Q&A with Jim Bradford, Senior Superintendent at Skanska

Building on a solid foundation

By Chris Schmidt

According to Jim Bradford, senior superintendent at Skanska, being a construction superintendent has been extremely rewarding and “it has been a life teacher for me.” An industry veteran with more than 40 years of experience, Bradford says constructing buildings is a lot like building in life. You need to have a solid foundation and need to build a strong structure to hold against life’s challenges like weather (for a building) and financial struggles (in life). Join Construction Superintendent as Bradford shares in this issue why he keeps coming back for more.

(Q) When did you know you wanted to work in construction?

During my junior high and high school years, I liked working with my hands, particularly in woodshop classes. It became clearer in the ensuing years as I went on to repairing and remodeling HUD houses. I then started working with a small commercial builder, and the personal sense of satisfaction this type of work gave me won me over.

(Q) What type of education, certifications and ongoing training have you participated in?

I started attending a carpenter’s trade school at a local community college in my senior year of high school, completing the program after graduation. Later, I took a class on building codes and inspections. I joined the Carpenters Union at 22 and, while I have attended many individual classes and training sessions, the rest of my knowledge has come from being on the job and running the gauntlet at the “University of Hard Knocks.”

(Q) What is your favorite aspect about your career as a superintendent?

The satisfaction that comes with working with my colleagues and friends and building something significant. I love watching a building take form a little more each day until you see the finished product in use, knowing I played a significant role in its completion.

(Q) Looking back over the past four decades, what do you believe is the single-most important advancement in the construction industry and how has that impacted the way you do your job?

I would have to say it is the recognition of and advancement toward an injury-free environment on the construction site. Overall, the construction industry is changing for the better because the emphasis on safety is leading us to conduct more thorough planning on every aspect of a construction project, which allows us to address potential risks in advance.

(Q) What are some things people may not be aware of when building a LEED-certified project?

Many people have done a lot of planning on LEED-certified projects, and that detail should not be viewed lightly. Owners, architects/design teams and contractors strategize point-by-point on a plan to achieve the environmental goals of a particular project. It takes an early recognition of that planning, as well as attention to record-keeping during the project, to ensure the project will reach the desired level of certification.

(Q) What types of training, meetings, etc., do you require your crew to attend on a regular basis?

Our crews must attend a jobsite orientation before starting work on the project, and then again annually for the duration of the project. They must also attend the daily kick-off gathering, a safety meeting once a week, equipment training, fall protection training and hazardous material identification training. All foremen are required to attend additional safety and network-related meetings, including OSHA 30, first aid and CPR, emergency planning and labor management training.

(Q) What is the most memorable project you”ve worked on in your career? What made it memorable?

Virginia Mason’s Jones Pavilion is one, the Sheraton Seattle new tower and renovation is another, but so was building a new front porch for my mother when I was 17. On the two buildings, the execution of the logistics and construction plans were very rewarding, as they were both very tight sites that had to be filled with high-rise structures from property line to property line. But the most memorable part of those projects was building relationships with the people I got to rub shoulders with every day, from the owner and design team to the inspectors, the Skanska team and all the way through the ranks.

(Q) What advice would you give a young Jim, starting in the industry?

Learn the ways to deal with stress that work best for you so you will be able to keep a clear head, because there are a lot of people out there looking to you and depending on you to be a leader, not a manager. Care about people, because they are what matter most. And finally, have a little fun doing what you like doing most—constructing buildings you can be proud of.

(Q) How would your crew describe your supervision style?

“He tells us what he wants and lets us use our talents and experience to get it done, while holding us accountable in the process.”

(Q) To mix it up, what are some funny things you can remember taking place on the jobsite (pranks, odd conditions, etc.)?

Several times, members of the public have ignored our barricades and warning signs and encountered fresh concrete. For example, there was the man who rode his bike around barricades onto our fresh sidewalk and then face-planted after his front wheel dug in to the wet concrete. On another job a driver parked his nice automobile in our entrance drive to the site and left. When he returned, I am sure he wondered how his expensive little car got to where it was in such a confined space, and how he was going to get it out. A crane with good reach is a wonderful tool to have on a job.

(Q) What do you like to do when you”re not on the jobsite?

It is usually pretty lively in our family, with four grown children, four grandchildren and more to come. So family comes first, then helping others both in the industry and outside, friends, church, fine wine and even a little fishing now and again. These are all great distractions from the responsibilities in life.