Throughout his nearly 47-year career, Michael Neal has proven that he is more than a project builder, he is a career builder. Early on, he learned the value of being part of an organization with a good culture that supports and empowers its employees to succeed. As CEO of KAST Construction, and previously at the helm of Coscan Construction, Neal has built businesses through loyal employees and respect for customers. Since joining KAST, the company has grown from a $50 million annual revenue company to over $1 billion today. During that time, KAST has built the tallest buildings in Fort Lauderdale, West Palm Beach and St. Petersburg, Fla. Given his track record of success, ENR Texas & Southeast named Michael Neal as the recipient of the 2026 Southeast Legacy Award.
“The greatest leaders I know, their real strength is the ability to build teams and build careers,” says Neal.
Learn on the job
The son of a union electrician, Neal first learned about the construction industry while working alongside his father during teenage summers. One day, he was on a rooftop, baking in the Florida sun, when he saw the boss approaching in his air-conditioned pickup truck.
My dad says, “Which job would you rather have, his or mine?” I say, ‘No disrespect, Pop, but I like what he’s doing better.'”
When Neal enrolled at the University of Florida, he initially pursued a prep track, but soon decided it wasn’t for him and switched to the construction program. “I felt like they were more my people than the medical school professors,” he recalls. “I ended up graduating [in 1979] with a degree in building construction.
After a few years working for a home builder, Neal landed a job at McDevitt & Street in 1982, which at the time was run by Bob Street. Early on, Neal recognized that the company was “about culture,” stressing the need to train and develop staff while building strong, lasting relationships with customers. Street not only met with staff members, but wrote them letters of encouragement. “What I took away from that is leadership is also about how you make people feel,” he says. “I had a notebook with a dozen letters from Bob that I kept. It was very motivating.”
Neal ended up spending nearly two decades at the company, until Street died and the company was acquired by Bovis. Neal credits Street’s business philosophies with helping him succeed in his future ventures, including KAST. “This [nearly] 20 years was a master class in how to lead people, how to grow people and how to develop amazing long-lasting business relationships,” he says.
Last fall, KAST completed construction on Gables Riverwalk, a 43-story residential tower in downtown Fort Lauderdale.
Photo courtesy of KAST Construction
Take ownership
After two short, unsatisfying stints with domestic construction companies, Neal joined Coscan in 1999 as Director of Construction. The company focused on condominium development. The company’s owner, Brookfield Homes, was interested in exiting the business, and Neal partnered with Coscan President Al Piazza to purchase the company. The deal was structured to allow existing projects to be completed under Brookfield’s ownership while new projects were under new ownership. On January 1, 2003, Coscan became wholly owned by Neal and Piazza. The team began looking for third-party construction deals in addition to development deals. In its first year, the company had signed deals with third parties worth nearly $500 million.
“I try to hire people who I think are smarter than me and more talented than me. I give them a lot of room to do what they do.”
—Michael Neal, CEO of KAST Construction
The company’s focus on the condo market helped it thrive for years until the 2008 financial crisis halted work. In 2009, Coscan completed its existing projects and closed the company.
After a brief retirement, Neal was approached by a former business partner, Kolter Group CEO Bobby Julien, who offered him another opportunity to join the ownership of a construction company. In 2011, Neal became a partner in Kolter’s construction company, KAST Construction. Neal reapplied the strategies he had picked up at Bob Street and successfully implemented them at Coscan. Over the next six years, KAST’s annual revenue grew from about $50 million to nearly $600 million. Since then, the company has expanded beyond its West Palm Beach headquarters, adding offices in Tampa and Miami. With revenue now exceeding $1 billion, Neal estimates that KAST could top $1.3 billion next year.
While KAST has seen remarkable success under his leadership, Neal says it “was a very natural fit” after his experiences at McDevitt & Street and Coscan. Neal implemented the values that have served him well in the past, such as respect for people, striving for continuous improvement, and “extreme ownership,” which encourages “owning what you do” and not blaming others when things don’t go as planned.
Neal (center) meets with Marco Viteri (left), KAST Vice President of Preconstruction Services, and Jason Kung (right), KAST Project Executive.
Photo courtesy of KAST Construction
Fostering future leaders
In addition to building a strong culture, Neal knew he needed to trust his executive team. “Many leaders let their egos get in the way,” he says. “They want to hire people they can control. I’m the complete opposite. I try to hire people who I think are smarter than me and more talented than me. I give them a lot of room to do what they do, as long as they work within my values and my belief system. Because they’re not just my values, they have to be the shared values of the organization.”
One of those leaders is Sean Ouellette, who joined KAST 10 years ago to open the Tampa office. Ouellette, who had previously worked for large national companies, recognized early on that Neal and his staff trusted their people and did not micromanage them.
“It was clear from my first interview that I was a very people-oriented person, very helpful,” says Ouellette, who was named company president in October as part of the company’s succession plan. “There are contracts and all these things that drive the business, but at the end of the day, it’s all about the people and the relationships.”
The importance of relationships extends to KAST’s project partners. Mitch Permuy, CEO of Power Design, says he started working with Neal when he was at Coscan. At the time, Power Design was also working with KAST. Permuy says bringing Neal to KAST greatly improved the company’s culture and, by extension, its reputation. Permuy notes that employee retention also improved once Neal was at the helm, and subcontractors felt like an extended part of the KAST team.
“Mike’s reputation and the way he did business, it brought people back to do business with KAST,” he says. “He gave them credibility as a company because he’s a very credible guy.”
Today, Permuy and Neal regularly discuss industry issues such as labor shortages and material availability, and share ideas on how to work with other industry partners.
Neal’s willingness to share knowledge with his partners has been particularly evident in his work with industry groups such as the Urban Land Institute and the Associated General Contractors. Julie Medlie, executive director of ULI’s Southeast Florida and Caribbean Chapter, says Neal has proven to be a valuable resource, especially since joining the chapter’s board in 2017. “The great thing about Mike is that whenever we need construction perspectives, he’s often a panelist,” she says. “If we’re having roundtables about what affects labor, goods or tariffs, he’s always a good source expert.”
Neal also strives to give back to his community. In all regions where KAST operates, Neal encourages senior leaders to serve on nonprofit boards and support local organizations with their time, talent and resources. KAST’s flagship event, Havana Nights, is a biennial charity poker tournament that is fully underwritten by KAST. Every dollar raised goes directly back into the community. To date, the event has raised nearly $12 million, supporting dozens of grassroots charities serving families, children and individuals in need.
KAST President Sean Oullette (left) will take the helm when Neal retires.
Photo courtesy of KAST Construction
A master mentor
Neal turns 70 this year and is considering retirement. In 2023, KAST implemented a succession plan with eight senior executives buying into the company. The plan included elevating Ouellette to chief operating officer that year before promoting him to president last year. The new chapter has also brought Neal into more of a mentoring role as he prepares KAST for the future.
“Mike has really challenged me and helped me take the people management of the business to the next level,” says Ouellette. “Mike opened my eyes to how you build relationships, maintain them and succeed. In relationships, it’s give and take. It’s not a zero-sum game. It’s okay to give, you can still win.”
For Neal, the role of mentor fits perfectly with his overall focus on helping his employees and his customers. In his final years at KAST, Neal says he can focus on what’s most important to him.
“I want to be remembered as a guy who helped a lot of young adults grow in the industry and become great leaders,” he says. “I don’t know that being considered a great builder is that important to me. I’d rather be measured by the people I’ve helped.”
