← Construction Leaders Podcast
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- [00:03]
Nick Soto
Welcome to Episode nine of the Construction Leaders Podcast. As most of you know, the construction industry has been facing workforce challenges for many years, with key professionals retiring and younger generations reluctant to enter the industry. Despite this, many groups are still being discouraged from starting a career path in construction, especially in the engineering field. One of our guests today is Michael Bempa, who has personal experience with this when he was told by his college guidance counselor that engineering was not a viable career path for him. Fortunately, this didn't stop Michael, who is now a professional engineer, president and CEO of Pinpoint Precision Engineering, and author of the recently published book how to Become a Civil Engineer Bridging the Gap. We are also joined today by Kevin Nolan, PE and Certified Construction Manager with stb. Kevin is a past president of the CMAA Chicago Chapter and is here to share his journey as well and give us insights into choosing both engineering and construction management as distinct career paths and how the two are similar yet different. Welcome to the podcast, Michael and Kevin. Kevin, I'd like to start with you since you were actually the one to recommend Michael as a guest on the podcast. First of all, feel free to add anything to your bio that you'd like our listeners to know about your current role, but also can you let us know how you know Michael and why you think his story was important to share on the podcast?
- [01:32]
Kevin Nolan
Hi. Thanks, Carly. And thank you, Nick, for having us today. As you mentioned, I'm currently active in the Construction Management association of America here in the Chicago Chapter. I've also spoken as a panel member on a recent presentation on how to save a Failing Project for the national event in Philadelphia. The reason why I wanted to connect Michael with CMAA on this podcast is because Michael's well known in the Chicago market. We work with him actively. Currently, I'm leading the Construction Management Group for STV in the Chicago market. So we work with Michael on tollway projects, IDOT highway projects, the Chicago Transit Authority, and we're looking for active projects to work with Michael and his team at Pinpoint with new clients. His book is a perfect topic to talk about with the podcast audience. With cmaa, we're actively trying to get new students involved in civil engineering, construction management, program management. The Chicago chapter of CMAA won a grant to get students and young members more involved, so this is an excellent tool and I thank Michael for joining us and look forward to learning more about the book and how to elevate his message.
- [02:55]
Carly Trout
So, Michael, I want you to introduce yourself and tell us a little bit about Pinpoint, but also how to become a civil engineer. Bridging the gap sounds like a game changer, and it's inspiring a lot of engineers. But what inspired you to write it and what impact do you hope it'll have on young adults entering the field?
- [03:12]
Michael Bempa
Hi, Nick and Carly. It's a pleasure to be here. Thank you so much. And thank you, Kevin. It's been a pleasure working with stv. They've been a great partner to us. Overall, I think we're all facing some of the same challenges. It's a hiring crisis for the most part. It's tough to give engineers in the field of civil engineering. It's a high demand and it's a lot of competition right now.
- [03:37]
Carly Trout
We spent a lot of time on the podcast talking about workforce issues, so I.
- [03:42]
Michael Bempa
Exactly. The thought process for me and the motivation behind writing this book is to inspire more young people to get into the field of civil engineering. When I was young and when I was growing up, I had no clue that this was a viable career option. I always thought about, hey, maybe construction, or when you see a building and a development, most people, the first thing that comes to mind is architecture, right? So in the back of my mind, I always thought, hey, I wanted to be an architect until I got to college. And then I started drawing lines on the computer and it was just the most boring thing that I've ever really tried to get into.
- [04:22]
Carly Trout
But we love our architects.
- [04:24]
Michael Bempa
But we love our architects. We work with them hand in hand. But from that point, then I moved to electrical engineering and it was some of the same issues. You programming, writing, JavaScript, sitting in front of a computer all day. And for me, it just wasn't for me. I'm an active guy. I like to be out and about. I like to connect with people and be social. So I did a personality test and it was like a career exploration class. And it takes all of your strengths, your skills and your personality, and it really gives you a few different majors that you may be interested in. And civil engineering popped up for me. So with that, I was like, okay, what is this? Let me take some engineering one on one exploration type courses. And it was just everything I was looking for in a career. It was really good. It was informative, it was. It was fun. I was able to use the math and analytical skills and then design something and then still step outside and watch it get built or help build it. So it was really good. So this book for me is really to motivate and create resilience in our youth to go along this path. And to graduate in the field of civil engineering because you're going to face a lot of obstacles in this field. As I'm sitting here with engineers and I can tell you, we all heard afraid of weed out courses and weed out classes, right? Because we've taken so much math, so much physics, so much chemistry, which we don't use anymore. But it was good to actually go through the process and be forced to learn how to think and learn how to process things. So I'm proud of the book. I'm proud of what it's been doing. It's an Amazon bestseller and overall I'm hoping it makes an impact and increase the number of students going into the field so that we can have more people to hire at the end of the day.
- [06:21]
Carly Trout
That's a great goal to have. I know. Like I said, we've been beating that drum for a while now. Before we keep going with the book, Kevin, why don't you share a little bit of your story? What attracted you to this? Because drawing lines is boring for Michael and math is exciting for him. That may not be the case for everybody, but I know you're a CCM and a pe, so why don't you tell a little bit of your story as well?
- [06:40]
Kevin Nolan
Sure. Thanks, Nick. So like Michael, after working at a desk for a number of years, I realized that being in the field, solving problems, being on the job site, getting the engineer, the architect together because they don't always want to provide the same solution. But having one discussion with the builder, architect, engineer altogether was really where my passion was. So I actually started out designing, doing a lot of civil infrastructure, private and commercial development. So I was sitting at a computer or I was out in the field doing survey work. So what I would tell engineers, and I think the message of Michael's book is perfect, is that resilience. Are you willing to learn? Are you willing to put in the time and effort to be better at your job day in and day out? And then if you find that your personality and your skills are not aligned with maybe the task at hand, are you adaptable and able to take on the next role? And I think both Michael and I have had different turns in our career and his book perfectly explains to students that you really have to be resilient. You don't just have to be a wizard at math or physics or dynamics or fluid mechanics or anything like that, really. You have to be willing to learn and willing to take on new skills. And I think teaming up with CMA is perfect. The National Resources That CMA brings to bear for new students is really what allows them to take on those assignments and more managerial roles. So it's funny that Michael mentioned a few things. Being an architect versus an engineer. I had the same question doing a personality test and figuring out, hey, I'd rather be in the field versus being behind a computer. And then one question that everybody can ask is, do you like connecting with people? Are you more social or are you more of an introvert? And all these questions anybody from the high school, grade school level can ask themselves, what environment do they thrive in? And there's a path for everybody within the engineering and built environment. So I think that's a great message from Michael's book.
- [08:42]
Carly Trout
I was talking with a group yesterday, a focus group on a specific topic, and they were telling me, and they're all senior now in their companies, how they want to stay in the field and that CMS always want to stay in the field. It's hard to get them out of that. So it's interesting that you say that too today.
- [08:56]
Nick Soto
So now, once you both decided that, okay, civil engineering, this is what I want to do, or I want to be in the field, I want to work as a construction manager. You become a pe, you're starting your career. Can you give us, Michael, some examples of experiences that you've had doing the work as a civil engineer and how that influenced the content of your book?
- [09:18]
Michael Bempa
Yes. So my experience, it really start right at the department level. When I graduated, actually, I had an intern at the Illinois Department of Transportation. And then after that internship, I decided, huh, this isn't so bad. Let me go and seek out a career here. So I went and I worked at the Illinois Department of Transportation, where they designed a program called the Date program. And it's a program in which you rotate through different departments of engineering to see which one is the best fit for you. So I started off in geometric design was my first rotation, where we were designing just roadway curvature, intersections, signal lighting. And for those who aren't civil engineers, a lot of times we develop the timing of the green light and the red light. We determine a level of service of the intersection depending on the traffic and how backed up a certain intersection or leg of the intersection can get. So that was a great experience. And then from there I rotated to construction in which I was out in the field. Sometimes we will have to redesign a project, maybe a drainage project when we see something is incorrect out in the field. Now it's a difference. Sometimes the field is totally different than theoretical Designs that someone just came up at their desk. It was really good to see things getting built, how practical things were and what you needed to think about in order to get a project to completion. It was really good. I enjoy talking with the people, the contractors. We all work together as a team to accomplish a goal, whether that's building a bridge or repaving a new road. It was a great experience. And that's really the area I decided to stay in. But also rotated through one more area, which is materials. Where we tested concrete, we created concrete, created asphalt. Just really understood the material and its properties, and when it's the best use for these properties, where it stays. For instance, the expressway, we will use steel slag mixed with coarse aggregate for heavier trucks and heavier loads. And then paths or walkways, we use something a little weaker and cheaper. So great experience overall. And then really from there, I went to the private side. That was interesting, to say the least. But one of the companies I went to, the focus was on productivity. It wasn't on quality. And then with the government, is quality and is not as much as as product. The productivity side is more about, hey, we got to get this perfect. And then on the private side is, hey, we got to get it right, but we have to deliver this on time. When I decided to start my firm, I wanted to mesh the two of those together, bringing it all to pinpoint precision engineering, making sure we were accurate, using the latest innovations to ensure that we are presenting quality, but at the same time doing it on time, within budget, so on and so forth. So it was a great experience for me.
- [12:27]
Carly Trout
Michael, keep going. Talk about the strategies you're using to ensure that your firm stays aligned with its mission and goals. And, Kevin, I'm going to ask you to chime in too, because you work for a large organization and how you do that for the area that you're working in for an organization that works all around the country in the world.
- [12:44]
Michael Bempa
Yeah. So for us, in order to make sure we stay on top of the latest innovation, we do a couple of things. The first thing we do is we do a quarterly think tank where our young engineers, they're into all types of gadgets and cool technology, where we sit down and we look at how can this be applied to what we're doing in the industry. Now, some of the things that we look at, because we're engineers, so most of our work comes from the government. It has to be approved by the government. Right. So we have to have a level of certainty and just making sure that Everything is just accurate and approved. So we do that. We invest a lot on research and development. Some of technology that we're currently using is some drone flying over construction sites. We're looking at how the difference between the LIDAR versus the other technologies that these different drones carry, how do we transfer it into software such as MicroStation, AutoCAD. Right now, AI technology and I don't want to go too in depth and get too technical, but the LIDAR shoot lasers and get points and it gives you the surface level and the heights of everything out on the job site. But sometimes those lasers could hit trees, it can hit birds, and dots can be off. So right now we're looking at some of the AI technology that's coming in and cleaning these processes up and speeding things along. So we're always constantly looking for more and more opportunities to explore new technology, but it also has to be welcomed by the agency. So we just have a research team and we really just dive into it and make sure we keep an open mind for everything.
- [14:35]
Carly Trout
Wait, I need to rewind a second. How often do these lasers hit birds? What are the chances of that? That's got to be in the lottery, right?
- [14:42]
Michael Bempa
No, actually shoot millions of lasers per second. So it hit. Yeah, very often. Bird leaves trees. But it's giving you a perfect topography of the land.
- [14:54]
Carly Trout
So let's take a quick break and hear from our sponsor.
- [14:58]
Michael Bempa
The infrastructure industry has a workforce problem. Maybe you don't have enough people or maybe your people don't have enough experience. If you're struggling to staff up your construction projects, Appia can help. Appia is an intuitive cloud based platform for construction, administration and inspection. Teams that use Appia can do more with less thanks to features like mobile data capture, searchable records and simplified fund tracking. And since Appia is easy to set up and use, you can train new and inexperienced team members in no time. See how Appia can help address your workforce shortages@infotechinc.com Appia Kevin, why don't you.
- [15:41]
Carly Trout
Tell us a little bit about how you're able to do the same kind of concepts with a large organization working in Chicago that also has offices in all parts of the world?
- [15:49]
Kevin Nolan
Yes. STV is a national firm, so you'll see a lot of the resources focused in the Northeast corridor, where New York is obviously a huge market for us. We team with very large firms like aecom, WSP to deliver programs like the Gateway Tunnel program in the New York region. Then out in la, STV is building light rail extensions with Tutor Perini we're the lead designer for two subway extensions. That's part of the upcoming Los Angeles Olympics. So that's part of the big push out in LA to extend the transit system to make commuting easier. Out in la. It's very interesting to see all the work that STV is involved in. And we just recently went through a rebranding process. So that was good to see, from my perspective, realigning our core values. One of the things that came out of it, one of the slogans that we have, our goals and missions were realigned and stv, one of the taglines now, making communities better, which I think Michael and I strongly believe in. We're building things that are for the community. We're making your commute easier. We're making the trains run more efficiently. We're hopefully reducing some of that terrible congestion around the Chicago area, some of the highest congestion points in the country. U.S. in New York, we have some very interesting projects, both Pinpoint and stv, where we're working together to expand some of those highway corridors. But one of the other interesting things that came out of the rebranding and refocus of our mission goals is that projects are local, clients are local. So that's a big thing. Michael talked about how he was tapping into his own team to come up with some of those new innovations. And we're doing the same. We brought on a whole digital advisory team. So we're harnessing AI to make our jobs easier. That's to simplify what we do as construction managers, as designers, as architects and planners, so that we can use some of those tools more efficiently. We're working with some of the owners that have new initiatives of their own, CTA being one that's launching an innovation studio. So the owners are getting to that point where they're using AI or they're looking for firms like STV to harness AI and help solve their solutions. Right. What type of safety challenges, commuting challenges, are these owners going through? And how can STV work to ease some of those burdens on the owners? So that's where we come in with our digital advisory team. To harness tools that maybe aren't used today for the building and infrastructure market, but we can tailor those tools to solve the owner's problems. So it's an exciting time to be here. You told me five, ten years ago that I'd be talking about AI for construction management. Probably would not have believed you, but it's happening. We're doing proposals now utilizing our digital advisory team, our Vice president is here in Chicago, so I can walk down the hall and talk to our entire digital advisory team that's here local, but they're also supported by national resources all over the country. So it's really interesting to see. And Michael, we're tapping our younger engineers that may have more hands on experience with that. They're currently probably writing papers coming out of college using AI. How can they help us use iPads, digital software to make our construction inspection photos, documentation easier, more interactive, geolocated like Mike was noting. So we're going through that right now and trying to bring solutions to the client. So it's great to see.
- [19:12]
Carly Trout
Do you think they can fix the commute from O'Hare to downtown? Just curious.
- [19:16]
Kevin Nolan
We're trying here.
- [19:17]
Michael Bempa
Yeah, we're working on it. And then with that commute, we have a lot of different events coming up this summer, but we're actually currently working on the Jane Byrne. That's the expressway on the north side to the O'Hare currently. So it should be done next year. But don't hold me to it, Kevin.
- [19:37]
Nick Soto
I want to switch gears a little bit and talk about leadership. And as your career has progressed and you've become more of a leader at STV and as you mentioned, been involved in the CMAA Chicago chapter. Can you fill us in? And Michael, feel free to chime in as well, but just Kevin, let us know how that process has been for you and how your experiences have contributed to your role as a leader.
- [20:01]
Kevin Nolan
Yeah, I think what Michael talked about at the start is really important and that's being resilient. Right? We're here to solve problems for our clients, for the communities that we're in. And part of that is working through those challenges. What's the hurdle ahead of you and how do you clear that hurdle? Working together with the owner, the contractor, the planning team, whatever phase of the project that you're on. And I've always been solution focused. Don't bring forth a problem unless you are working toward a solution as well. So we try to instill that in our team. Starting out with some high school and college level courses that were focused on engineering. And then as I gained experience, I went back to school. So I enrolled at Northwestern University. STV had a continuing education program that I was able to take advantage of. So I would encourage students and those who are starting out in their career to never stop that learning process. And my participation in CMA is part of that as well. I can learn from folks like yourself and Nick at the national conferences. I can organize luncheons with some of the local owners that we're working with to have local CMAA luncheons where we're hearing about local problems and the solutions implemented by the project teams. So I think that lifelong learning experience is really important, and I'm certainly learning every day on the job and using the lessons from yesterday to improve for tomorrow. I think that's the best thing that a leader can do, is instill that continuing aspect of learning and resilience.
- [21:31]
Michael Bempa
Yes. And to piggyback off of what Kevin was saying, I think he's really talking about initiative. A lot of times to see a problem and then to figure out a solution and come to the table with a solution already. That's an individual who's motivated and who took the initiative to really seek out an answer on their own before they present it. Right. And yeah, there may be better solutions, but just the fact that individual took that step to figure something out is really the best way to build and grow in confidence and in leadership. So I would say confidence is something that we look for. And on my journey, who would have thought that I'll be here today owning my own engineering firm when so many times and down my path I was told that I couldn't because of this, because of that, you didn't go to the best schools or you from a poor community. So you're not going to be able to do this. And a lot of it is just really believing in yourself and not really letting anybody project their beliefs onto you. With that, you learn, you grow, you build yourself up, you develop this resilience. And once you got that, you really just grow and evolve into a leader on your own because you have the experience. You did the due diligence, you followed the blueprint or did what you were supposed to do. And at the end of the day, that's really how the rewards come.
- [22:58]
Nick Soto
Michael, what drove your interest in engineering and how your experience as a PE shaped your entrepreneurial ventures? You talked about starting Pinpoint Precision Engineering. Can you let us know how that came about?
- [23:12]
Michael Bempa
Yeah, it's a great question. I would say what drove my interest for the most part was starting my own business. I would say, was the lack of diversity I've seen in the industry. That was one of them. And then just to look back on my life experience and to see the obstacles and the hurdles that I had to overcome, I'm not alone in this, right in this journey. And people from different communities, they all face their different challenges. And one of those challenges is just really Being told that you can do it, being given the right amount of motivation, that's going to get you over the hurdle and get you towards the end goal and end results. This book, how to Become a Civil Engineer. I have a section in the book that talks about developing your why. When your why is strong enough, the how becomes easy in that process. What I have folks that's interested in engineering or any craft or career do is they list exactly why they want to do it and what they're doing it for. What's their motivation? Are they doing it for family? Are they doing it folks to for money? Or are they doing it to be able to provide for their future family? You're establishing and you write these things down to make sure that when you do get some bad news, maybe failed an exam or something hit you hard in life, you can look back at this list and say, no, here's my why is why I'm doing these things and this is my reason. So I'm not going to soak in this thing for too long. I'm going to get up and I'm going to keep pushing. So for me, it's always been that way. I've been told plenty of times that you know, starting a business is the hardest thing in the world. And I agree it is very difficult. Right? But at the same time, it's not impossible as long as you believe in yourself and you got confidence. So I started Pinpoint Precision just to give other young folks really access to opportunity and to motivate them to really get into the field of civil engineering and be the best that they can be.
- [25:23]
Carly Trout
So we have time for one last question. Kevin, what advice would you give to young adults who are considering a career in civil engineering or maybe a transition to civil engineering?
- [25:33]
Kevin Nolan
For younger engineers, I would say that they should be open to new opportunities. As we noted earlier, what you start your career out in will not be where you end it. So they should be willing to take a risk. As Michael can speak to, starting a business is one of the most risk laden adventures you can go on. And I really give Michael kudos for his bravery in starting his own business. And he's a great example for those here in the Chicago market to follow. You can start your own business, you can be a leader in your industry. But I would say for young engineers, they really have to put the work in and they have to become good at each position they take on in order to be the leader. You're not going to be leading a group such as the one that I have at STV a large group of very experienced engineers. Unless you put the work in, you go back to school, you educate yourself, and you're willing to take on more assignments and more responsibility. So with that, I'll turn it over to Michael.
- [26:34]
Michael Bempa
Yeah. Thank you, Kevin. My advice would be to never stop learning. That would be one thing that I will emphasize. And it's not just in engineering. It's in everything. It's what really matters in our industry. And what's starting to matter more and more is those soft skills, the skills to be able to communicate and to be able to really network and connect with people. I will also say look for a mentor in the field. There's plenty of people like Kevin and myself that's willing to really just guide and really pass down some of the past challenges that we may have encountered so that a younger engineer won't have to go through the same thing from that to really just taking that risk when you're young. And this was the thing that I leaned on and relied on. I said, hey, I got a pe. I'm young. I'm going to go and try and start this business. And if I fail, guess what? I can always find a job. You know, I can lean back and go back into figuring things out and rebuilding. But even nowadays, there's so many opportunities. When you look at a lot of the different company that's offering ESOPs and equity programs, there's different ways to be a part of the ownership within the companies nowadays. I would say just look for the company that best suits your need and continue to learn and continue to grow. And from there, sky's the limit.
- [28:03]
Carly Trout
I love it. That's great advice. And I'm sure you have tons more advice like that in your book. I can't wait to get my hands on it and read it myself. To get more involved, though, with CMA's local Chicago chapter, you can visit cmaa-chicago.org Kevin, I want to thank you for introducing us to Michael. And Michael, I appreciate you coming on the podcast to share your story with us.
- [28:24]
Michael Bempa
Yeah, thank you so much. Pleasure being here.
- [28:27]
Kevin Nolan
Thank you, Nick. And thank you, Carly.
- [28:29]
Carly Trout
Oh, it's our pleasure. To learn more about Michael and his inspiring journey, pick up the book how to Become a Civil Engineer, Bridging the Gap on Amazon. Now you can also search Pinpoint Precision Engineering or go to visit pinpointpe.com and you'll get to Michael's website. Coming up on the next episode of the Construction Leaders Podcast, we'll explore the operations of another one of CMA's CMS, and that's Kyle Grendel, the founder and CEO of Dell Management, a construction firm that's based out of the Midwest of the United States. And we're going to hear how is setting the bar for the industry with their innovative and innovative solutions and unwavering commitment to quality and exceptional project delivery. Make sure you download or subscribe to the podcast and follow us on social media CMAA hq. And don't forget to leave us a review with your thoughts of today's episode, and let us know what you'd like to hear in an upcoming podcast. On behalf of CMA aaa, I'm Nick Soto with Carly Trout, and thank you for listening.