Routes to Rewarding Careeers

COVER STORY By Tracy Bennett

Job Fair Opens Eyes to A Day in the Life of Steel Construction

Tracy Bennett is Managing Editor of Connector andPrincipal Partner of Mighty Mo Media Partners, amarketing consulting firm. Her technical expertiseis in construction, lifting equipment, and workforcedevelopment.

SEAA’s Careers in Construction event featured hands-on demos, introduction to training videos, and networking.

Nearly 300 students from five Houston area school districts plus several dozen military veterans attended SEAA’s construction career fair in January 2022. Recruiting and hiring remains one of the primary challenges SEAA member companies face. The Long Range Planning Committee spearheaded the event, which was hosted by SEAA member Adaptive Construction Solutions, Inc.

Students rotated through stations staffed by member companies and equipment suppliers. In addition to learning about the steel construction industry in general, students also heard about specific jobs in steel fabrication, decking, bridge building, and structural and reinforcing steel erecting.

The students came from Career and Technical Education programs, where they are enrolled in welding, architecture, construction, and manufacturing programs. Many of them are in process of completing OSHA 30 training and certifications.

“Construction presents a life-long career opportunity that does not require a four-year degree,” said David Deem, incoming President-Elect of SEAA and President of Deem Structural Services. “I finished one year of college, but without the funds to continue I sought out an apprenticeship where I could earn while I learned the trade. Now, after 40 years in the industry, I’ve enjoyed a career that constantly challenges me and has never hindered my personal or professional growth.” Deem encouraged students that no matter what path they decide to take to choose a career that they enjoy, which he believes is the key to success.

In January, SEAA launched a new job board and applicant tracking software for members. The tool is designed to give members a custom careers page and with the upgraded version, an easy way to manage posting of open positions across all the major hiring websites. Students participating in the career fair were encouraged to use the tool to find jobs once they are ready to enter the workforce.

To illustrate the many different kinds of careers and the various routes individuals have taken to get to where they are today, Connector asked employees of SEAA member companies what a day in the life of their job looks like.

ESTIMATOR

Jaikob Ellison

Jaikob Ellison took the college degree route to his career in construction. With a Bachelor’s Degree in Construction Management, he came to Cooper Steel, Shelbyville, Tenn., after working in internships with the Department of Defense and a large contractor. “These internships helped me understand what a GC is looking for from a sub-contractor on the preconstruction side,” said Ellison. He has been with Cooper Steel for eight years, currently working as the Preconstruction Business Unit Manager.

“Estimators are in many instances the first impression of a company. This could be with potential subcontractors or future customers, who may not have a long-standing relationship with your company,” he said. The three skills he thinks are critical to being an estimator are “ambition, communication, and organization.”

IRONWORKER

Cartez Moore

Cartez Moore is an ironworker for Deem Structural Services, Longview, Texas. After a stint in the military, a friend suggested that welding skills would open doors to jobs. With certifications from a community college in TIG, Stick and Flux Core welding in hand, he started out working in a fabrication shop. During that time, he would see long steel beams coming into the shop. After a few years, he found the job to be repetitive and the salary capping out. But the skills he learned and the connections he made, sent him on a path to becoming an ironworker, which he has now been doing for about two years.

“On the first crew I was assigned to, I learned bolt up and welding of joists and I got to get up on the steel. I also started learning how to hang panel walls, which is challenging,” said Moore. Having welding skills was a good start, but other aspects of working the iron came through on-the-job training.

While it’s thrilling to be an ironworker, Moore says, “I can see the longevity of this. It’s not just working in the field, there are also careers in quality control, safety, and field management.” Most days he loves his job, but it can be stressful when dealing with bad weather. “In the rain and the cold, with every step you take, it makes the job harder and more hazardous,” he said.

Moore was one of the people who spoke to students at the January Career Fair. While the military trained him for emergencies, how to be quick on your toes, and working as a team, “When I was that age, I wish someone had told me about all variety of career options,” he said. He encouraged students considering a career in construction to “just keep showing up, just keep at, and the rest will come.”

CRANE OPERATOR & FLEET MANAGER

Jay McLean

Crane operators that lift steel keep a much faster pace than other types of crane operation—often making as many as 100 picks in a day. Constant communication with the riggers and ironworkers is essential.

The week before he was interviewed for this article Jay McLean had been setting bar joists on a job site, and the following week he was setting steel coil and balcony flange beams. He likes the variety. McLean started working in the steel construction business in 1999 and today he is also a part owner of High Plains Steel Services in Windsor, Colo. He has only been operating cranes for about five years. He has two NCCCO crane operator certifications for hydraulic cranes and tower cranes, and one NCCER operator certification for lattice crawler cranes. When he is not operating cranes, he handles all of the fleet management tasks for the company.

“It helped me a lot to have worked as an ironworker first. It has made me a better crane operator. Having been on the other end of it, I know what its like. The tag line has to be positioned correctly and the column has to come up straight,” he said.

Among the conditions that make crane operation stressful is when there are blind picks or a lot of activity on the site with other trades. “We tape off our swing radius, but you still have to watch out for people,” he said. Making sure the crane is setup level on solid ground conditions for setup is also important. “You have to know what is under the ground, which I will confirm with the General Contractor’s Superintendent.” On a recent job, the site had moved utilities to an area where McLean had planned to set up the crane. That meant he had to identify an alternate location.

Operators rely on riggers to make sure the steel is secure for lifting, but “the operator is the last determining factor when making the pick,” he said.

RIGGER

Cisco Galaviz

Cisco Galaviz is now a Superintendent for High Plains Steel but he got his start as a rigger and connector. “Being a rigger is a very powerful job with responsibility for keeping the pace, ensuring that the team makes their pick count for the day,” said Galaviz. Each morning starts with a meeting with the connector to review the pick list and to determine the route.

The rigger coordinates the steel pieces being lifted so that the connectors can work in clockwise circles before moving onto the next area, without the need to double back, explained Galaviz. “A good rigger preps for the work by marking the pieces in the laydown yard and making sure the tags are all facing the same direction. “This makes it easier to find the labels and helps the helper find the right piece in the shake out area,” he explained. Knowing the sequence is especially critical when setting up multiple lift rigging for “treeing” the iron. He also recommends making punch marks on each beam in advance to identify the center so that choker slings are rigged so that the load lifts level.

It is a fast-paced job and can be stressful if parts are not where they are expected to be. He laughed saying, “Riggers have to be able to switch gears quickly so that the crane operator never has time for a break.”

A self-described ‘control freak,’ Galaviz said that when he moved onto being a connector, he would study the pick list the night before then go over the plan with the riggers in the morning. Connectors have to be very good communicators. They are running the task from up on the iron. “Your job is to paint a picture for the crane operator, keeping the lines of communication open until the steel is in the spot where you want it. Then you have to communicate with your partner.”

“If you are just here for the paycheck, then this job is not for you. You have to love it, be able to keep a good head, and a good attitude,” he said. “But at the end of the day, you can look at the building you are working on and get a real sense of accomplishment because you have something to show for your work.”

PROJECT MANAGER

Abby Stinson

Abby Stinson came to the construction industry by accident. While working toward a degree in animal science, she was taking a break from school before continuing to post graduate work to become a veterinarian. A friend told her about a job in the print room at Cooper Steel, where she learned how to print and assemble construction drawings for field crews. It was meant to be a stop gap job that has turned into a career that she loves.

“Cooper Steel has a great culture where they will find ways to keep people who are hardworking. From the print room, I went to the front desk, then worked as a sales coordinator, and eventually I moved up to project manager,” she said.

“I fell in love with construction—the hustle and bustle, the team atmosphere, having a new problem to solve every day,” she said. While working in the print room may seem like a lowly job, she says it’s actually very important. “There’s an art to it. And if you get it wrong, and the field crews don’t have the right drawing, you could be the cause of a schedule delay.” That skill is one of many that has shaped her ability to manage projects.

It is a running joke she says that project managers are responsible for everything and have control over nothing. Once a bid is accepted, the project manager sees the job through from start to finish. “You have to be able to read and understand the design, understand the scope of the work, and be able to visualize the job in your head,” she said. Central to success is being detail oriented and a good communicator. “You have to be able to facilitate each step with the sales team, vendors, the fab shop, the erector. And when the customer makes changes to the design, you have to figure out the best solution while also minimizing the impact that change has on the schedule.”

Asked what advice she would give a young person about the industry, she said: “It’s a good time to be in this business. There is so much growth and opportunity. As long as you are driven and hardworking, there is no reason to be intimidated. You don’t have to know everything, you just have to know who to ask for the right info.”

“I knew nothing about construction. It’s a little like learning a foreign language, but once have the lingo down, it’s a great career,” she said.

GENERAL FOREMAN

Michael White

Michael White is just 26 years old and he has already reached General Foreman status with Shelby Erectors in Florida. He started as a laborer and now oversees multiple crews and multiple jobs. “At age 19 I knew I wanted a career where I could climb the ladder, and that’s possible to do in construction,” he said. While the most stressful part of his job is maintaining the schedule when something causes a delay, he loves the chance to travel and the relationships he has made with other crew members. “This is a career with benefits like insurance and 401K plans. It’s a hard job but I take pride in being responsible for these crews that have become like family,” he said.

DIRECTOR OF FIELD OPERATIONS & PROJECT MANAGEMENT

Andrew Boothe

Despite only having been in the construction industry for two years, Andrew Boothe oversees four ProjectManagers and more than 160 field employees for Gardner-Watson Decking. His job requires him to be proficient at reading drawings, knowing details, providing on-site supervision and managing daily operations.

“I was previously enlisted in the Marine Corps for five years where I learned many skills that transfer to the construction industry,” said Boothe. After leaving the military, he worked for an independent testing and certification laboratory of Personal Protective Equipment.

Being an aircraft mechanic in the Marines gave me a good foundation. Every day—if not 10 times a day—I would hear that ‘Safety is Paramount’ because lives are at stake, whether we were training or in combat. The same applies to workers 40 feet up, balancing on beams and joists each day in the field. If you don’t take safety seriously, it can cost you or others their life,” he said.

PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) is the best form of protection against unintended accidents. “You can have years of experience, knowledge and be the best at your job, but it only takes one accident. Wearing the correct protective equipment and implementing safety procedures can save your life and others,” he said. •

1-866-733-3272