Choate Construction Company founder and current Chairman & CEO William “Millard” Choate was named one of Atlanta Business Chronicle’s 2018 Most Admired CEOs, topping the Engineers, Architects, and Contractors category. Millard was among 42 executives selected extending across 21 categories and industries.

Embodying Choate Construction’s motto “Reputation is Everything,” Millard Choate ensures Choate’s five Southeast offices provide unparalleled construction services, guided by the moral integrity of its core values. Founded in 1989, Choate was a basement start-up founded by Millard during a recession when construction projects were sparse and the employee roster small. Today, Choate employs nearly 500 full-time professionals and is a leading Southeast general contractor. In December 2016, Millard and his executive team made the decision to transfer beneficial ownership to employees with the Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP), making Choate 100% employee owned.

He has been previously chosen as an Entrepreneur of the Year, sponsored by Ernst & Young, Inc. Magazine, and Merrill Lynch, Volunteer of the Year by Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, and was inducted into Clemson University’s Construction Science & Management Department Hall of Fame.

Active in several organizations, he serves as a Director on the Board of Fidelity Bank, Boy Scouts of America, and Street Grace. He is also a member of the Atlanta Rotary and supports The Shepherd Center and the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, among many other philanthropic initiatives.