Kris Pazzanese
Leominster
Summary
Dynamic senior operations and construction leader with over a decade of experience in the gas infrastructure industry, encompassing both utility and contractor perspectives. Demonstrated expertise in utility operations leadership at National Grid and extensive experience in building, scaling, and directing complex capital programs at New England Utility Constructors (NEUCO). Transformed the Special Projects group from a niche operation into a vital business unit, successfully driving some of the most intricate gas infrastructure projects in New England through strategic planning, contract negotiation, and hands-on execution. Recognized for a practical leadership style that balances risk, schedule, and commercial performance while fostering team development and ensuring safety and efficiency in all operations.
Overview
15
15
years of professional experience
1
1
Certification
Work History
Senior Operations Manager & Chief Estimator — Special Projects
New England Utility Constructors, Inc. (NEUCO)
04.2024 - Current
- Lead NEUCO’s Special Projects group, overseeing all complex, high-pressure, and regulator station work across Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Maine. Responsibilities include strategic planning, estimating, commercial negotiations, constructability review, and execution support for projects carrying elevated technical and operational risk.
- When I joined NEUCO, the Special Projects group managed approximately $3M in annual work. Through disciplined planning, strong field execution, and trusted relationships with utility clients and engineering partners, I helped grow the group to $18M in 2025, with a forecasted budget of $20M in 2026.
- Leadership, Growth & Organizational Development
- Built and scaled the Special Projects organization, including PM structure, estimating standards, execution workflows, and field coordination processes.
- Lead and mentor Project Managers, Supervisors, welders, and multi-discipline field crews (8–10 crews), with a strong emphasis on safety, accountability, and technical execution.
- Expanded NEUCO’s Special Projects capabilities by partnering with engineering firms and supporting new customer relationships across the gas and energy infrastructure market.
- Serve as a key internal resource for complex means & methods development, sequencing, outage planning, and risk mitigation.
- Program Delivery & Commercial Oversight
- Responsible for strategy and execution across a $15M–$20M+ annual portfolio of regulator stations, high-pressure steel, bridge/railroad crossings, valve programs, and live-gas tie-ins.
- Lead estimating and negotiation efforts for major utility contracts with National Grid, Eversource, Unitil, and Liberty Utilities.
- Drive bid strategy, schedule development, labor planning, and cost modeling for complex infrastructure pursuits.
Operations Manager
New England Utility Constructors Inc.
04.2021 - 04.2024
- Identified and resolved unauthorized, unsafe, or ineffective practices.
- Established positive and effective communication among unit staff and organization leadership, reducing miscommunications, and missed deadlines.
- Supervised operations staff and kept employees compliant with company policies and procedures.
- Developed and implemented strategies to maximize customer satisfaction.
- Developed early customer and inspector relationships that later enabled growth
- Eversource Expansion from 2 crews to 10 crews.
- Negotiated contracts with vendors and suppliers to obtain best pricing and terms.
Construction Oversight Supervisor
National Grid
01.2013 - 04.2021
- Supervised union field crews performing gas operations, maintenance, leak response, valve operations, and emergency work.
- Oversaw contractor performance for capital gas construction programs including high-pressure steel, regulator stations, mains, services, and complex shut-downs.
- Served as primary utility representative with municipalities, inspectors, engineering teams, permitting groups, and public safety officials.
- Developed in-depth knowledge of utility workflows, capital planning, procurement, compliance, and regulatory expectations.
Assistant Construction Manager
Northland Residnetial Construction
06.2011 - 06.2013
- Collaborated with construction administration consultants to schedule field observations.
- Verified completed projects met approved time, quality, and cost estimates.
- Contributed to construction planning process for commercial and residential development projects.
- Kept sites compliant with OSHA, state, and local regulations to prevent unnecessary risks.
- Collaborated with contractors, architects, engineers, and public agencies to complete projects within timeline limitations and budget constraints.
- Monitored subcontractor operations and applied effective time, resource, and money management strategies to delivery under-budget project completion.
Education
Bachelor of Science - Construction Management
Fitchburg State University
Fitchburg, MA05-2011
MBA - Business Administration
Southern New Hampshire University
Hooksett, NH11-2017
Skills
- Experience with Primavera P6 and MS Project
- Budget estimation proficiency
- Power BI expertise
- Review of IFC drawings
- MA / NH / ME Gas Safety & Regulatory Standards
- KPI reporting
- ROI management
- Budget administration
- Cost reduction
- Business planning
- Cross-functional coordination
- Operations management
- Strategic planning
Accomplishments
- Achieved greater schedule certainty and cost control by implementing Primavera P6 for complex project scheduling and resource planning.
- Achieved consistent, high-quality project delivery by executing complex gas infrastructure work with accuracy, efficiency, and strong field coordination.
- Supervised team of 3-8 staff members.
Certification
- OSHA 30
- NGA / EWN Operator Qualifications
- Primavera P6 Certified
- Maxwell Leadership Program
- National Grid Gas Operations & Construction Training
Timeline
Senior Operations Manager & Chief Estimator — Special Projects
New England Utility Constructors, Inc. (NEUCO)
04.2024 - Current
Operations Manager
New England Utility Constructors Inc.
04.2021 - 04.2024
Construction Oversight Supervisor
National Grid
01.2013 - 04.2021
Assistant Construction Manager
Northland Residnetial Construction
06.2011 - 06.2013
Bachelor of Science - Construction Management
Fitchburg State University
MBA - Business Administration
Southern New Hampshire University
CORE LEADERSHIP STRENGTHS
- Executive Operations Leadership
- Capital Program Delivery & Oversight ($20M+/yr)
- Special Projects & PMO Development
- Utility Contract Negotiation (National Grid, Eversource, Unitil, Liberty)
- High-Pressure Gas Infrastructure & Regulator Stations
- P&L Accountability & Cost Control
- Risk Management, Constructability & Means & Methods
- Multi-Crew & Multi-Region Leadership
- Utility, Engineering & Municipal Coordination
EXECUTIVE VALUE
- Builds and scales organizations and specialized teams
- Bridges the gap between utility expectations and contractor execution
- Delivers complex, high-risk infrastructure safely and predictably
- Trusted partner to utilities, engineering firms, and municipalities
- Focused on long-term growth and operational accountability