Leadership
Michael Phillips, CEO
With an extensive background in construction, estimating and architecture, Mr. Phillips brings more than 28 years of experience to his leadership of ONYX Construction headquartered in West Jordan, Utah.
In addition to his role as CEO of ONYX, Mr. Phillips is the CEO of affiliate companies Southwest Steel and Southwest Architectural Metals, both located in Las Vegas, Nevada and he is CEO of Southwest Stair in Phoenix, Arizona.Additionally, he is President of CoreBrace, a patented buckling restraining bracing system and Senior Vice President of SME Steel.
Mr. Phillips is known as an exceptional leader. His work with project managers, estimators, architects, engineers and the extensive team needed to accomplish multi-million dollar jobs is exemplary.
He manages more than 1000 employees for the $300 million corporation.
Mr. Phillips is leading the City Center project in Las Vegas, the largest privately-owned steel construction project in the United States. Mr. Phillips recently led the design/build project for the new corporate headquarters for SME Steel Industries which has already received several awards for excellence in design/build practices and innovative engineering methods.
In ENR’s annual ranking of the “Top 600 Specialty Contractors”, SME Steel was ranked the #2 steel fabricator in the nation.
ONYX Construction was recently ranked 13th in the state of Utah for commercial contractors.
Mr. Phillips has received many awards and commendations for his role in job creation and economic development from West Jordan, the State of Utah and the State of Nevada. He is recognized as a champion of causes he truly believes in, putting the necessary teeth into a project for it to succeed.
An extremely patriotic American, Mr. Phillips supports military causes. A recent news story about a badly deteriorated Veterans’ section of the Salt Lake Cemetery brought forth no funding to rectify this blight to our fallen American heroes. Mr. Phillips and other leaders of ONYX Construction along with dozens of subcontractors, came forward with a substantial sum of money and the manpower to make this cemetery an honorable place for the Veterans’ to rest and their families to pay their respects.
Mr. Phillips is on the Salt Lake Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors and serves on numerous trade-related associations. Mr. Phillips and his family reside in Ogden, Utah.
M. Blake Knight, President
With more than 19-years of construction experience, Mr. Knight is responsible for the operations and financial success of the company. He has direct oversight of personnel, field operations, pre-construction services, purchasing, estimating, safety and accounting.
Some notable projects under Mr. Knight’s leadership include:
West Valley Animal Shelter, Wendover Airport Terminal, Hillside Middle School in Salt Lake City, Ft. Douglas Museum renovation, North Layton Jr. High School, Zion’s Bank and Valley View Golf Course Clubhouse.
Prior to ONYX, Mr. Knight co-founded and operated CK Construction & Services in Ogden specializing in conceptual estimating, pre-construction services and design/build projects.
Mr. Knight holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Engineering from Weber State University and is currently serving his second term on the Association of Builders and Contractors Board of Directors and is a 9-year member of the Ogden Rotary Club.
Jason Empey, Vice President of Operations
Jason has more than 23 years of hands-on construction experience; he brings a level of professionalism and leadership that owners appreciate. Jason’s competence and attention to detail are what make his projects second to none.
Jason is requested by owners as their Operations Manager of choice for premier projects, particularly retail.
Jason excels in taking charge of the team and consistently reduces costs and streamlines construction time through his value engineering capabilities.