A Chat with Tom Arrington, General Superintendent at JE Dunn Construction

Respect, retention and doing it right the first time

By Chris Maday Schmidt

Tom Arrington serves as general superintendent – JE Dunn Construction – East Region. He has a wide variety of project experience, with a focus on large-scale, complicated projects. His market sector expertise includes commercial, educational, mission critical and advanced manufacturing. A 39-year veteran of the construction industry, Arrington has been with JE Dunn for more than a decade. He earned his Bachelor of Science in Building Construction from the Georgia Institute of Technology and is OSHA 30-hour and CPR trained. Join Construction Superintendent as Arrington shares his past experience, along with today’s challenges as a superintendent and his vision for the future of the industry.

(Q) You have a variety of experience in different types of projects — do you have a building type you favor — why?

For me, any building that comes out of the ground is fun. I’ve been involved with all types of projects—lock and dam, schools, condominiums, convention centers, data centers, advanced manufacturing plants, performing arts centers — it’s all construction. In terms of concrete or steel projects, I love them both. Concrete, however, is a little more forgiving. You’re building it onsite and can make adjustments, within reason. Steel construction is faster but there’s no adjusting steel, it’s either going to fit or it’s not.  If it doesn’t fit, then you have to stop to make modifications.

(Q) You have been on a lot of classified mission critical projects. Can you speak to how that can affect the schedule, as well as the building process and working with subs?

Mission critical work is all about the schedule. As quickly as we can build it, the client wants it. An additional challenge for mission critical projects is to accommodate the continuous advances in equipment technology and systems. From the time a project is started to the time it comes online, the technology may have advanced two or three generations. This can affect projects in progress. On a recent job, the facility’s initial mechanical system was completely redesigned and incorporated into the project as we were building the structure. We had to adapt. The rapid evolution of technology also requires mission critical buildings to have the built-in flexibility to accommodate future changes.

(Q) What’s your take on the younger, new-generation workforce? What types of training would you recommend for up–and-coming superintendents?

With the new generation, there seems to be no middle ground. They’re either really good or they’re bad. The good ones have a strong work ethic and come in wanting to prove themselves, wanting to set the world on fire. Two and a half years ago, we had a young man who had already been with us for a number of years that we saw a lot of potential in. We put him in charge of a large section of a job that would normally be overseen by a superintendent, and he performed very well. The cream rises to the top.

But so many kids today don’t have that work ethic. You hire them, and they want to be running the project in six months without putting in the time to learn the trade and understand how things work.

It takes time for new hires to start contributing and pulling their own weight. JE Dunn puts a lot of time and effort into recruiting properly and selecting the right people. We also spend generously on training so the process becomes quite an investment. The projects we’re seeing today are increasingly more complex. The mechanical and electrical systems are more complicated requiring a higher degree of knowledge and training. We’re looking for people with that background and with the right attitude.

(Q) With 39 years of industry experience under your tool belt, share a little about today’s challenges as a superintendent and how you foresee the industry in the next 10-15 years.

The industry’s biggest challenge is the skilled labor shortage. When the economy turned down in 2008, a lot of people left the industry and didn’t come back. They found other work and that’s where they stayed. The workforce is older. We don’t see young people coming into the trades like they used to. Some don’t want to work as a laborer for $17-$18 an hour when they can go to McDonald’s and work in air conditioning for $12-$14 an hour. The workers that are coming in today are not as qualified as they were 40 years ago. As a society, we’ve preached “go to college, go to college.” But there are jobs out there—good paying jobs as a plumber, electrician or carpenter—that don’t require a college degree. Workers in these fields who are good and who are willing to work hard can make six figures. As an industry, we have to change and evolve. We’re looking more toward prefabrication to overcome the labor shortage. As we do hire, we’re putting greater emphasis on retention.

(Q) Talk about your most memorable project over the course of your career. What makes it stand out?

I can honestly say that I’ve enjoyed every project I’ve worked on. There are three projects that I consider “most memorable.”

I was a two-years-out-of-college engineer when the company I worked for built an entire university from the ground up in the middle of the desert—King Saud University, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. It was 12 million square feet of engineering and science buildings, a dentistry building, an auditorium, student center, administration building and pedestrian connectors. I went over expecting to spend two years, and stayed for almost four, through closeout. I was given a lot more responsibility and authority than my age dictated. Because of the nature of the work, our employment package included ample vacation time and round-trip air fare home, so I was able to travel and see the world. For a 20-something year old, it was a fantastic experience.

The Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre in Cobb County, Georgia is memorable for its complexity. We planned extensively, worked our plan and finished on-time and under budget—that’s rare for a performing arts center. There were so many intricacies—not a straight line in the place. The theater walls were splayed out from the stage. The balconies were curved and variously sloped. Of course, acoustics were paramount, especially considering the building is in the flight path of an air force base. The architects were upfront about the standards we were to uphold, and we met their standard. Our working relationship with the owner and architects was refreshing.

The third project, Drew Charter Senior Academy in Atlanta, was constructed on an existing 18-hole golf course, which was built in 1920s. This created a number of soil and foundation issues. More importantly, the main classroom building, a concrete structure, was built on a 525 radius, so the whole structure curved and it had curtainwalls on both the long north and south elevations. But, not only did the building curve, it also sloped. The building was a tight three stories in the west end and the roof line sloped up to four stories on the east end. So, we had to think in three dimensions as we were planning and laying out the structure, partitions and walls, as well as patterns in the floor tile. Despite the unique challenges, it is an amazing structure and a beautiful school.

(Q) What type(s) of technology and/or social media do you employ on your job as a regular practice? How has this changed the way you do business compared to when you began in the industry?

I personally don’t use social media. I have a LinkedIn account—that’s it. On projects, however, technology is an integral part of our being accurate, efficient and cost effective.

We use Building Information Modeling extensively, to make sure everything is going to fit. If we’re having trouble finding the skilled labor to perform work in the first place, we damn sure don’t have time to go back and fix things. Another tool that’s making a great impact is the iPad. For many years, we had drawings onsite. Then we went to kiosks, where we put computers and screens onsite and maintained the most updated drawings there. iPads have now overtaken the kiosks. We have all the drawings and documents (specs, submittals, RFIs, etc.) on a project dashboard that everyone on the project can access using their iPads, which more and more of our trade partners are carrying around. In addition, many tasks, especially RFIs and submittals, are now handled and processed electronically.

Personally, I have a love-hate relationship with the technology. For some things, paper documents still work best for me. I understand that computers and other devices can handle these tasks—and the young people are doing a good job of using them. However, I regret that we don’t have as much personal interaction anymore. In cases where young people say, “I sent you a text or an email,” my generation picked up the phone, exchanged pleasantries and established rapport. You could hear in a person’s tone if they didn’t understand something, and you talked it through—resolved everything in five minutes, versus five emails.

(Q) Have you seen electronic distractions (personal devices) from your crews on jobsites? If yes, how do you handle it?

Yes, it’s a growing problem.

Everybody has a smart phone, for example. On the positive side, smart phones on the jobsite have improved communications. I can take a picture, email it to an engineer, call him immediately and talk through it. That’s a huge time saver. Or, say we’re pouring concrete: I can pull up the radar, track an approaching storm and make a quick decision. So, in many ways, electronics are making us more efficient, more productive.

They can also be a distraction. You don’t know if a worker is using the phone to have a casual conversation with his significant other, to make social plans, to check the weather or to get football scores. It gets abused. When I discover workers using it inappropriately, I ask them to put it away, and stress that we’re paying them to work. The distractions can also become a safety issue affecting the entire jobsite.

That said, you also want to treat workers with respect. They may need to check on a sick child or a pregnant wife. We address the electronics issues during project orientation, emphasizing that it’s important that we pay attention to what we’re doing.

(Q) What is your take on using drones for projects?

I think they’re fantastic. Instead of sending up an airplane or a helicopter to get a monthly overhead photo, drones can take jobsite photos every day, increasing our capability to track work and conduct inspections in greater detail. You can fly a drone up and get within three or four feet of a spot. There are some issues to be worked through—FAA regulations, liability issues and owners’ consent, for example. But as drones evolve and the issues are resolved, they’re going to be used more and more.

(Q) The skilled labor shortage continues to be a hot topic. Have you experienced the effects and, if yes, what do you think it will take to combat the shortage?

The skilled labor shortage is making it increasingly difficult to find the highly trained crafts people needed to keep up with demand. I don’t know how we’re going to solve it, but it’s going to take a concerted effort. As a society, I believe we should recognize that not everybody needs to go to college. There are lots of college graduates that are not happy. Some are deep in debt and can’t find a job in their chosen field. If we had successfully persuaded more of these young people to pursue apprenticeships and other skills training, they would be well on their way to becoming journeymen electricians, sheet metal workers, pipefitters… any number of trades. I am personally trying to address the labor shortage by doing my best to offer guidance and opportunities to young people to help them learn and grow.

(Q) Have you been involved in mentoring? If so, what are the challenges/benefits of being a mentor?

I like working with young people and have mentored them formally and informally. I live vicariously through them—they keep me young. I enjoy seeing them gain confidence and come into their own. When they finally do understand something, the light bulb does literally go off. Being an effective mentor, I believe, requires not just sharing your experiences and expertise, but also taking the time to talk to the protégés and to listen. In some cases, it may mean taking the time to gain their trust.

(Q) What is the best piece of advice you’ve received in your career? How has it impacted the way you do your job?

The advice is: If you don’t have the time to do it right the first time, where will you find the time to redo it? It’s true that when you cut corners, it’s going to show. Just go ahead and do it right the first time. It’s a lot easier and way faster.

(Q) Are there any associations you belong to or that you find helpful to superintendents? If yes, share a little about your experience.

These days, I have limited time to participate in industry groups or associations, so I stay involved primarily through LinkedIn. I confess that I’m more of a lurker than a contributor—I rarely participate in discussions. However, I find LinkedIn very useful for staying abreast of industry trends and the views of industry leaders and influencers.

(Q) How do you like to spend your time off the jobsite?

I love to travel, which started with the overseas job.  My wife and I have started to work on our bucket list of places to visit. I also like to bird hunt and clay target shoot. Unfortunately, it keeps getting harder and harder to find places to hunt. I find I’ve got less free time now than I used to. Working in California in the late 80s, I worked probably 45 hours a week. Now, with the demands on schedules, we’re working 60- and 70-hour weeks trying to meet our commitments. I’m at a point in my career where I don’t have to work. But, I’m having fun. I enjoy working with young people and participating in their career development and excitement.