Q: What is your job title with Sargent, and what are your core responsibilities?
A: Safety Manager (Mid-Atlantic). I am currently providing safety oversight on Data Center projects, ensuring we are setting the bar for safety. Our goal is to build off Sargent’s reputation, increasing efficiency and production through safety, bringing value and knowledge to the field.
Q: What are the main challenges of your job?
A: The biggest challenge for me is a double-edged sword, and that’s the growth we’ve seen in the Mid-Atlantic. While it can be exciting to see new projects, bigger projects, it requires constant oversight and effort to ensure we maintain the quality work Sargent is known for.
Q: What were you doing in your career before joining Sargent?
A: I graduated from Randolph-Macon with an Environmental Science and Biology Major. From there, I moved into an Environmental Specialist role for 15 years before coming to Sargent in 2023.
Q: What do you enjoy about your job?
A: I’ve said it many times in POD meetings: I’ve got the best job and the best seat in the house, seeing the evolution of each project. Deeper than that, what I enjoy most is seeing the evolution of Employee-Owners as they put in the work and grow within the company.
Q: Why do you think Sargent is such a great company to work for?
A: Employee ownership changes everything. When everyone on the crew has a stake in the outcome, you get a different level of ownership — people pick up the litter, they look after the equipment, they speak up when something isn’t right. Sargent invests in people for the long haul, and you feel that.
Q: Are there any accomplishments in your career that you’re particularly proud of?
A: Honestly, the accomplishment I’m proudest of isn’t projects or certifications; it’s the Mid-Atlantic team. When I started in 2023, it was only me, and now we currently have 7 members of the Safety Team in the Mid-Atlantic, all of whom are successful leaders on their respective projects. Building a team that I could ultimately step away from and have no doubt they could perform on a high level means more to me than any single job and certification I’ve completed.
Q: How do you think this industry could do a better job of recruiting young talent?
A: I would think about this topic differently – I believe getting young talent in the door is just a small piece of the equation. I would put an equal amount of effort into self-reflecting, asking ourselves: what are we doing to develop the talent we have? Once they’re here, they need a clear path: training, mentorship, and someone invested in their next step.
Q: Has there been anyone throughout your life that you’ve viewed as a mentor?
A: My parents have been the biggest mentors in my life, and I’m lucky to still have them both. They taught us what hard work and sacrifice really were, and they’ve done it with grace. They have truly been our biggest fans our entire lives, and for that I’m grateful.
Q: What do you like to do in your free time?
A: Time outdoors with family, watching kids play sports, or hunting and fishing and getting away from a phone for a while are my favorite things to do. I played sports all my life, and I still love to compete, so I currently fish in the Elite 70 and other local tournaments to scratch that itch.
