Throughout the month of August, I Build America – Ohio is celebrating the role of family in the construction industry. In the world of construction, “family” means a lot of things. In some cases, there are multiple family members working together: mothers and sons, fathers and daughters, uncles and nephews working side by side. In other crews, the impact of family comes from working for a family-owned company. And, in other cases, a new family is formed through the bonds of working with a great team. One of the biggest drivers of new individuals to the construction industry is influence from a respected family member or friend, and we’re here to help share the stories of what family looks like in construction.
Name: Joe Brown
Company: Beaver Excavating
Title/Position: Project Manager
Years Working in Construction: 8
In what ways do you see “family” show up in construction?
D
uring my early years in construction I was always grinding and putting in the extra effort. In the past two years I have grown into a parent in two separate ways which have made me a better manager in construction and at home.
When my God daughter was born with special needs it really put into perspective what personal struggles people go through at home and also I now have a new daughter of my own.
I now value my time at home with much more importance than ever before. Relating this to construction it puts a different perspective on managing people at the project level who may be going through their own struggles at home which may affect their performance.
Learning to give these people space and allowing them to balance their time on site and at home really allows for them to succeed and be happy.
These last two years have really made me understand how important the time you spend at home makes the time out in the field most productive and successful.
