Member Spotlight: The Great Lakes Construction Company

Name 
Jim Fox

Job Title 
VP Operations

Company Name 
The Great Lakes Construction Co.

Tell us about your company.
We are an Ohio-based Heavy-Civil Contractor. We perform work in many different sectors including transportation, private/industrial, energy, water treatment/wastewater treatment and environmental/Brownfield projects.

What are the favorite part(s) of your job and why? 
I enjoy meeting, hiring and developing employees so they can succeed in their career. It is one of the most rewarding aspects of my job to see young people grow into future leaders in the industry.

What has been the key to your company's success thus far? 
Being an employee-owned company promotes teamwork and collaboration internally.  This culture extends to our owners, subcontractors, suppliers, and union labor partners. Also, our diversification of work in different sectors over the past decade or so has been critical to our success. 

What has been the key to your success? 
Not being afraid to get out of my comfort zone, developing relationships, and always seeking to grow professionally to seize good opportunities.

What important changes/initiatives are you working on now? 
We are currently utilizing new technology to improve information sharing between the field personnel/projects and main office. We have also improved our technology and efficiency in our heavy equipment fleet with the utilization of GPS and I-machines for grade control and Telematics for preventive maintenance.

How has Great Lakes Construction Co. benefitted from its CEA membership? 
Safety Training and involvement with negotiating collective bargaining agreements have improved our relationships with other contractors and the labor unions.  Networking opportunities with other members of CEA have proven to be valuable as well.

What is the importance of mentoring and inclusion? 
We have been proactive for many years in D&I with both public and private owners, most recently with the Opportunity Corridor and MetroHealth Transformation projects. The success we had on both of those specific projects took us to another level as leaders in the industry in NE Ohio.

How does Great Lakes Construction Co. find and retain talent? 
We utilize the union hall and apprenticeships programs for bargaining personnel. College career fairs, referrals and word of mouth are helpful for finding good candidates with Engineering and Construction Management related degrees. We also work closely with the Spanish American Committee and Black Contractors Association (Norm Edwards) specifically for tradespeople so we can sponsor and train these candidates seeking opportunities to join the union. The new infrastructure bill passed at the end of last year will challenge all of us to grow an inclusive workforce.

What would you say to someone at the beginning of their career in construction?  
This is a challenging yet exciting industry where you can interact with great people on different teams and build some really cool projects. To be successful, you need to work hard, communicate well with others, plan your work, and have fun doing it!