A Chat with Superintendents: Industry Veterans Share Their Experience

At the heart of every project we do is a commitment to getting it done right. We take the time to listen closely and we follow through on each and every detail — every time. Superintendents carry these values on and off the field to ensure projects are constructed correctly, timely and safely.  They must have open and honest communication with all project stakeholders from the design team and management to the field crews, local jurisdictions and third party inspectors, and everyone in between.  True builders, the knowledge you will find in the minds of a great construction superintendent is vast and invaluable.

This week we are diving into a discussion with three of Perlo Construction’s veteran superintendents, Jay Edgar, Gary Lundervold and Fred Lutz. Each of them took a slightly different path into their current roles, and one thing is clear – they love what they do. Read on to learn more about what it takes to be some of the best superintendents in the industry.

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How did you become a superintendent?

Fred
I started out building houses and doing carpentry work for about three years with my dad, and then we realized it was hard to make money, so we started doing commercial work. I ended up as a journeyman carpenter with McCormack Pacific. Later I became a foreman for Tim Kofstad. After 10 or so years, they kept asking me to move up. I didn’t want to, but they kept asking me to, so I finally became a superintendent. 

Gary
I was going to college for a different career path.  In the summer I went to work for a construction company in California and ended up with some life events that changed my career path, so I went to work for a carpenter, joined the union, and started running work as a carpenter, then as lead man, and then I changed companies and went to work as a carpenter/foreman.  I never had any formal training on reading blueprints, I just picked it up over time.  I worked for a union company.  I was doing small jobs then.  I moved to another company and was moved up pretty quickly. In the 90’s I became a superintendent.  I’ve been with Perlo as a superintendent since June 2005.

Jay
My path isn’t how they do it anymore. When I started, it was 1980, I was 20 years old and had just started working with this company. I started by working with an older carpenter, so I learned and did whatever he told me to do. It was a different time back then, so my first project was to build a small tilt up as a superintendent right after that. At the same time, I took some classes to learn to read blueprints. My second job was to build a 130-unit retirement home and that was REALLY like being thrown into the wolves. I was 24 when I ran my first job and had to learn very quickly how to get people to listen to me and get their work done. And my career has evolved from there. I basically went from a union laborer to a superintendent at a very young age. No one would do that anymore. 

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What path should a future superintendent follow?

Fred
Work your way up. Start in the field and learn how to build things. You can also find classes. Joining the union will help you educate yourself, and of course you’ll need basic computer skills. Nothing replaces hands on experience, though. The typical path is to become a laborer or carpenter, then a lead carpenter, then foreman and after that, superintendent. 

Gary
Work your way up the ladder. If you work hard and care about what you’re doing, you can do what we do.

Jay
Join the carpenter’s union and work your way up. You must have a great work ethic and starting at the bottom and getting as much training as you can is what you will need. 

What’s the most challenging part of your job?

Fred
The whole thing! I’m kidding. Getting the project started right and the base structure out of the ground is the hardest part of it. If you get that piece right, the rest is easy in comparison. I have to know how every piece of the building fits together so that it gets done right, and mistakes cost both time and money, so getting that first part right is the most important thing.

Gary
Scheduling. We are managing a lot of people from different companies all the time, so making sure that everything is scheduled in advance and that you can make decisions on the fly when necessary can be a challenge. You can’t control the weather – hard as you might try –  we have to be flexible and adjust, too. Lately it seems that everyone wants things built faster and faster, so we’re doing the same amount of work in less time. That’s a big challenge. 

Jay
The biggest challenge is building the whole thing in your head before you ever start. You have to be able to visualize what you’re about to build so that you can plan everything just right. Also, you have to motivate people every day, and that can be a challenge. You can’t give more than 100% even though you want to. So having good relationships, communicating and planning so that we can work through the schedule is a challenge that you have to be ready to meet. 

Do you ever wish you worked out of the office instead of the field?

Fred
Never. I’m not an office person. I like being out on the jobsites, getting outdoors and hands on.

Gary
No. Some people like the office, but it’s not for me.

Jay
Not a chance. We get a change of scenery every time we move to a new site and we see new things each day. I love that part of it, and I like knowing what’s going on each day on the sites.

Where do you see the industry going in the future?

Fred
Good question. I see it being harder to build because of increased regulations and safety protocols. That’s not to say those are bad things, they are good things, but it does present more challenges. I also see more technology coming in to how we operate. 

Gary
I think it’s going to be harder to get crews to work in the field, even though it’s a rewarding career. I see more technology coming into how we communicate and build things. It’s changing all the time.

Jay
I see technology increasing and pre-fabrication becoming more common. Because the industry is changing so rapidly and people want buildings delivered at an increasingly fast pace, we will be forced to innovate. But I think my job is all about quality, so I try to make sure people understand that going faster is sometimes at the expense of quality, and I hope people don’t lose sight of that. I worry that craftsmanship is going to get lost. 

Final Thoughts
We want to say thank you to Fred, Gary and Jay for taking the time to share their stories with us!  We are grateful to all of our superintendents for their work each day to deliver quality projects.  As always, if you are interested in working with or working for Perlo, give us a call or visit the links below. 

Work for Perlo—view career opportunities here. Work with Perlo—contact us.