Devoted to Construction

By Andrew Weeks

Ryan Goodsen has been interested in building for as long as he can remember. Those interests took on new meaning for him as a teenager when he started working for a construction company after graduating high school.

Goodsen today is the general manager of the Fargo, N.D., branch of McGough, a construction firm headquartered in St. Paul, Minn., but which has seven branch offices in several Midwestern states and Texas, which includes roughly 700 employees.

He said he’s been with the company now for 11 years and keeps busy with budgets, staffing, training, revenue and project delivery, as well as business development in both the Dakotas.

Reviewing the company’s history, he said McGough has built several high-profile projects in its 60-plus-year history, “including corporate campuses and office buildings; notable major educational campuses; public and worship spaces; state-of-the- art data centers, science and healthcare facilities; industrial and power projects as well as award-winning residential, mixed-use and hospitality projects.”

Goodsen is an unassuming man, who said he has never lost interest in the construction scene but finds it still a challenging and rewarding career.

What is it about your job that makes getting up in the morning easier?

Construction is a fast-paced industry. I enjoy the challenges and continuous improvement it takes to keep up with it. This is a business built on relationships, both from a client and co-worker perspective. I enjoy working with diverse teams both internally and externally and building the lasting relationships that come from our projects. Construction brings with it a great sense of accomplishment and integrity.

What’s a typical day like for you at the office?

I try to split my time between project sites and the office. I like to be working with our teams on their projects as much as time allows. My typical day is spent between project meetings, business development and new business pursuit, pre-construction, and business operations.

As a leader, what’s the best strategy you have found to deal with challenges that may arise at work or on the job site?

As an overall statement, I would say the best strategy to deal with challenges is learn to be a good listener.

If there were a motto for your leadership style, and something you want your employees to remember about you, what would it be?

I would say my leadership style, if you were to ask our team members, would be humble, transparent, personal and team empowerment, and accountability.

If you were to hire your next employee tomorrow, what traits and skills would that employee have?

We are fortunate to be surrounded by great higher education institutions that do a great job of preparing people with the hard skills needed to succeed. I look for folks who like to work in a team environment, (who are) coachable, (and have) integrity.

What role does technology play in your role as general manager?

Technology plays a role in every aspect of construction. Virtual meetings have helped keep teams connected internally and externally. We use an overall software system to run all applications of our company, and a number of different technologies to help manage our projects, production, manpower, etc. We have projects that you may not see a set of paper blueprint drawings, but rather everything done electronically.

Are there any trends you are noticing in the industry right now?

We certainly always see and try to understand industry trends. 2020 has certainly been a peculiar year for all, and not one that industry models would have predicted. I believe most models are forecasting declining industry growth across most sectors nationally. I think a couple exceptions could be health and public safety. North Dakota, from my perspective, seems to not be hitting the dramatic declines some of the other national markets are experiencing.

The pandemic has certainly created challenges with many business and industries; what challenges have you noticed and how have you met those challenges?

We have noticed challenges similar to most businesses with staff/ employees. McGough Construction, at the start of the pandemic cre - ated a COVID-19 Incident Command team made up of company senior leadership team members. Our team developed and implemented company procedures based on CDC guidance, throughout all office and project sites. All compliance measures remain in place and are continuously updated as we learn new best practices. We have been impacted from working remotely throughout offices located in four different states, and projects being delivered throughout many states across the nation. Material procurement, production have also been impacted. Company team members and community safety has remained the top priority.

Going forward over the next year or so how do you view the construction industry in the region? What’s your forecast?

I think it’s only realistic to say there will regionally be impacts from the pandemic. I remain optimistic that the North Dakota and South Dakota regions will not experience the dramatic impacts of other regions.