After one semester as a co-op at Robins & Morton, Marshall Scott knew that he had found his place. Now, 22 years later, he’s grateful he trusted his instincts, took advantage of the opportunity, and chose such a rewarding path.
In celebration of Careers in Construction month, here’s a behind-the-scenes look at how Scott went from co-op to operations manager, cherishing each chapter of his journey.
Q: What inspired you to pursue a career in construction?
When I enrolled at the University of Florida, I was an architecture major. I was 100% convinced during my entire childhood that’s what I wanted to do. It took about a week in college for me to realize I wasn’t in the right spot.
Before I started at UF, I didn’t realize the school offered a construction management program. My roommate opened my eyes to that opportunity because he had a brother who had gone through the program.
I immediately fell in love with it. I had a lot more in common with my classmates, and I already had a little bit of insight into the industry since my dad works in project management.
Q: How did you get involved in the co-op program at Robins & Morton?
That same roommate had interned with Robins & Morton the summer before, so I got to hear about his experience and meet some of the team — people who still work here today like [General Superintendent] Doug Peck, [Director of Scheduling Services] Chris McCall, and [Project Director] Alan Johnson. They would go to football games with us at school, and they were just good people.
I trusted my gut and took a summer co-op opportunity with Robins & Morton. I ended up in Del Rio, Texas, for the first half of the summer and Emporia, Virginia, for the second half. I had a great time getting to see those unique parts of the country. It wasn’t just a job, it was an experience. I got to get out of my comfort zone and find my way. I really enjoyed it, and I made some really great connections with people on the projects.
Q: How did our co-op program experience prepare you for your full-time role?
From the beginning, I had a seat at the table. I had some real responsibilities, managing small but important scopes of work and leading crews. I got to be a part of meetings, not just sitting in the room but contributing. I learned to understand what risk meant and how to look out for it. I was able to interact with architects and engineers and learn how we manage trade partners. I learned a lot about respecting people and asking for help in weaker areas.
That experience tests you and validates if this is something you’re capable of, but the team understands where you are and wants to see you succeed.
Q: What advice would you give to current interns, co-op, and young professionals who are looking to grow within the industry?
Take the opportunity seriously. It’s an investment from the company to the individual and the individual to the company, so make sure you’re with a firm you want to be with long term. Ideally, you find the company you want to retire with one day.
Be a self-starter. Develop your own style. You don’t want to be the person who has to constantly be told what to do and how to do it. Good leaders and mentors will shepherd you, leveraging your talents and working with you on your weaknesses.
Be humble and honest. Recognize that you don’t know everything, and there are tremendous people willing to help you if you put in the commitment and work. Try to figure things out yourself first, but when you run into a roadblock, don’t hesitate to ask questions.
Q: How has your career evolved since your co-op days? What are some of your most memorable projects?
First of all, I’ve never really chased a title. I showed up every day and tried to contribute and learn nonstop, taking on responsibilities sometimes outside my job description where I felt I could support or lead. I think too many people get hung up on titles and comparing themselves to peers. I value the experience and the knowledge gained way more than my title or the next role, and I think that’s always benefited me.
After joining the team full time, I spent a few more years working in the field before committing to project management, and I think that helped me tremendously. I was able to be a much more understanding project manager and to relate to project staff and craft workers. A project manager clears obstacles for our field team members, and with my background, I was able to understand those obstacles and see them before they became major issues.
In my career, I’ve worked on really small but challenging projects where I learned just as much as I did on my large projects, because you get to touch almost every aspect of the work and have a lot more independence. Those small jobs don’t stunt your growth; in fact, jobs that I remember the most are those small ones because they were challenging.
Q: What has your experience been like moving around the country to different projects?
I’ve lived in places that I probably would have never visited in my lifetime, like Oklahoma City or Augusta, Maine. But I’m so glad I had the opportunity to experience those places as a resident, not a tourist. I was invested in the community, I was a neighbor, and I got to leave a piece of myself in each location through the projects I was assigned to. That’s special. I still drive by some of those projects from time to time and have very fond memories of the challenges we overcame, the successes we celebrated, and the relationships that were formed. Those memories are cherished.
I grew up in Florida, met my wife in Oklahoma, and my kids were born in three different states. A lot of people think, “How do you do that?” But it just makes us stronger. Wherever we go, we have that one thing in common, and it’s that we have each other. We learn and experience new things together.
Q: How has Robins & Morton supported your learning and professional development over the years?
Our Training for Excellence program has been a huge benefit. Training has always been a priority and part of our performance standards. Anytime I’ve wanted to learn or attend a training, I was supported and encouraged to participate in training opportunities to help me develop my skillset.
The training has always been high-quality, and our internal instructors share valuable knowledge of how we deal with certain things by using real-world experiences and lessons learned from our projects.
I also think our leadership has been incredible my entire career. The door has always been open, and it’s always been nice to feel like there was transparency from top to bottom. Everybody makes time to hear you out, give you advice, and mentor you. They might not give you all the answers, but they’ll point you in the right direction.
Q: What would you say to people who are considering a career in construction?
You get out of it what you put in. The ones that really embrace the challenges and tough parts will thrive.
Work-life balance is usually a concern, but it means different things to different people. What I’ve loved is that my work is demanding, but my family has always been a part of that team. My children’s best friends have been the sons and daughters of other team members. It’s all very blended — there’s no fine line. Everybody gets to know each other and learn from each other, and it’s nice to know that you have genuine friends in the people you’re working with. They’re there for you, helping you figure things out in hard times. I’ve always loved that about our company.
Q: Why is construction an industry that young people should consider as they start their career journeys?
One of the best things is that when you start, you don’t have to know what you want to do 10 years from now. There are so many paths — not just superintendent or project manager, but also HR, Marketing and Communications, Preconstruction, and much more. There are so many aspects to our business, and you can find something you love. You can also start in one spot and end up on a more unconventional path. There are lots of opportunities to move horizontally and find where you thrive.
One of the most exciting things about the construction industry is its trajectory. It’s gotten so much more sophisticated during the course of my career, and that will only continue. There are new tools, not just in technology but also in our processes and the way we approach soft skills. We’re embracing these tools, and they help us deliver amazingly complex and difficult projects with a greater level of care and attention. We’re getting a lot smarter.
Q: Any final thoughts on your journey and this industry as we celebrate Careers in Construction Month?
There’s a lot to this industry, and so much that’s incredibly rewarding. We’re literally changing the landscape of the earth, and our projects are making a tremendous impact on communities. It’s so cool to be a part of that — to deliver a project that’s going to improve the quality of life for a community. We’re leaving a legacy everywhere we go, and I can’t think of much that would be more rewarding.
Scott has worked as a field engineer, project engineer, project manager, senior project manager, project director, and now operations manager. He’s worked with clients such as Duke, Carilion Clinic, MaineGeneral, Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, and INTEGRIS Health to deliver incredible projects across the country. He’s currently the operations manager at our Charlotte office and is working on projects in North Carolina and Virginia.