Rene "Chapo" Granillo

About Chapo

There are employees, and then there are the people a company simply could not exist without. Rene “Chapo” Granillo is the latter.

With 22 years of construction experience and 9 years as Thomason Construction’s longest-tenured employee, Chapo isn’t just a superintendent — he’s the heart and soul of this company. When Thomason Construction was nothing more than a truck, a trailer, and a dream, Chapo was there. He stood side by side with Kenny from the very beginning, tools in hand, building something out of nothing. Long before there was a team, before there were divisions, before there were licenses and contracts and crews — there was Chapo.

The story of how they found each other is the kind that defines careers. Kenny met Rene as a young apprentice at MJ Dean Construction, where Chapo was already an established journeyman and one of the most respected framers in the trade. Chapo took the time to teach a young apprentice everything he knew about metal framing and drywall — and that knowledge became the foundation Kenny built an entire company on. Years later, when Kenny set out on his own, there was only one person he wanted standing next to him.

And Chapo said yes.

In the Las Vegas construction community, Rene Granillo’s name carries real weight. Long before Thomason Construction, he was one of the most sought-after framers in the city — highly regarded for his ability to tackle the most complex and technically demanding work in the trade. Tricky ceiling framing, intricate soffits, serpentine walls — the kind of work that separates the craftsmen from everyone else. From nearly every high-rise tower on the Las Vegas Strip to some of the most ambitious commercial projects in Southern Nevada, Chapo has left his mark across this city’s skyline.

At Thomason Construction, he has led the field operations on some of the company’s most significant projects, including the Area 15 immersive entertainment complex — where his crews self-performed framing, drywall, grid ceilings, and more across dozens of tenant spaces — and the Westgate Tower Remodel, along with virtually every major project the company has taken on in between.

As Self Perform Superintendent, Chapo oversees Thomason Construction’s field operations with the authority of someone who has mastered every aspect of the craft from the ground up. He manages crews, drives quality, maintains schedules, and sets the standard on every job site he walks onto. His ability to connect with people — tradesmen, project managers, owners, and everyone in between — is matched only by his technical expertise.

Ask anyone who has worked alongside Rene Granillo and they’ll tell you the same thing: finding someone who doesn’t like Chapo is almost impossible. He brings energy, loyalty, and an unmatched work ethic to everything he does. He is the kind of person who makes everyone around him better — and he has been doing exactly that at Thomason Construction since nearly day one.

Kenny Thomason has built something remarkable. But he’ll be the first to tell you — it wouldn’t exist without Chapo.