2026 Ones to Watch - Rising Stars: Liam Bettez, ARCO National Construction | NE

“Liam is a go-getter with a passion for ARCO’s design/build process and value proposition. He brings a unique skillset as a highly effective operator and customer-oriented problem solver. His career has centered on office tenant improvements and adaptive reuse projects nationwide, adding a new focus to our New England team’s market offering. We’re excited for Liam to lead a new team within our office with a unique perspective from his vast experience throughout the country.”

What accomplishment or project so far in your career are you most proud of? I’ve had the chance to work on a wide variety of projects throughout my career, from smaller office renovations/fit outs to more complex adaptive reuse conversions. Across all of them, the Varsity stands out. It was a 96-year-old movie theater in Evanston, IL that had been vacant for 40 years. We gutted the entire building while leaving the façade in-tact, cut 98 windows into the triple wythe brick walls, and built 4 stories inside of the existing building (steel podium for 1st floor retail + stick-built luxury apartments above). Just a one-of-a-kind project with a one-of-a-kind final product.

What trends or opportunities do you see shaping the future of your industry? We’re at an exciting time in the office/adaptive reuse/building repositioning world. The correction on asset values of existing real estate assets, particularly in the urban core, has made it possible for new ownership to tackle projects that would never pencil before, whether that be Class A amenity upgrades, office to resi, or even office to data center (yes, we’ve seen it!). ARCO has designed and built a number of these projects across the US, and we’re excited to bring those capabilities to our New England office with our newly established division.

Who has been a mentor or influential figure in your career, and what is the most valuable advice they have shared with you? I’ve worked with too many talented people to name one - between my leaders, clients, superintendents, trade partners, I’ve learned so much from each of them throughout my career. I’d say the key connector between all of them is that our business all comes down to relationships. Whoever you’re interacting with, take the time to get to know them on a personal level. No one knows everything about construction, but everyone can teach you something - the more you can invest in those relationships, the better you’ll be.

What inspired you to pursue a career in your industry, and what path brought you to your current role? I’ve always been interested in real estate ever since I watched my parents flip houses around Acton growing up. I loved design and grew up thinking I wanted to be an architect (constantly drawing different “dream” houses or hockey rinks in my sketch book), but I also loved math/science and ended up going to Purdue to study structural engineering. At my sophomore career fair, I ended up meeting ARCO and discovering design-build. Being able to implement my engineering background but also getting to manage the full delivery of the project was the perfect blend, and I’ve been with ARCO ever since!