Voices Within Evans: Deren Wilcox

The Western market has always been an exciting opportunity, but what stands out today is the expansion we’re seeing across so many sectors. Many of Evans’ core markets, including Life Sciences, Advanced Manufacturing, Food & Beverage, Distribution, and Advanced Technology, continue to see strong demand for projects throughout the West. Combined with healthcare opportunities, we have tremendous potential to become an even stronger part of building community in these regions.

The opportunity ahead is especially exciting because we’ve already seen the Evans approach work. Our teams are energized by these markets, and our expertise aligns with the growth happening across western communities. Through our recent expansion, we’ve created new opportunities for our employees and are building lasting relationships with clients, trade partners, and future employees.

The momentum we’re seeing reinforces that we’re heading in the right direction, and I believe the best is still ahead. We’re well-positioned to sustain growth in the West, and it will be rewarding to watch both our people, and our partnerships strengthen alongside these communities.

Starting in a new market is never easy, but we were fortunate to have clients who valued our partnership and trusted us with opportunities to work together in the West. That gave us a strong foundation to build around and allowed trade partners to see our commitment to working in the area firsthand.

Our teams from Atlanta and Dallas invested countless hours meeting with trade partners and suppliers, getting to know one another and laying the foundation for long-term collaboration.

We were intentional with our time because we wanted people to understand that Evans wasn’t there for just one project; we were committed to becoming a reliable partner. That dedication accelerated relationships that often take years to build and, more importantly, strengthened our connections with both our field teams and the trade partners who continue to play a critical role in our success today.

It starts with creating meaningful connections. Trust is built through time spent on job sites, in planning meetings, and in ongoing conversations about scope, logistics, and execution.

One of the biggest advantages we bring to those discussions is transparency. We are transparent about the competitive nature of the process, while highlighting our people-first approach and the proven track record behind it. Our goal is to find the best teams to deliver excellence for our clients while creating opportunities for a broad group of trade partners.

When people see consistency, fairness, and follow-through, trust tends to develop naturally.

One challenge is maintaining personal connections across a large geographic footprint. My favorite part of this business is building trust with people at every level, from field teams to project and company leadership.

When projects span different states, each with their own obstacles and priorities, developing those relationships becomes much harder than people realize. Travel time is limited, so visits often focus on owner meetings, leadership discussions, and critical project issues.

That means relationship-building and mentoring require a more purposeful approach. I’ve learned to rely heavily on our project teams to foster those connections and ensure my time on site focuses where it can have the greatest impact.

That impact is in listening and learning from their perspectives, while supporting their efforts. It may seem simple but has been one of the most effective ways to stay connected while managing larger teams across multiple markets.

The work requires team members from all careers to relocate to new markets, usually to smaller communities far from home. Seeing the relationships that develop and the mentorship that naturally takes place has been incredible.

I am inspired when people from different backgrounds come together and build strong connections, and when I see teams create a culture that genuinely reflects our values. That resonates. It reinforces that the team is built for long-term success.