Lean Construction Institute to Honor Joe Donarumo with the 2026 LCI Pioneer Award

ARLINGTON, Va., Sept. 29, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Lean Construction Institute (LCI) has named Joe Donarumo, Senior Vice President, Client Development at Skiles Group and Principal of The Lean Builder, as its 2026 LCI Pioneer Award winner. The annual award recognizes individuals who have moved the design and construction industry forward in embracing and implementing Lean tools and techniques.

For more than a decade, Donarumo has been an active leader within LCI and a champion for making Lean construction practical, approachable and useful for the people responsible for delivering work every day.

“I’m humbled and incredibly honored to receive this recognition from LCI,” Donarumo said. “Lean has fundamentally shaped the way I lead, build, teach and think about our industry, but the people I’ve met through this community have shaped me just as much. I’m grateful for every person who has taught me something, challenged me, trusted me or given me the opportunity to share what I’ve learned along the way.”

Over nearly two decades in construction, Donarumo has served in operational leadership roles ranging from superintendent to vice president of field operations. Today, at Skiles Group, he works with clients and project teams to advance collaborative project delivery and build stronger alignment among owners, designers, builders and trade partners.

His experience includes six Integrated Form of Agreement/Integrated Project Delivery projects, where he has helped teams apply Lean principles through collaborative planning, reliable commitments, visual management and continuous improvement.

“I've had the privilege of working alongside Joe Donarumo for more than a decade, delivering on the most complex healthcare construction projects at Cook Children's,” said Spencer Seals of Cook Children’s Health Care System. “Throughout that time, he has consistently demonstrated the principles the Lean Construction Institute exists to promote—not simply in presentations or meetings, but every day on active projects where collaboration, trust and accountability truly matter.”

One of Donarumo’s most significant contributions to the industry is The Lean Builder: A Builder’s Guide to Applying Lean Tools in the Field, which he co-authored with Keyan Zandy and launched at LCI Congress in 2019. Written to translate Lean concepts into practical, recognizable jobsite situations, the book received the 2020 Shingo Publication Award.

More than 35,000 copies of The Lean Builder have since been distributed, reaching professionals in more than 35 countries. Donarumo and Zandy have expanded the platform to include workshops, a Master Class, podcasts, articles, videos, training resources and university partnerships.

“Rather than presenting an ‘academic’ Lean, Joe and Keyan created resources that project stakeholders immediately recognize as relevant to their daily work,” Seals said. “This work has helped thousands of professionals develop a common language around collaborative project delivery.”

Donarumo has been involved with LCI since 2013 and joined the Dallas-Fort Worth Community of Practice in 2014, serving as secretary in 2015 and chair from 2016 through 2018 before leading the 2019 LCI Congress Planning Team. From 2019 through 2025, he served on LCI's National Board of Directors, including service as a Congress board liaison, and has presented at every LCI Congress since 2017.

Through his field leadership, teaching and service, Donarumo has helped close one of Lean Construction’s most important gaps: the distance between understanding Lean and practicing it.

Donarumo will be presented with the 2026 LCI Pioneer Award during the LCI Award Ceremony at the 28th Annual LCI Congress on Thursday, October 15, in Atlanta, Georgia.

About the Lean Construction Institute:
Headquartered in Arlington, VA, the Lean Construction Institute (LCI) is a not-for-profit, member-based organization dedicated to advancing Lean principles within the design and construction industry. Through its educational offerings, events, webinars, Communities of Practice and certification programs, LCI empowers professionals to deliver projects with greater efficiency, collaboration and sustainability.

For more information about LCI and its mission, please visit www.leanconstruction.org.

Media Contact:
Joan Piccariello, PMP
Director, Program Development
Lean Construction Institute
joanp@leanconstruction.org