Tell me your story...

I grew up in a small town just outside of Indianapolis, IN. In my early years, I thought I would be a professional baseball player or race car driver but quickly learned that was not going to pan out. My parents built a home when I was in middle school and I became fascinated with blueprints and the construction process. Originally my plan was to become an architect but I also wanted to go to Purdue. No one in my family understood this as they are all IU fans but I always enjoyed going against the grain and having Drew Brees as the quarterback certainly helped fuel my desire. In high school, I joined ACE Mentoring as a student. This opened my eyes to all of the other career paths available in construction (safety, engineering/design, general contractor, etc.). At the time the new Indianapolis Airport, Lucas Oil Stadium, and my high school were under construction. Through my mentors in ACE, I was able to visit and work on some of these sites and fell in love with the construction side, particularly general contracting. This led to me investigating programs at Purdue that would set me up for success as a general contractor and I found the CEM program which was a perfect fit. My initial year in the program was right at the downturn in the economy. I was slated to work for PCL in the division of the building (I wanted to build high rises at the time) on my first internship but as the economy declined so did commercial construction. I received a call saying I could go work on bridges in Tampa, FL or I would have to find a new position. Keeping an open mind I packed my bags for Tampa, FL. 

At the time I did not realize what a blessing in disguise this was. The heavy civil path is not broadcasted as well as commercial construction in my opinion and this opened the door for a newfound passion. I traveled all across the mid-Atlantic and Florida over the next few years for my internships and became a bridge nerd you could say. I met my wife freshman year and she supported me through the whole process and still does to this day, although sometimes it is reluctantly! In my professional career, I have continued working throughout the mid-Atlantic, Midwest, and Florida focusing on large-scale heavy civil projects (specifically bridges). My wife and I have lived in six states and have loved every minute of it. I have had the pleasure of working on some iconic projects such as the Frederick Douglass Memorial Bridge in Washington, DC, and the Howard Frankland Bridge in Tampa, FL, and have met several lifelong friends along the way.

What sector of CEM are you in at Walsh/ Traylor Bros Inc.?

I am a Project Manager for The Walsh Group on the Howard Frankland Bridge in Tampa, FL. My focus has been the heavy civil industry.

What are some of the jobs available in your sector/ have you done in the past?

We have countless job opportunities. New hires typically start as field/project engineers but there are openings for surveyors and we also have openings for engineers who would prefer to go the superintendent route and manage field operations. I have worked as a field engineer, project engineer, assistant project manager, and now a project manager.

What does your job title and daily operation look like?

I am currently a project manager on the Howard Frankland Bridge. My focus is on the structure and I have a counterpart that focuses on the roadway scope. My daily activities are primarily focused on managing people at this point in my career. I have four lead assistant project managers who report to me for different scopes on the project and they each have a team of 4-5 engineers. I am responsible for the field operations, managing equipment resources, and the commercial aspect of the project (cost reports, PnL reporting, schedule updates, etc.)

What is the hardest part about your job?

The hardest part of the job is managing a large group who all have different personalities; this is also one of the best parts of the job. Learning how to motivate, coach, and relate to a large staff of unique individuals is critical to our success and a necessity for everyone in our industry to grow. We work with concrete, rebar, steel, etc. but at the end of the day, it is a people business. 

What is your favorite part about the sector you work in?

My favorite part about the heavy civil sector is that the majority of the work is self-performed and it utilizes all of our schooling background. All of the craft works directly for us so you develop relationships with the craft and foremen and we are all on the same team so it allows you to easily dictate schedules and get intimately involved with the work. Bridges are highly technical and we rely on the engineering background to solve problems on a daily basis. The majority of our projects are design-build so we work hand in hand with the design engineers, and construction engineers for temporary works/erection sequences all while managing the craft/resources to build the project. 

What advice can you give to current CEM students looking at the different sectors of the CEM industry?

Keep an open mind and take a stab at multiple sectors if possible. It is by chance that I ended up in the heavy civil industry and I couldn’t imagine it any other way. With the recent transportation bill and the already robust DOT budgets, the opportunities are going to be tremendous.

Learn more about Ricky on The Little Hammers Podcast available on Spotify now. https://bit.ly/3uPKWgB