(Disclosure: Rose Law Group represents Haydon Building Corp.)
By Phoenix Magazine
Katie Haydon Perry, 42
Growing up, Katie Haydon Perry babysat the children of the staff at Haydon, the general contractor founded by her father Gary in 1991 that has grown to become one of the largest construction companies in the Southwest. She admits that as a child, two careers that appealed to her were babysitter and lawyer. “I have always enjoyed small children and a good argument,” Perry quips. The mother of five currently serves as Haydon’s executive vice president and will become CEO next year. Taking over the family business “is emotional, stressful and overwhelming at times, and I wouldn’t have it any other way,” says Perry, who joined Haydon’s accounting department in 2010 and has climbed the ranks and worked to reshape the company culture, harkening back to those days when Haydon was smaller. “Everyone deserves to show up for their workday and feel that they are making a difference, working with people they enjoy and for a company they can relate to,” Perry says.
