A Chat with Mike Poole, Superintendent at Barton Malow

Maintaining momentum & managing the worker shortage

By Chris Maday Schmidt

Superintendent Mike Poole boasts 54 years in the construction industry. He began as a laborer, became a carpenter and moved up to superintendent where he’s served in this capacity for the last 30 years—the past 16 at Barton Malow. Join Construction Superintendent as Poole talks about the most valuable tools he works with on a daily basis, the best advice he’s ever received and the biggest change he’s seen since beginning his career more than five decades ago.

(Q) With your background working on stadium expansions, what types of unique challenges have you experienced? Is there a common problem/theme with those projects that you seem to run into?

Each project has its own set of unique challenges that superintendents face on the day-to-day level. The stadium expansions I’ve worked on have one thing in common, working in a live environment. This means we have to be extra conscious of our actions months in advance because, come September, football will be played. Planning ahead and coordinating with the operations staff, public safety, owner’s construction representatives and our staff means safety for fans, concert-goers, stadium support staff and ourselves. I’ve been on three Barton Malow stadium expansion projects, and we’ve accommodated between 8-9 million fans through the turnstiles without incident.

Another challenge with an active environment is trying to maintain momentum. Barton Malow projects like Campus Crossroads at the University of Notre Dame, the University of Michigan’s Stadium and Michigan State’s Stadium stop—and restart—during the season. We shut down Thursday afternoon before the game and clean up the facilities and turn the stadium over to the owner.  When Monday rolls around, we restart construction. As a superintendent, that means I have to make sure our team stays on the ball and doesn’t lose sight of the goal. The end date never changes no matter how many games or graduations occur.

(Q) Talk a bit about your involvement with the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners Local 558.

I joined the United Brotherhood of Carpenters in 1975. Though I am not as active in the organization as I was in the past, I still pay my dues and ensure I’m up to date on my local’s happenings. I think the union apprenticeship gives young people a good understanding of construction. The union also offers training in being a foreman/superintendent. I always recommend potential superintendents finish their apprenticeship, because other tradespeople have a sense of confidence in superintendents who have construction experience.

(Q) Do you have any go-to tools to assist you as you plan, implement and sequence construction operations to minimize disruption to district operations?

I’ve learned through five decades in construction the most valuable tools we have is the people we work with. I make sure I’m in communication with my team. I rely on their skills to take a project to the next level. This is especially important in the planning and preproduction phases of a project. If the project is set up properly it will run smoothly. The team needs to know what has to be done, who’s going to do it and when it is due.

I’m also an early adopter of new technology. I bought my first computer in 1985 and learned how to use a spreadsheet. I set up a payroll program for my dad’s construction company and have never stopped trying new technology, cell phone in the truck in 1984, laser on the flat work crew in 1986 and now we are flying the job with drones and using a laser point cloud to calculate the depth of shotcrete.

(Q) In addition to the training you’ve received on OSHA, concrete technology and hazardous waste, are there other learning opportunities that you’ve added to your portfolio?

I obviously renew my OSHA certification every 3-5 years but, outside of that, a lot of what I learn is technology and business-practice related. Barton Malow also provides an unparalleled amount of learning opportunities for its employees. We also have people who like to help me learn new things. Patrick Laninger, Andrew Held and Jennifer Younes amongst others have helped me become proficient on Bluebeam’s Revu, shown me how to navigate One Note, set up Microsoft Teams for me to share information with other projects and shown me how to use PlanGrid. There are simply just so many intelligent people at Barton Malow especially in our technology department who are open to sharing their knowledge with others.

(My favorite technology tool is Bluebeam. It has changed the industry. Looking at drawings, tracking progress and making updates have never been easier.)

(Q) What is the best advice you’ve received throughout your work in the industry, and what advice would you give to up-and-coming superintendents?

The best advice I’ve ever gotten was from a superintendent I worked with when I was just 17 years old: “A good sup’ is one who knows how to fix his or her mistakes.” I took that message to heart, and throughout my career I’ve made sure to learn from mistakes big and small. The experience has given me an adaptive mindset, and it’s something I make sure to share with up-and-coming superintendents. Don’t be afraid of mistakes! You will make them. What’s important is how you address and correct them.

(Q) What is the biggest change you’ve experienced since you began your journey more than five decades ago?

The way we communicate. When I first started, the fastest way to get in contact with others was through a payphone outside of the trailer. In the 80s, fax machines and the introduction of personal computers were huge advancements. Now, in 2018, every bit of information that is essential is in a small device in my pocket.

(Q) Has the worker shortage affected your role as superintendent? If yes, what solution(s) have you relied on to overcome this challenge?

2008-13 presented people in the trades a difficult choice: struggle in the trades or find other work. Unfortunately, there is no way for us to predict and eliminate the vagaries of the market, and a lot of the workforce left during the recession to find more stable careers. As the market has turned around since 2014 or so, we’ve seen a huge demand for construction services, which puts us in a tight spot. We have difficulty finding new people. It’s definitely impacted how we get work done. We’ve had to reach out to young people to let them know that there are opportunities in construction. If they take us up on the offer, they will do 3-4 years of apprenticeship and end up with a job that pays well and leaves them with no college debt. Our other option is to bring people from other parts of the country. This gets us over a temporary shortage of skilled tradespeople but is not a long-term solution.

Barton Malow saw this problem developing and has been in the lead in finding solutions. We’re actively encouraging young men and women of all backgrounds to learn about the trades. Whether we work with technical schools, do community outreach or sponsor workforce events, we are trying to help rebuild the workforce in Southeast Michigan and elsewhere.

(Q) How do you ensure your crews stay safe on the job?

Safety has evolved so much during my time in the industry. For context, I began my career five years before OSHA even started. The most important thing I’ve come to realize about safety is the importance of integrating it into every part of your system. Doing that ensures team members buy into safety naturally, as opposed to forcing it. Making safety a focal point on every project, be it morning stretches, weekly safety updates, training courses, etc., we’ve taken a bottom-up approach. It’s paying off, too. I’ve had workers who have worked on other projects tell me they’re glad to be back with Barton Malow since they know the environment is safer.

(Q) Some of your training involves hazardous waste—can you speak to how that has been included on your projects?

We as an industry are definitely more aware of hazardous materials than we were when I first started. I’ve had hazmat training and worked on a superfund site mitigating the low-level radioactive material. I’ve had training on asbestos and lead hazards. These are common hazards on projects that involve remodeling and reworking existing structures. I always look at the environmental reports on the remodel jobs and am vigilant as we move through demo for the missed hazard.

(Q) What does Barton Malow do to train younger workers in the field?

Short answer: A lot. Barton Malow does trainings for everything. For job-specific tasks, we train people on technology, machinery, safety procedures and more. The company features a broad training program for project engineers and project managers to ensure they know how to put practice into action. Barton Malow has done a great deal in developing education resources, especially over the past half-decade. Whether it’s a company-wide book club, the use of Lynda’s wide database of education materials, onsite training courses, one-on-one meetings and more, it’s clear that Barton Malow is investing in the future of its employees.

(Q) What is your favorite pastime to engage in when you’re not on the jobsite?

I enjoy classical music and the opera. My first opera this season will be Puccini’s La Boheme at the Lyric in Chicago [Illinois]. Aside from that, even though my sons are scattered across the country (California, Grand Rapids and New York), I always enjoy seeing them when I get the chance.