A Chat with Greg Hellem, Superintendent at Forté Specialty Contractors

By Chris Schmidt

A more than 30-year construction industry veteran, Greg Hellem recently joined Forté Specialty Contractors as superintendent. In this position, Hellem is responsible for providing leadership and supervision to the onsite staff. His first project with Forté has been working on Wynn’s newest nightclub, Intrigue, in Las Vegas, Nevada. He is accountable for assisting the project scheduling managers in developing and refining the project schedule—as well as the planning and review of the construction program—including quality control procedures and safety and security practices. Hellem discusses his transition from teacher in a school to teacher on the jobsite and his background working on entertainment venues.

(Q) You began your career in education and transitioned into construction—do you feel your experience as a junior high school teacher has benefited you in the industry, specifically as a superintendent and, if so, how?

Yes, patience being the biggest benefit. Both as a teacher and a superintendent, if you are not patient in listening, watching and directing your students or colleagues, you will not be able to execute your job effectively. Being an educator helped me to hone in on my creative and critical thinking skills, ultimately allowing me to find faster and more efficient ways to complete projects on time and on budget.

(Q) Your background includes working on top hotels and shopping destinations in Vegas, as well as a museum, junior high school and medical office building. Which type of project do you prefer, and why?

With all the projects that I have done in Vegas, I prefer hotel theaters and concert venues. These projects provide a lot of challenges because of the extremely detailed components that go into them. Projects of this size and scale require an enormous amount of coordination and time management to ensure the project remains on track.

(Q) As a superintendent, what would you say is your biggest strength and your biggest weakness?

My biggest strength is being able to communicate well and get along with different personalities types, which is beneficial because I interact with so many different people on each jobsite. My biggest weakness, as I have been told, is that I can sometimes be too nice.

(Q) Talk a little about your most challenging or demanding construction project and how you overcame the challenge.

The most challenging project and, probably the most rewarding as well, would be The LINQ Hotel and Casino. I had a lot on my plate managing some underground utilities, the central plant, the wheel building, the observation wheel, the building facades, parking lots and landscaping. It was a very demanding project, which included many long days and weekends. I am very thankful for the support from my coworkers and subcontractors, as well as the patience and support from my family and friends.

(Q) What are some of the bigger challenges working with casinos?

One of the biggest challenges working with casinos would be the tight timeframe in which they require the jobs to be done. Design changes and incomplete drawings often complicate the process further and can cause a significant slowdown. Since we aim to have the hotel as close to fully functional as possible, it is also a challenge making sure the hotel guests are not inconvenienced by our work during their stay.

(Q) Considering you have been involved on some unique specialty projects, is there one that stands out?

The LINQ Hotel and Casino is also one of the most unique projects that I have worked on. I was responsible for the observation wheel and determining how it was all going to fit together was extremely challenging but also very exhilarating. The way the wheel was assembled was unique and methodically orchestrated. When putting the wheel together, it was one piece at a time. We had the biggest crawler crane in Las Vegas on the job, which easily reached more than 250-feet high. Putting the rim together where the cabins attach was very critical during assembly. One by one, a section would be brought in under the structure, pulled up by the crane and then set it in place. Two cables would be installed, the section would be pushed forward, and then we would get another section and do it all over again. At the north end of the wheel platform we had a brake system that would hold the wheel in place as sections were installed one at a time. This is also one of the most unique projects because it is the tallest and only the third observation wheel of its kind in the world. So far, this has been the pinnacle of my career.

(Q) Share any new or recent technologies you are using on projects.

iPads have greatly revolutionized the way that we can read, adapt and evaluate plans for any project, no matter the location. It makes our job easier because it combines all of the documents and materials we would typically need onsite into one device and is especially beneficial if you don’t have a job trailer.

(Q) Is theft of materials or tools on jobsites prevalent? What have you done as far as theft prevention?

Fortunately, on the last few jobs that I have worked on, the theft has been minimal. Our employees know that we take theft prevention seriously and it is usually one of the first things we go over at the initial job kick-off meeting. Most of the casinos have cameras onsite, which could aid us in finding the culprits if there was ever an issue.

(Q) What is the most rewarding part of your career as a superintendent?

The most rewarding part of any project is when the project is completed and you get to see the finished product.

(Q) Any advice for future superintendents just starting out in the industry?

Be patient and listen to the people around you. Make sure you manage your time wisely and get to know all the details of the job; if you don’t know something, don’t be afraid to ask for help.

(Q) When you are not working, what are you doing?  

During my time off you can usually find me golfing, barbecuing and spending quality time with my family. I also enjoy going on vacations when I have longer amounts of downtime.