This profile was originally published in the Corridor Media Group’s inaugural IOWA 500 magazine, which features 500 profiles and listings for an exclusive look at the movers and shakers shaping the economic heartbeat of Iowa. The list includes leaders representing 14 categories, which we believe reflect the scope of business sectors in our state. Greg Bush’s […]
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Click here to purchase a paywall bypass linkThe list includes leaders representing 14 categories, which we believe reflect the scope of business sectors in our state. Greg Bush's profile introduced the Construction category.
Click here to purchase your copy of IOWA 500.From serving as a U.S. Air Force fighter pilot to leading his family’s fifth-generation business, Greg Bush has managed to remain grounded through the principles passed down from his father.
“It is an amazing sense of fulfillment,” Mr. Bush, 68, said of his role as president and CEO of McCarthy-Bush Corp., based in Davenport. “It’s like a relay race and now I have the baton.”
That baton was first held by his great-grandfather, Patrick McCarthy, a bricklayer who immigrated to the United States from Ireland and started a road construction business in 1897.
His grandfather, J.T. McCarthy, and father, John L. “Jack” Bush, continued the legacy of the company, which has since expanded into construction, mining, real estate development and steel fabrication.
“We’ve carried on that road construction piece for a long time, but we don’t do it in brick anymore,” the Bettendorf native quipped.
Mr. Bush serves as “strategic influencer and cheerleader” for the McCarthy-Bush Family of Companies, including McCarthy Improvement Co., Oertel Metal Works, Bush Construction, Linwood Mining & Minerals and Clinton Engineering Co., among others.
The fifth generation includes one of his sons, along with a niece and nephew. Two of his brothers are retired, but still serve on the board of the 128-year-old corporation.
Mr. Bush earned a bachelor’s degree in management from the U.S. Air Force Academy, where he played football and captained the wrestling team, then served as an A-10 “Warthog” Thunderbolt pilot, and instructor.
Having served before the first Gulf War, he did not see combat, but continues to fly, now in his own Cirrus SR22 four-seater plane.
Mr. Bush earned an MBA from Golden Gate University, and served seven years in the Air Force before returning to Iowa.
By then, he and his wife had the first three of their six children, “and we decided Iowa would be a good place to raise our family,” he said.
He joined the family business in 1985, first serving as vice president of development for Linwood Mining & Materials, the company’s underground limestone mine, located just outside Davenport along the Mississippi River.
His leadership skills led to his promotion as executive vice president of operations and then president, a position he held for several years before his appointment to McCarthy-Bush Corp.
Mr. Bush added the title of CEO of the corporation in 2003, having served as president since 1998.
McCarthy-Bush Corp. employs 450 to 500 people, a point of pride for Mr. Bush, and a number he would like to increase.
The corporation does work in Iowa and beyond, with annual revenue of $200 million.
One example of its varied work is the historic redevelopment of century-old hotels and other buildings, transforming them into chic residential housing and commercial space.
“It’s environmentally and economically more friendly,” Mr. Bush said, citing current projects in St. Louis, Atlanta and the Quad Cities.
Giving back to the community is among the principles his own father instilled in him, along with studying practices of successful family businesses.
“Dad always encouraged us to get an education,” he said, one of the other ways his father provided a guiding force for Mr. Bush and his siblings.
He keeps his father in mind with the mantra “WWJD” when deliberating significant decisions, for “What Would Jack Do.”
When it comes to his own children, Mr. Bush was adamant they first work elsewhere before considering them for a position in the family-owned business.
“Their own happiness was very important to me,” he said. “You don’t want to force people to come in if they’re not interested.”
His son, Mike, is following in his footsteps as president of Linwood Mining & Minerals, a leading producer of calcium carbonate, lime products and aggregates, while Mike’s siblings pursued other careers. Mr. Bush has nine grandchildren, with a 10th on the way.
In his free time, he pursues his lifelong passion of travel and is a voracious reader.
Mr. Bush has served on a number of boards and industry organizations, including as president of the Iowa Limestone Producers and the National Lime Association and board chairman of the National Stone, Sand & Gravel Association.
He sits on the J.F. Brennan Company board of directors, the Robinson Family Management board of directors, the Loyola Family Business Center Board and Genesis Health System board of directors.
