Board Members

Boyd Martin, founder and manager of Boyd Martin Construction, LLC, was appointed to the Board in November 2020. Martin was raised in Las Vegas and earned his bachelor’s degree in Construction Management from Brigham Young University in 1988. In 2003, after having worked 15 years in general contracting for other Las Vegas contractors, Martin independently started Boyd Martin Construction, LLC, a general contracting firm that currently holds a General Building and General Engineering license in Nevada. His extensive background includes over 35 years of construction experience and LEED certification. He has served on the Board of the Associated General Contractors Las Vegas (now the Nevada Contractors’ Association) continuously since 1997 and as the President in 2011.

Margaret Cavin was first appointed to the Board in January of 2000 where she served three terms and was elected the first woman to serve as Chair. She is the co-founder of J & J Mechanical Inc. with 30 years of experience in the construction industry, and served as President of the Nevada Chapter of the Associated General Contractors. Cavin is also the President of Friends of ACE High School, a tuition-free charter school in Reno that infuses construction- and engineering-career applicable methods into core high school curriculum.

Bryan Cowart, president of Harris Associates, was appointed to the Board in November of 2020. Cowart grew up in the construction industry with a family-owned general contracting business in Alaska during the late 80s and early 90s. He developed his general contracting experience in commercial construction during the height of the Las Vegas expansion, from 1997-2011, providing management and leadership on multiple ground up high-rise, low-rise and strip casino tenant improvements. As president of Harris Associates, his primary role is developing and maintaining business relationships, along with performing pre-construction and oversight on a variety of Harris projects.

Joe Hernandez, principal and partner of Branch-Hernandez & Associates, Inc. Insurance Services, was appointed to the Board by the Governor of Nevada in April 2013. Hernandez has over 39 years of experience as a licensed property and casualty insurance broker and 29 years of agency management experience. He served as past chairman of the Independent Agents and Brokers of America’s Diversity Task Force, past chairman of the Nevada Independent Insurance Agents Association, and vice chairman of the Latin Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors and the Nevada Insurance Guaranty Association Board of Directors. Hernandez serves as the public member of the Board.

Kent Lay is division president at Taylor Morrison of Nevada. With more than 25 years’ experience in residential and commercial general contracting, he has overseen the construction of more than 10,000 homes and various commercial projects throughout the Southwest. He has served on the boards of the Southern Nevada and Arizona Home Builders Association and has been active with Home Aid of Southern Nevada.

Jan Leggett was appointed to the Board in November of 2012. He is a manager and qualified employee with Moana Nursery in Reno. He is twice past president of the Northern Nevada Landscape and Irrigation Council and is the current chairperson of the Government Affairs Committee of the Northern Nevada Associated General Contractors. Leggett, has 40+ years’ experience as a subcontractor in the landscape and irrigation industry in Nevada.

Louis Polish, Jr. was appointed to the Board in November of 2022 and has over 30 years of experience in construction business ownership. Polish currently holds several Nevada Contractor’s Licenses and is the owner and founder of Alpha Landscapes LLC. He has lived in Las Vegas since 1977 and obtained a BS degree in Construction Management from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. A current member of the Southern Nevada Home Builders Association, Polish has also served President of the Nevada Subcontractors Association and as a Board Member since 2002.