After more than a decade at JE Dunn, Chief Financial Officer Beth Soukup is transitioning into retirement. As she steps away, Beth leaves behind a legacy of financial success and values-driven leadership.
“I always tell people I just count the money,” Beth said with a smile.
Over her 11 years, Beth has done far more than just count the money. When she joined JE Dunn in 2014, the firm was pulling in $2 billion of yearly revenue across its 20 offices. Since then, that number has over tripled to around $8 billion in revenue for 2024 across 26 offices. However, Beth’s lasting contributions to JE Dunn were not limited to her financial expertise.
As the only woman on the Executive Leadership Team (ELT) at the time of her joining the company, Beth brought a fresh perspective that allowed her to bring new ideas to the table during a time of key development for JE Dunn.
“When I started, the ELT was all men,” Beth said. “So, by just having a different voice and coming from a different position and background, I was able to contribute and be a sounding board for the other members.”
Lifting up women’s voices has been a priority throughout Beth’s career. She helped spearhead the development of Moment Connection, JE Dunn’s Employee Resource Group dedicated to strengthening relationships and building a strong network among women at the company. What started as a small pilot in Kansas City evolved into a nationwide program with hundreds of members and regular annual summits.
“That’s probably what I’m most proud of,” Beth said. “There really was a need for Moment Connection, and we’ve been able to grow connections for our JE Dunn women, both women in the office and on jobsites so they feel connected.”
In addition to the development of Moment Connection, Beth has also had a lasting impact on JE Dunn’s ESOP, encouraging people to take pride in this benefit through educational and celebratory initiatives like an ESOP calculator and Employee Ownership Month. During her time as CFO, the ESOP has risen from 10% to 28%, making employee ownership not just a benefit that employees receive, but a reflection of the company’s values.
JE Dunn’s strong company culture and community outreach is what piqued her interest after then-CFO Gordon Lansford transitioned to CEO and suggested her name for the position.
“The JE Dunn brand out in the community and culture was probably the main reason I agreed to talk to Gordon,” Beth said.
A graduate of Iowa State University’s business school, Beth came to JE Dunn after a decades-long career in public accounting at McGladrey, Hendrickson, & Pullen, which took her from her home state of Iowa to Charlotte, North Carolina, finally settling in Kansas City in 2000 with her husband, Mark, and three kids, Kelsey, Taylor, and Courtney.
Now, as Beth looks forward to retirement, she pictures a life full of pickleball, golf, sailing in the Caribbean, spending time with her family, and traveling around the country.
“I have a goal of getting to all the national parks; I already bought my little sticker bottle.” Beth said.
Though her time as CFO is coming to a close, Beth’s focus is less on what she’s leaving and more on what she hopes will carry forward. She said she hopes her impact on the company will drive people to keep following the guiding principles.
“The one that’s most close to my heart is probably ‘Doing the Right Thing,’” she said. “If we keep living that out, this company will continue to succeed.”