Giving Back Magazine September 2018 | Page 18

Development GORDON KOVTUN Building Community G ordon Kovtun found his calling early in life. While on walks with his mother in downtown San Diego in his youth, Gordon was awestruck by people in hard hats acting as maestros among towering cranes, orchestrating the vitalization of the city’s core. As new tourists and residents transformed the small beach town into one of America’s largest cities in the 60s and 70s, the wizardry behind construction captivated his mind. 18 GBSAN.COM | SEPTEMBER 2018 Upon graduating from Bishop’s High School in La Jolla, Gordon pursued his passion and attended Cal State Polytechnic University to study civil engineering and then earned his master’s degree in the same discipline at the University of Southern California. Gordon was determined to return home after academia to put his own mark on the construction industry and his hometown community. After years of refining his skills and experience, Gordon took the leap of faith and created KCM Group from his living room in 2000.