The Iron Star Team
David Winkler · Founding Principle
As Founder of ICI, David is an accomplished professional with over 40 years of construction, development, project management, and advisory experience. His accomplishments span across the hospitality, resort, vacation club, multifamily, and restaurant industries nationally and internationally. He believes in empowering his team to meet the client’s and project's needs while staying involved every step of the way.
Having a background in mechanical engineering, David offers a unique blend of general contracting and project management skills to the table, providing clients with responsible and transparent scopes of work, budgets, and schedules that are consistent with real-time business environments. More important today than ever.
As a leader, David is highly effective at understanding how to meet the scope of needs and design intent of a project so that things stay successful and on schedule. His many years of accomplishments provide wisdom in working and directing professional teams, vendors, contractors, subcontractors, and clients to establish a good plan for the successful completion of their projects. Having worked on all sides of the industry, he is often able to advise clients of risk factors on all levels of their project to avoid unnecessary hardships. When brought into projects during the early stages of planning, David is known as a go-to resource in assisting clients and the professional team. He is able to analyze the constructability of what is being presented in “real-time” and offers recommendations on what works and what might need rethinking in order to maximize the client’s investment for both renovation and the configuration of new-build projects.
Mark Lafargue · Project Manager & Estimator
Mark has worked in the construction industry with over 20 years of experience. His successes include the completion of both renovation and new-build hospitality, hospitality conversions, commercial, food and beverage venues, senior living, and medical projects. During his career, Mark was President and CEO of a commercial construction company where he managed all the companies’ activities including directing large-scale design-build projects such as the Dallas Stars Hockey practice facility, and clean room facilities for Hitachi and Texas Instruments semiconductor plants among others.
Mark knows what it takes to get a job done. His exceptional leadership in managing the scope of work, budgets, and schedules and delivering high-quality projects is what he is known for. His skills include writing and estimating detailed scopes of work, creating project schedules, and building a team to execute the work. He takes a hands-on approach in not only managing the construction team but provides primary communication at all levels of oversight to owners, project managers, operators, architects, designers, engineers, and city or municipality officials.
Byron Godwin · Senior Project Manager
Byron brings twenty-five years of commercial construction experience as a senior project manager, estimator, and expert in construction means and methods. His accomplishments include the successful delivery of hospitality, multi-family, retail, medical and municipal projects nationally.
Byron is known by clients to excel in customer service and getting the job done. He is well respected by his team, professionals, vendors, and sub-contractors for his pragmatic approach to managing projects. His responsibilities as PM include managing all tasks to assure projects stay on track which includes budgeting, contract negotiation, subcontractor buy-out, schedules, team meetings, and coordinating efforts between the owner, architect brand, and on-site staff.
His studies at Texas A&M University in business and engineering add value to his hands-on management style and ability to get the job done.
Kristy Winkler · President & CFO
As President of ICI, Kristy keeps the company’s goals focused with over 25 years of corporate accounting and small business administrative experience. Her attention to detail and business awareness provides our team with the structure they need to excel.
Outside her many duties at ICI, Kristy has devoted her attention to helping several North Texas-based non-profit organizations in providing professional accounting and business advisory support. In 2014 she became a board member of the non-profit North Texas Thunder Water Polo Club and is now acting President. Further, in 2021 she was asked to join the board of directors for USA Water Polo Southwest Zone and in less than a year was voted by the BOD as Chairmen.
Kristy’s drive and professionalism in handling business on a daily basis bring stability and comfort to both her obligations at ICI and the non-profit groups she supports.
Phillip Grintz· Superintendent & PM
Phillip is an experienced Construction Superintendent and Project Manager with a history of over 20 years working in the construction industry. His accomplishments include new-build, renovation, and conversion projects nationally and internationally including hospitality, vacation club, commercial, medical and multi-family projects.
As an on-site representative, Phillip is tasked with managing and directing the day-to-day activities of the project including schedule, quality control, and clarification of means and methods of construction. His in-depth knowledge of construction, construction codes, and systems along with his attention to detail are key attributes that help Phillip deliver a high-quality product. He is often the primary on-site liaison to owners and owner’s reps for real-time communication. He interfaces with owners, owner project managers, operators (hospitality Brand team), architects, designers, engineers, sub-contractors, and city or municipality officials for the successful delivery of the project
Nathan Winkler· Pre-Construction
Nate is a graduate from Gannon University where he Majored in mechanical engineering. He further completed training while at Gannon in the Army ROTC program where he is now a 1st Lieutenant , Texas National Guard. He is currently working toward getting a BS in Civil Engineering.
Nate assists our team with special projects and works with our team on pre-construction and during-construction coordination. His supportive style of leadership and desire to make sure things are properly executed bring value to a smoother operation.
As a former NCAA water polo championship athlete, Nate coaches’ youth water polo teams for North Texas Thunder Water Club. He enjoys training and mentoring upcoming athletes. He has taken teams to tournaments in Italy for international games and national games. This includes events such as the National Junior Olympics where his team finished among the top teams in the Platinum Division.