Tell us about your Lithko career journey. What is your current role and how did you get there?
I started at Lithko my Junior year of college as an intern after meeting a few Project Coordinators and Estimators at the East Carolina career fair. I began working as a laborer before the internship began and I worked through my senior year of college even when the summer internship was over. My first project was Gaddy Residential in Raleigh and my work tasks were basic. I stacked lumber and plywood while removing nails. I cleaned Meva Lite formwork to be stacked and moved with the forklift.
I have military experience, which has made my transition to construction very easy. I learn tasks quickly and I am teachable. After a few days of housekeeping around the jobsite, I began different tasks such as laying wire mesh and poly in preparation for a slab on grade pour. I learned from the field engineer how to set up the laser using a benchmark for excavation. Additionally, I was the rod man for the operator. I assisted the field engineer with footing layout and snapping chalk lines so carpenters would know where to set the forms.
My current role is a Project Engineer. My role as continued to evolve due to my eagerness to succeed everyday and I am willing to do any task needed to make the project successful. I have worked with carpenter, footing , column , wall, and finisher crews. I wanted to ensure I had experience with everything we do in the field and it has gotten me where I am today.
Tell us about your family, people in your life that support you.
I am married and we have a 5 year told who will be starting school soon. My father owns a dump truck company and he works around the Triad area. Prior to Lithko, I drove for him. My mother works at Wake Med Hospital as a CAN and has been there for over 15 years. My sister graduated from East Carolina and lives in Clayton, NC. She works at Nova Nordisk in the Quality Assurance department, where Lithko has recently done some work.
Tell us about your Lithko family.
Since I have been at Lithko, I have worked with many project coordinators, project leads, and a couple of field engineers. Lithko sets a high standard of expectation for any individual in a leadership role. I found with all the Lithko leaders I have worked with, I immediately can tell Lithko is in their blood. The work we do is hard and it takes an individual with residence to be good at what we do. I have worked a lot with Justin Stancill, Gilberto Gonzalez, Edwin Calzada, Billy Amos, Robert Lippitt, Sam Trevathan, Adam Reil, Justin Biondi, Dalton List, and James Mcmillian. At the office we are like a big family lead by Will Zeren and he does a great job motivating and supporting all members of the Lithko Raleigh Burg team. All the operations leads at our burg are knowledgeable and approachable. They take the time to teach and welcome feedback and questions. Jon Simmons is my favorite professional at the Raleigh burg. I can have a conversation about anything concrete related with him and he always explains why.
