Meet The Leadership
Representing the Swank Legacy
Dewey Swank
President
Dewey serves as President of the company his father, Dean Swank, founded in 1959. His construction roots run deep. He first joined the Swank crew in 1976, working summers as a carpenter, before earning his degree in Civil Engineering from Montana State University in 1981 and coming on full time. From there, he worked shoulder to shoulder with his father, helping the company grow into the organization it is today.
That firsthand experience still shapes how Dewey leads. His approach stays hands on, and he works alongside the team, guiding every project toward the best possible outcome for the client. Above all, he remains committed to the values Swank was founded on. He builds strong teams, serves clients at a higher level, delivers quality work, and develops lasting relationships with clients and partners.
Scott Bruner
Senior Project Manager / Vice President
As Vice President and Senior Project Manager, Scott plays a key role in supporting Dewey Swank's work as president, serving as another sounding board for Swank employees' concerns, ideas, and day-to-day company matters. He also continues to project manage and support other managers across the company.
Scott has been with Swank since 2002. His first project came in at $304,000, and in the years since he has completed more than $515 million in projects, well over half a billion dollars of work for Swank's clients. Among the more than 100 projects Scott has completed, two stand out: building an entire professional baseball stadium in just 10 months, and the multiple award-winning MSU American Indian Hall, whose signature roof feature spans 150 feet and evokes the shape of a feather.
Scott's real strength on a job site is his ability to bring people together. Montana's construction industry is a small world, and the people you work with today, you'll likely work with again. Building relationships, from concrete finishers to owners, has always been a key part of how he approaches every project.
Scott enjoys construction so much that even outside of work, he's remodeled three homes and built two more. As his wife puts it, he never stops thinking about the next project.
Kevin J. Forbes
Senior Project Manager / Vice President
Kevin serves as Vice President and Senior Project Manager, helping guide the company's overall direction and shape sound management decisions. Since joining Swank in 1998, he has overseen more than $320 million in commercial building projects, bringing nearly three decades of experience, steady leadership, and an unwavering commitment to client satisfaction to every job.
Among his most notable projects is the new Old Faithful Visitor Center in Yellowstone National Park, a high-profile undertaking that reflects his ability to lead complex work with precision and accountability. Just as important to Kevin are the projects that strengthen the smaller communities Swank serves; he measures success by impact, not just size. Colleagues and clients alike know him as detail-oriented, honest, dependable, and relentless about finishing on time and on budget.
Outside of work, Kevin enjoys walleye fishing and competing in tournaments with his son.
Jacquie Foster
Chief Financial Officer
Jacquie brings 12 years of construction and commercial finance experience to her role as Chief Financial Officer, where she's the steady hand behind the company's financial health. She manages the banking relationships, financial records, investments, and cash flow, leads the annual audit, partners closely with investment advisors, and steers quarterly reporting. It's the kind of thoughtful planning and clear-eyed analysis that keeps Swank on solid footing today and well positioned for what's ahead.
Off the balance sheet, Jacquie comes from a long line of Montana State Bobcats. She's the fourth generation in her family to graduate from MSU, and her Bobcat pride runs just as deep.
Leiha Vandenbos
Treasurer
Leiha has been with Swank Enterprises for 38 years, bringing steady oversight to the daily financial transactions that keep the company running. She earned her degree in Business Administration from Montana State University, a foundation that has carried her through nearly four decades in this role. Leiha manages the accounting office procedures and stays hands on with invoices and job cost management, oversees job financial reporting, and plays an active part in the company's yearly audit and financial decision making. That day-to-day involvement is what keeps Swank's financial direction on solid ground. Knowing exactly where the company stands at all times allows her to help forecast future sales and profitability with confidence.
Outside the office, Leiha is deeply involved in her family's farm and ranch operation, particularly the decisions and financial side of running it. She spends much of her free time with family, especially caring for her grandkids and cheering them on at their sporting events.
Brian Schlauch
Business Development Manager
Following five years as a Project Manager with the company, Brian's transition into the role of Business Development Manager brings more than 30 years of construction industry experience to the role, having sat on nearly every side of the table, as an owner, for owners, as a supplier, and in technical sales. He remains actively involved in pre-construction efforts alongside his business development work, drawing on his experience to help set each project on the right course from the start, working closely with the team to bring the right people together early and set it up for success.
Brian has built his career on relationships. For years he has stayed closely connected to engineers, architects, contractors, and suppliers across Montana, and those relationships continue to benefit Swank's clients today. In his current role, he's putting that network to work strategically, identifying new opportunities and partnerships that support Swank's continued growth across the state. He loves connecting with people, helping their projects come to life, and solving problems.
Outside the office, Brian and his wife love to travel, chase the sunshine, and spend time boating on the lake. They have two grown children, one grandson, and two goldendoodles who keep life interesting at home.
Shawn Baker
Pre Construction Manager / Project Manager
In his 26 years with Swank Enterprises, Shawn has built deep experience in construction, design review, budgeting, scheduling, and market outreach, work reflected in more than 1 million square feet of completed projects. As a project manager, and now continuing to lead Swank's pre-construction efforts, he's learned that intense collaboration with the design team and ownership early on pays off for everyone: it saves time and iteration, helps confirm the best systems for the job, and keeps the budget accurate all the way through to the final contract amount.
That same attention carries into scheduling. Shawn's experience managing construction schedules — accounting for seasonal weather, procurement timelines, and Owner calendars — sets projects up for a smoother start and keeps subcontractors actively engaged throughout construction.
Outside of work, Shawn enjoys being a grandparent, coaching youth and adult hockey, and floating Montana's rivers.
Shane Austin
Southwest Regional Manager / Project Manager
From the Missoula branch, Shane oversees work across ten counties, with a project list that includes several University of Montana campus projects, Community Medical Center, and Butte's water system improvements, to name a few.
Shane grew up in Southwest Montana and started with Swank as a summer laborer in 2008, working his way through carpentry while earning his construction engineering degree at Montana State University in 2015. After completing in depth training, he relocated to Missoula in 2017 and has led projects across the region ever since.
Shane's ties to the region go well beyond the job site. He serves as President of the Missoula Construction Council, where he helps lead the organization's annual scholarship golf tournament supporting high school students pursuing careers in construction, and he's active with the Missoula Chamber of Commerce and Missoula Young Professionals. He's also sponsored workshops for the construction engineering department at his alma mater, Montana State University, and takes a leading role in directing Swank's local donations, sponsorships, and philanthropy across Southwest Montana — including support for the University of Montana, University of Montana Western, Wildlife preservation foundations, local Missoula organizations and youth sports.
Cody Hammel
Eastern Regional Manager / Project Manager
Cody leads Swank's Billings office, overseeing all bidding activity and current construction across the company's Eastern Montana market. Billings is one of the most competitive construction markets in the state, and winning work there takes more than one path. Cody moves fluidly between hard bid pursuits, GCCM/RFP processes, and direct client outreach and negotiation to keep Swank positioned for the right opportunities. Because many of the region's largest players remain committed to traditional hard bid delivery, Cody has built and maintained a team capable of assembling sharp, competitive bids time after time.
Every project under Cody's leadership becomes an opportunity to build lasting relationships with clients, architects, engineers, subcontractors, and vendors alike. Teams who work with Cody quickly recognize that he's building a genuine partnership with them, and that trust carries forward from one project to the next, giving the Swank team a reputation clients and partners know they can count on.
Cody graduated from Montana State University with a bachelor's degree in Construction Engineering Technology and has spent the past decade in the construction industry. His experience spans large scale projects in Boise, Idaho, as well as a wide range of small to midsize projects in Billings and the surrounding area.