Cabano

Louis “Lou” J. Cabano passed peacefully at the age of 91 surrounded by family on December 24, 2024. He was born in Philadelphia, PA on October 17, 1933, and elected into the National Academy of Construction in 2016 for his outstanding leadership in project management solutions, organizational effectiveness, and dispute resolution.

Lou graduated from Philadelphia’s Central High School in 1951. He earned a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from Drexel University in 1956 and furthered his education in the Engineering Management Master’s Program. He also played Varsity football for the Drexel Dragons and was a life-long Philadelphia Eagles fan. Lou served in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, where he grew his skills in project management and engineering.

Lou’s early career was with Catalytic, Inc as a Project Manager and subsequently Vice President and Chief Project Manager. He transitioned to the fuels industries as a Division Manager for Exxon Research and Engineering Company and was responsible for the project execution of the company’s major chemical projects, worldwide.

Well before the formation of many of the current “industry continuous improvement” organizations, Lou recognized that the expertise to successfully plan, execute and commission domestic and international capital plant projects needed to be retained as a vital industry resource available on-call to industry participants. Toward that end, in 1975 he founded Pathfinder, LLC a project management consulting firm specializing in capital project planning and execution. As Chairman, Lou led the company to international recognition, managing major process industry projects worldwide. around that belief and in many ways helped form the basis for the core project management work processes and practices in use today. His nature was to share knowledge to help lift the performance of the industry in general and as a result he and his organization have always been strongly supportive of participation in key industry “help” organizations.

Lou was passionate about helping and mentoring the new generations as they joined our industry. He was always available for a call or meeting to discuss new ideas or process improvements. He was always at the forefront of developing new practices and approaches and helping embed them into the industry by personal as well as organization leadership in participation in various industry groups. These improvements included:

Initial cost/schedule risk analysis tools used to determine cost and schedule impact on project risks including “Cold Eyes Reviews” by a team of experts in project disciplines.

Innovative contracting tools and techniques designed to assist in selecting the most appropriate and cost-effective contracting strategy.

Lou consistently worked to ensure Pathfinder delivered leading edge practices and processes. Evidence of this is seen in his founding of the International Project Management Academy (IPMA). The IPMA offers continuing education programs focused directly on participants’ actual working environment and project characteristics.

Throughout his career, Lou held top leadership positions in several professional organizations, including the Engineering and Construction Contracting Association (ECC), and the Project Management Institute (PMI). He was active in influencing the Construction Industry Institute (CII). His contributions to the field were recognized with numerous awards, including the Drexel College of Engineering Alumni Circle of Distinction Award and the ECC’s Annual Achievement Award.

His influence on industry and clients was far reaching as Melissa Herkt reminisced, “I personally worked with Lou and his employees in my role as project director / executive at four different companies. He and Pathfinder worked with us to develop world class bespoke project management guidelines and training modules, based on internal processes and CII research outcomes. Additionally, Lou and his employees worked for almost a year, reviewing documents and preparing an owner's claim against a contractor that yielded a high value court decision in favor of the owner. Lou's dedication and high ethical and moral standards were evident in every interaction I had with him. Lou always had the courage to initiate difficult discussions based on his integrity and extensive knowledge of the project management profession. I and many others will miss his wise counsel, but his legacy will live on in the Pathfinder organization and its personnel.”

His legacy continues through his devoted wife of 70 years, Helen Cabano, and his children, Stephen (Diane), Christine McIntyre (Brad), and Sheila, as well as his 3 grandchildren Catherine (Liam), Megan and Jackson, who were his pride and joy.

Lou left a lasting impact on our industry and will be truly missed.

― Jim Porter, John Dalton, Melissa Herkt, 2025