You spent much of your career in Operations – what do you like most about your current role as Director, Operations?
Building! There is nothing like the experience of taking a roll of drawings, assembling your team and working together on a common goal where you can actually see the results every day. I loved sharing my vision with the group and watching them run with it. Everyone contributed and enjoyed the satisfaction of their accomplishments.
In your time at Alberici, you’ve been involved in many different projects – which project was your favorite and why?
I would have to say the Restoration of the Woodward WTP. To me, the building that was originally built in the 1930’s and 50’s was a work of art, and we were there to modernize it but carefully keep its original design features while maintaining its operation. All who worked on the project were passionate about what they did, from the designers and contractors to all the members of the Alberici team. It allowed all of us the opportunity to be challenged both technically and aesthetically by getting the facility back to life again. We loved the challenges the project brought to us which included long days, shutdowns and weekend work. It was a hometown project, and we were proud of what we had accomplished.
What are you most proud of in your time at Alberici and why?
I am most proud of being able to share my vision with others by modelling what I believed to be “good values” in the work we do together each day. This was easily accomplished with the people I was honoured to work with at Alberici. Some of the structures I have built in my career are now long gone. However by sharing these values I have had the privilege of watching them take root, grow and be passed on to others. Those will last forever.
How has the construction industry changed since you started?
When I started, you called your supervisor Mr. or Mrs, and wide ties and suspenders were the standard office attire. Design-build was done back and forth thru the fax machine, and job closings were done thru a “mobile” phone the size of a small concrete block. Job closings were all written down by hand with pencil on a ledger, and if your calculator was hanging on your belt you were thought to be a cool “geek”. A person’s handshake meant a lot more than just a greeting. It was used as a symbol of your word as a person, your commitment to another.
Is there anything else you’d like to share about your career at Alberici?
I really never considered it as work. I have enjoyed and been passionate about construction since I was a small kid working with my father. In any person’s career, it is more than what you had accomplished by yourself, it’s about what you were able to accomplish in your life working with others. I have been fortunate in my career at Alberici to work with people who have made my life a fulfilling adventure.
I look forward to the next one.