Wesley "Wes" J. Palmisano

Wesley J. Palmisano grew up in a construction family. His grandfather founded W.J. Palmisano Contractors, a residential construction company, in 1950 after returning from World War II. Working alongside his grandfather and father instilled a tremendous entrepreneurial spirit in Wesley at a very young age.

Wesley attended LSU to study Construction Management and not only completed the four-year degree in only three years but also graduated first in his class and Summa Cum Laude. For the next decade, Wesley worked for a large commercial contractor building and managing large-scale construction projects. 

In 2013, Wesley followed his dream of being an entrepreneur like his grandfather.  He resigned from his position as a Vice President, put everything he owned on the line, and founded Palmisano.  Over the following three years, he built a large commercial and civil firm with annual revenues of $100 million, completed over 75 large-scale projects containing approximately 4 million square feet, and hired over 100 employees.

The mission for the new company: to build a better world. The company’s metrics for success go beyond for-profit goals; Wesley seeks to measures the impact of giving back to the communities long after the team leaves the jobsite.  Wesley also serves on the board of Junior Achievement and as an active member of Young Presidents’ Organization, Urban Land Institute, Greater New Orleans Inc., and ForeKids! Foundation.

In addition to numerous project awards, Palmisano’s accolades include 241st Fastest Growing Business in the US (Inc Magazine, 2017), Fastest Growing Company in New Orleans, Best General Contractor in New Orleans and #1 Best Place to Work in New Orleans (CityBusiness, 2017).