Throughout Careers in Construction Month, we’re highlighting stories of some of our team members. We asked them to share the passion they have for construction, and the sense of purpose each found as a True Builder® with Robins & Morton. When you read their stories on our Facebook, LinkedIn or Instagram pages, you’ll realize that construction is not just a job; it’s the joy of being part of something bigger than yourself and making a difference.
Once you get mud on your boots, you join an extended family. Like Field Superintendent George Butler, who started as a laborer, you are guided by your mentors. Like Concrete Senior Superintendent Clay Hamby, with more than 40 years of managing complex projects, you enjoy building a team and sharing your knowledge.
You also experience something others who drive by a construction site can’t: the incredibly detailed and complex process of building. As Assistant Project Manager Melody Bazzle said, “On day one, there’s nothing, then each day you see the progression of foundation to floors and there’s a feeling of accomplishment.”
When you work in construction, you realize that, beyond the towering cranes, the massive concrete pours, the miles of pipes, duct, conduit and wires and the seemingly countless fixtures and details, construction is a people business. It’s the clients who entrust us with their vision, the teams we form on the project, the camaraderie that extends across miles and generations, and the people who benefit from what we build.
Field Office Assistant Kyley LeBlanc saw those connections come together in Roanoke, Virginia, where our project team is undertaking the new, 475,000-square-foot Crystal Springs patient tower at Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital. She shares the story of how Senior Project Manager Jimmy Griffis crossed paths with 80-year-old Boyce Cook:
With a mechanical and nuclear engineering Master of Arts degree from the University of Tennessee, Boyce naturally showed an interest in the Crystal Spring Tower project, so we set him up with his own private jobsite tour. Boyce spoke tenderly of his late wife, who spent her final days on the 10th floor of Roanoke Memorial Hospital. Boyce and his appreciation for our hard work gave us all a sense of pride and, no doubt left an impression on us.
For MEP (Mechanical-Electrical-Plumbing) Manager Mark Lerma, the sense of purpose in building a hospital is personal. He joined Robins & Morton after a several years overseeing maintenance at a hospital campus where Robin & Morton was working. When it was time for a career change, Mark reached out to Robins & Morton. “Working so many years in healthcare, I got to know Robins & Morton and what they did and how they worked,” he said.
He was drawn to hospital construction by more than his past work experience. “Healthcare hits home for me; my oldest son always had health conditions,” he said. “Knowing what hospitals and clinics do for families, and what we can provide for a community and how far it goes in helping people – it’s rewarding,”
The story is similar for Assistant Project Manager Brett Jacobs, who started his construction career at a hospital near his home, where his father was treated for cancer. “We have a direct impact on the community,” he said.
Of course, we build more than hospitals. Our work spans commercial, higher education, hospitality, government and more. But no matter what we’re building, our team members approach each project with a sense of purpose that comes from knowing that building is about much more than concrete and steel. As Project Manager Elizabeth Russ said, “Part of what I love is that you are building not just a structure but an experience for the public, to realize what all you’re giving to the community.”
Learn more about what it means to be a True Builder® and careers opportunities with Robins & Morton. https://www.robinsmorton.com/join-our-team/