C-Level Awards 2026: Jim Yehle, CEO, Findorff

Jim Yehle has led Findorff since 2020. Under his leadership, Findorff marked 135 years in business and 50 years in Milwaukee, while achieving significant sustainability milestones, including constructing the world’s largest WELL Gold-certified health care project and earning multiple LEED certifications.

Yehle joined Findorff in 1999 and built his career managing notable construction projects, including the Overture Center for the Arts and American Family Children’s Hospital, both in Madison. He advanced through the organization, serving as vice president before being promoted to executive vice president in 2016, then ascending to president and CEO in 2020.

During his tenure as chief executive, the firm has completed several high-profile Milwaukee projects, including The Couture luxury apartment tower, The Trade hotel and Marquette University’s business school building.

In 2024, Findorff became an employee-owned company, a transition Yehle said he was proud to champion as a way to empower staff. The firm’s special projects group also completed more than 700 projects, demonstrating the company’s capacity to serve clients across a broad range of scales.

Beyond his executive role, Yehle serves on the board of directors for the Madison Region Economic Partnership and Madison Symphony Orchestra, chairs the board of directors for the Overture Center for the Arts and chairs the advisory board for the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health’s Department of Orthopedics and Rehabilitation. He earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.