Q: What does this job and working at this company mean to you?
A: This job is my life, my home. It’s where I live. It’s who I am. I’m 50 years old. I’ve worked for the Corrados for 23 years. I’ve grown with the family and the company. I make a good living, provide for my kids. Every day I’m challenged in different ways. When I get off work, I leave the site knowing I’ve contributed to the progress of the job.
Q: Career Path
A: I started out as a laborer, learning how to set up lasers for grades and how to install pipework. Once I started operating equipment, I learned what each piece of equipment was capable of doing. In time, I started running my own jobs – small ones at first. Now I can run any size project no matter the size, challenges or schedule.
Q: What are the requirements and skills needed for your job?
A: You need to have common sense in this position. As a foreman, you need to be willing to learn and willing to work. You have to be open-minded. Someone may have a better idea. Don’t shut them out because you have more experience. To oversee a site project, you need to know about equipment, have basic math skills, be able to calculate percentages. I visualize the work that needs to be done each day and what it should look like when my crew completes it. Setting daily goals helps me stay on track and keep my crew moving.
Q: What day a Foreman’s day look like?
A: As soon as a project is awarded, I talk through the job with the Project Manager so that I understand what is needed to ensure the job goes smoothly. I oversee the day to day operations of the project, making sure the crew understands what needs to be done each day and how to do it safely, ordering materials and supplies, meeting with clients, and keeping a daily log of work completed, issues that arose and quantities of materials delivered and installed.
Most importantly, as a Foreman, you lead your men. You take responsibility for whatever happens on that site, whatever your men do. Regardless of where I am on the site, it’s my job to make sure my crew understands what needs to be done that day and that they’re doing it safely.