Job Talk: Project superintendent, John S. Clark Co.
Job Talk: Project superintendent, John S. Clark Co.
NAME/AGE: Jason Kepley, 32
TITLE/OCCUPATION: Project superintendent/construction supervisor
EMPLOYER: John S. Clark Co.
YEARS IN INDUSTRY: 14
SALARY RANGE: $50,000 to $90,000
What does your job entail?"My key job is to manage an overall project, including safety, our subcontractors, quality control, equipment and materials, and the project budget and scheduling. Of course, safety comes first."
Kepley also pays close attention to the subcontractors, "making sure the subs are providing what the owner is paying us to deliver."
And, Kepley participates in end-of-the-job evaluations on the subcontractors' and vendors' performance with the construction company's project manager and human resources director.
Most recently, Kepley has been one of two project superintendents at One Park Vista in downtown Winston-Salem, a 10-story, 32-unit condominium slated for completion in July. There have been about 10 John S. Clark employees at this construction site for the past two years, plus about 120 subcontractor workers.How did you become involved in this line of work?"My grandfather and my father were in construction. My father is still a construction superintendent for another company. It's what I grew up doing," says Kepley, a Salisbury native. "When I was small I'd go out with my father on residential jobs. I just knew it was what I wanted to do at an early age."
What training or education is required?"You need to be able to understand a project and how it's built. You have to be able to read the blueprints. Then the biggest thing is knowing how it goes together and the order of how it goes together. You also need to be able to fix things when they go wrong. No job is perfect. There are always going to be problems. Every day, you learn something new."
GTCC offers a two-year associate degree in construction management technology, according to Shanna Chastain, division chairwoman of Industrial, Construction and Engineering Technologies. For someone new to the construction field, that would be a good route to take, and then work for a few years as an assistant construction superintendent to get on-the-job training, Kepley advises.
What does it take to do your job successfully?"You have to be organized and aggressive. You need to be a go-getter who tackles problems head-on when you have a problem that deviates from the plan. This job requires a lot of thinking on your feet. And you cannot procrastinate because that affects the job overall." Kepley uses a laptop computer constantly for updating construction schedules and creating work lists. Good communication is also key; Clark's employees use two-way radios to stay in touch.
What's most challenging about your job?"Maintaining schedules, keeping everything on track and dealing with variables like the weather and subcontractors' performance."
What is most rewarding?"Seeing the finished product and knowing when you walk away from it that you were a part of building that. The first time it really clicked in my mind was when we were riding by a project and my daughter said to a friend, 'You know, my daddy built that building.'"
Any advice for someone interested?"It's a rewarding job. You know you're a part of it and no one can take it away from you. You have to be able to handle adversity and work with different personalities. You need to know how to treat each person you work with. But it's a great job and I wouldn't do anything different."
Have an idea for Job Talk? Contact Patrick Collins at 412-5934 or pcollins@news-record.com.
Jason Kepley is at work on a project in Winston-Salem.
