My Love Letter to the Construction Industry

I started Building PPL selfishly.

At the end of 2019, we had some personal things going on at home, and I needed to be more available for my family. That was not really a thing at the time, so starting a business became the path forward.

That, however, is not why I stayed in it. I stayed because I love this industry and I love the realness of the people in construction.

Say what you will, but there is a warmth in this industry (although most won’t call it that) that I love getting to witness over and over again. I love the fact that people can give each other shit and, in the very next moment, you know they would give you the shirt off their back in a heartbeat. And I love the honesty. It’s gritty, direct, practical and human.

But here’s the part I love the most. The longer I work in this industry, the more I am struck by how incredibly brilliant and smart construction professionals are and am consistently SHOCKED at how often they do not see it in themselves.

This isn’t going to surprise anyone in this industry because we’ve all heard statements like this:

• “Oh, I’m just a superintendent.”
• “Oh, I don’t know anything.”
• “Oh, I just came up through the field.”
• “Oh, I just have my GED.”
• “Oh, I just know how to build.”

But after they say these statements I watch those same people make decisions every day that are wildly impressive. Coordinating impossible timelines. Managing pressure from every direction. Solving problems in real time. Leading large teams. These same folks carry information in their heads that most people could not begin to organize on paper and still, so many of them downplay what they know.

So here are my wants for every one of you reading this:

• I want you to see the brilliance that already exists inside you company.
• I want anyone who says, “I’m just…” to realize you’re not “just” anything. You are capable. You are experienced. You are smart. You are leading already, even if no one has ever given you the title, the training, or the language to fully own it.
• AND I want organizations to have the tools and support they need to make that growth successful.

In construction, people are promoted all the time because they are good at the work.

• Someone is a great carpenter, so they become a foreman.
• Someone is a strong project manager, so they become a project executive.
• Someone is reliable, so they get more responsibility.
• Someone knows how to get things done, so they become the person everyone turns to.

Here’s the kicker we all know though… Being good at the work and knowing how to lead people through the work are not the same thing. I’ve seen firsthand that construction is a team sport so we shouldn’t be expected to figure it out alone.

That is where I think we can do better as an industry.

1. We can be more intentional.
2. We can build clearer paths.
3. We can stop assuming that people will just “pick it up” because someone else did.
4. We can give people the skills to truly own their ability to grow into whatever they want their role and career to be.
5. We can help companies stop looking only outside their walls for talent and start seeing the people who are already there. The ones that, with the right development, could become the future of the business.

I also have such a soft spot for the HR and operations people in this industry. So many of them are the one-woman (or man, but usually it’s a woman) band inside their organization, trying to do a million things with very little support. They are trying to onboard people, solve people problems, support leaders, build culture, handle compliance, coordinate training, and somehow be strategic while also putting out fires all day.

They often do not have a mentor or a department. They often do not have someone they can turn to and say, “Can I just talk this through for a minute?” If I’m being selfish again, I want Building PPL to be that sounding board. I want us to be the partner that helps make the small piece of the pie they are responsible for actually work for their organization.

That is why this work matters to me.

Construction companies don’t need more generic training or another workshop for the sake of a workshop.

This industry is full of untapped potential, it is full of people who are already experts AND it is full of leaders who are learning as they go. It is full of companies that care deeply about their people, but do not always have the time, capacity, or tools to develop them the way they want to.

So because this is my love letter to the construction industry, here are some of my beliefs to make me love it even more:

• I believe that when we build better people systems, we build better companies.
• When we create intentional onboarding, people get up to speed faster.
• When we create career paths, people can see a future.
• When we train managers, teams communicate better.
• When we support field leaders, projects run stronger.
• When we invest in people, businesses become more sustainable.
• And when people feel confident in their own expertise, the whole industry gets better.

So cheers to all of you grumpy, but soft at heart individuals who make up an entire industry of brilliant experts.

To the people who build the places where the rest of us live, work, learn, heal, gather, and grow. To the people who are brilliant and humble, tough and generous, direct and deeply loyal. To the people who say, “I’m just…” when they are anything but. To the leaders trying to grow companies while wearing more hats than anyone realizes. To the HR professionals, operations leaders, project executives, superintendents, foremen, project managers, and rising leaders who are doing the best they can while carrying so much responsibility.

I see you and I believe you are more capable than you may ever think possible. My promise to you is this. I’ll keep cheering you on from the sidelines, or in the arena if you’ll let me, as long as you keep putting on your boots every morning.

Lastly, Thank you. I am grateful every day that Building PPL gets to play even a small part in helping this industry recognize, develop, and celebrate the brilliance that has been here all along.

Now go get back to complaining about that latest change order that just came through…