Cameron Newell is a Senior Superintendent with DPR Construction, and it was through Construction Ready – some 20 years ago – that he made that connection and began his career in the industry. Back then, Construction Ready was known as CEFGA (Construction Education Foundation of Georgia), and the organization’s CareerEXPO was a brand-new gathering held initially at the Gwinnett County Fairgrounds. In the following interview, which originally appeared as an episode on the Construction Ready Podcast and has been edited here for clarity, Cameron shares that story and more, including details of his job duties and on-the-job experiences, and advice for young men and women interested in the industry.
Tell us about your journey into construction. How did you get started, and how were you interested in it?
My father and my grandfather were in the construction industry, and early on, they put a shovel in my hand. It was just always in my blood. I was looking for a job and I went to the CEFGA CareerEXPO, which was in Gwinnett County at the time, and hooked up with DPR Construction. I met with their field engineering department, got hired that day at the Expo and started the next Monday.
What was your first job with DPR?
I got hired on as an hourly field engineer helper. It was a great way to break into construction and field engineering. Basically I did layouts and worked with all our different trade partners on site, really maintaining that horizontal and vertical control in the job. You’ve got a set of plans, and you have to orient it to make sure to put the building in the right spots. I started out and worked my way up to a field engineer, and that naturally made a pathway from field engineer to superintendent.
Were you nervous on your first day on the job site?
Oh, absolutely. My first job was the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Center. There was nothing there then, it was just a dirt lot, and I lived probably five miles from it in an apartment, and it took me 30 minutes to find it. I kept going down the wrong roads, and then I circled back and realized it was right outside my front door.
What is your favorite part of what you get to do now?
I think in the construction industry, no matter what you’re doing, probably the coolest thing about it is how much diversity comes with your day-to-day operations. You’re never doing the same thing every day, right? You’re never interacting with the same people every day. I think that’s really unique to our business and the projects we do. I’ve done so many different projects that you might think, ‘Hey, that’s a high-rise, just like the next, but it’s different? The different components to it, different building designs, different systems that get put in place, and different people you interact every day – designers, owners, trade partners – I think that’s probably my favorite part of what I do, all those different interactions.
How has your relationship with Construction Ready developed over the years?
I really value it, because that brought me to the table and eventually to where I am today. So I’ve stayed very active with the Construction Ready programs. I go back and do the SkillsUSA Teamworks judging every year [which runs parallel to the CareerEXPO], and it’s great to see all the young kids who are inspired to build. I’ve taught a couple classes for Construction Ready, and more recently we actually had a [Pre-Apprenticeship] class on site. We ended up having seven graduates out of that class hired by DPR.
Students in that program learn all the basics, get their OSHA 10, get other certifications – all the things that we do day to day. So when you come out of that program, there’s not much of a learning curve – you have the foundation to be successful. And I think beyond that, what’s huge is the connections. You have major contractors who are coming in and teaching and getting to know these guys and then hiring. Everyone I’ve talked to has had great success rates with the students coming out of this program.
For folks who are interested in a construction career, what are some traits that would make someone successful in this industry?
Over the years, I think I’ve found the most successful people are passionate – they really care about what they’re doing. It doesn’t really matter what you know. I can get somebody who is the most experienced person on the job, but if aren’t passionate about it, it doesn’t work. What’s valuable to me is get somebody day in and day out who wants to be here, wants to work and is passionate about it. I’ll take someone like that any day of the week.