By: Taylor McPherson, Director of Communications and Community Engagement
We’ve all driven past road work and seen the many hands it takes to fortify our roadways and infrastructure. However, the work for these jobs doesn’t just start or end there. It takes countless hours of coordination and sharp minds to oversee the life cycle of these projects. That’s where our Project Management Team steps in.
This team is made up of over-achievers who accept nothing but what is considered above and beyond. Eric Lowstuter is a great example of this. Now a member of the team for more than a decade, Eric has made this role his own with the dependability and wisdom he brings to each project.
A typical day for a project manager (PM) consists of juggling a number of duties, including safety assurance, quality on the project, production, overseeing quantities and costs, and much more. Layer on multiple projects where you must maintain those credentials, and you’ve got a substantial challenge.
Jobe Madison, VP of project management, remarked, “PMs are responsible for every single thing that happens on a project from day one to [close-out].” He painted the picture of this process with the analogy, “It takes a whole team – subcontractors, superintendents, foremen, crews – to get a project done, but the quarterback of that process is the project manager. They essentially have to fulfill numerous roles during the life of a project.”
Since the nature of the work is very relational, that is primarily why Eric excels. Those who watch Eric in action can easily see that he takes our core value of relationships to heart. “Eric makes relationships a priority within our family of companies,” shared Jobe. “He has a good rapport with all employees, general contractors, inspectors, and owners, which is such an important quality to have.”
Jobe continued with, “Trust is a big part of relationships. I think Eric has built that trust inside and outside the company. Many coworkers come to him for his opinion and advice.” After working with Eric every day as contract administrator, Maria Bennett shared why she believes Eric has had great success building this trust. “Eric is one of the people that is excited to teach new people new things,” she added, “He looks forward to passing on knowledge and he is quick to point out when someone does something awesome.”
Maria closed with, “Eric takes a lot of pride in what he does.” This pride and desire to help others is displayed off the jobsite, too. His recent endeavors include the coordination of a service project in Yalobusha County, Mississippi that team members will be able to partake in during our annual MLK Day of Service this coming January.
His presence on the jobsite and heart for service to others have made Eric an indispensable asset to our team for 10 years. It is for these reasons that we celebrate him as our next WHO Behind What We Do. Thank you for making this such a great place to work, Eric!
