A Chat with Kathryn Crowley, Superintendent at JE Dunn Construction Company

Teaching by example

By Chris Maday Schmidt

Kathryn Crowley is superintendent at JE Dunn Construction Company, where she’s responsible for team management during construction. She provides oversight to the team and plans all construction sequencing to meet project goals. Utilizing her expertise of Lean principles, she ensures successful planning, collaboration and project execution throughout the life of the project. Join Construction Superintendent as Crowley shares her passion for the industry, navigating the COVID climate, her role as a safety advocate and more.

(Q) As an active member of several industry-related organizations—including National Association of Women in Construction and Junior League—talk about what your participation involves.

NAWIC Tampa Bay has a monthly meeting where various industry speakers are invited, and we have the opportunity to network about what is going on in the industry and the Tampa Bay area. We also sponsor a scholarship that is dedicated for women going into the construction industry.

(Q) What drew you to pursue a career in a male-dominated industry? Speak to any challenges you’ve encountered along the way.

I wasn’t drawn to the field specifically because it was male-dominated, I just never let that deter me. When I started in the industry after Auburn, at first there were challenges with older trade foreman and workers, but I soon realized that their problems were more due to age rather than gender. While I still have people initially assume I’m an intern, office help or safety lady, once we start discussing site logistics or helping them resolve their issues, I can gain their respect through actions. It’s great to see the industry continue to grow with more women, minorities and young leaders.

(Q) You have your degree in building construction. Can you talk about your decision to head to the field when you graduated?

I always knew I wanted to be in the construction industry and had always planned on being in the field. My first internship freshman year was in the field for the entire summer, and the following two summers were in the office. That solidified my decision to be a field-based superintendent. I enjoy the people interactions, jobsite coordination, managing intricate details for putting the project together and scheduling all the activities. I started in the field with JE Dunn when I relocated to Florida and haven’t looked back.

(Q) How has the current pandemic changed the way you approach each day on the jobsite?

COVID-19 has been and continues to be a dynamic situation. JE Dunn was very proactive and transparent in setting up safety action plans for the jobsites and keeping all employees informed of the leadership teams’ plans, company and industry impacts, and new jobsite protocols to combat this global pandemic. Our CEO, Gordon Lansford, issued a video each day to keep all employees informed. And a homepage on our website for all relevant information was immediately established.

As I had just completed the punch out of my current project when coronavirus started, I was tasked to another jobsite to help them put in place and monitor the COVID-19 safety action plans to keep our employees and their families safe, keep the jobsite open and functioning and to adhere to JE Dunn and city of Tampa guidelines. With great coordination between the trade partners, the JE Dunn safety team and the entire JE Dunn onsite project team, this project (SkyCenter at TIA) has been able to maintain safe working conditions for all people onsite, with no loss production onsite and maintaining our project schedule.

We maintained safe working conditions by screening everyone entering the site through a third-party screener, maintaining social distancing, providing six hand-washing stations, staggering trade start times, requiring face coverings and educating our workers about COVID-19 through 40+ signs installed throughout the site.

(Q) What do you enjoy most about your role as superintendent?

Working with people every day, coordination and scheduling all the site activities to ensure smooth hand offs and efficient production for all trades. I take pride in providing dedicated service and investing in our clients, trades and the community. And I enjoy working with my co-workers; we strive to have fun at work each and every day.

(Q) What type of mentoring do you provide your crews as a safety advocate?

JE Dunn’s safety motto is Everyone. Everywhere. All the Time. “It’s more than a motto, it is part of our culture; it is incumbent upon JE Dunn and it’s trade partners to see it manifested.” On all my projects we post a board with that motto and then the phrase This is WHY – and underneath it all people can post their family photos or photos of friends, dogs or pets, their motorcycles, whatever their reason is to get home safe every day to live their life outside of work. On my last project, we awarded a golden hard hat weekly to someone we saw going above and beyond for safety. On our current project, we have some safety shirts that we hand out at each week’s site toolbox talk for safe workers. Sometimes it’s simple things, such as giving out compliments during site walks to those working well – not only correcting those who are not following proper procedures. Or taking a bag of candy around and rewarding people who simply always wear their proper PPE.

(Q) Of the projects you’ve worked on in the commercial market, talk about the one that stands out as the most challenging or rewarding. What made it that way?

I relocated to the Tampa Bay area in 2015 for a very challenging hospital project. I completed an eight-phased renovation in the sterile processing department, which had to remain active, sterile and functioning throughout the entire construction process. We also built a new six-story bed tower that included 22 ORs, a new neonatal intensive care unit, post-anesthesia care unit and labor, delivery, recovery, postpartum suites, while tying into the active hospital on three sides. Tight schedule, new trade partners and changing design were also challenges that we overcame to produce a beautiful and significantly upgraded facility for the staff and community. It was very rewarding not only to successfully complete, but also to hear comments from people whose friends and families have used the facility and were very impressed with it.

(Q) In a perfect world, what do you envision your career path to look like in five, 10 and 15 years from now?

Currently in my career I’ve completed a couple of hospital projects, a couple of school projects and I intend to continue to expand my range with working on different types of projects – high-rises, technical and manufacturing, potentially aviation and data center – whatever the Tampa office needs are. I will continue to grow in my role as a superintendent, while also assisting in the growth of the Tampa office.

(Q) Who has been the biggest role model and/or mentor who’s helped inform your journey in the industry? Share any words of wisdom that stuck.

Trying to pinpoint one person is very difficult – working with different people on different teams, you take the best of those people to create your own leadership and management style. My parents were both in the industry and they set me up for success by always encouraging me to push boundaries and supporting my tenacity. Currently out of the Tampa office, Jake Nellis, our office leader, and general superintendent Chris Newton are exceptional mentors for our entire office, including myself. They are always pushing us to raise our standards and create new ways to enhance the client experience. Jake posted a graphic at a project once that showed a boss is someone sitting in a chair pointing while getting pulled by their team, and a leader is pulling the rope with them. That’s an image that remains stuck in my head.

(Q) What management and/or planning tool would you be lost without? Why?

I constantly have P6 (our scheduling software) open on the desktop and update frequently with new information. After every last planner pull plan, all the information that I get from the trades’ last planner or their foreman is input into the schedule and sent to all team members to ensure that everyone is always looking at the latest and greatest schedule.

(Q) Share your top three tips for aspiring superintendents wanting to get a foot in the door.

1. For those coming out of school – internships are critical!
2. Listen, listen, listen some more, then ask questions.
3. Be confident but stay humble and smart.

(Q) Where can Construction Superintendent readers find you when you’re off the clock? Anything else you’d like to share about yourself?

Gardening, currently planting okra and beans, still able to harvest my fall tomatoes, kale and hot peppers and looking forward to a plethora of sweet potatoes in the fall. Lounging at the beach, kayaking in the mangroves and taking out boats to sandbars with my friends here in Tampa. Hopping around the various breweries in St Pete. And completing various house renovations and projects around my little yellow house.