environment he now enjoys. “Just the culture Emmet has fostered here, it is like nothing I have ever experienced in 30-plus years in construction,” he said. “I have never been on a team so closeknit, who treat each other like family and enjoy each other as they work hard to deliver superior work for the community CBKC serves. It has been a breath of fresh air.”
Walker added that goes hand-in-hand with the non-profit nature of the organization, “CBKC’s focus is on enriching underserved communities. An example of that is owning the Sun Fresh grocery store here on the MLK campus. CBKC stepped up because a grocery store is needed in this community. They continue to operate and provide services even with the knowledge it can be to their own detriment as it is such a big draw on the organization’s resources.”
Walker said that work with CBKC is really satisfying. “I love the fact that you get to see the impact on the community members firsthand,” he added. “The work that CBKC is doing is making a huge impact that will last for generations.”