DC&H Internship
Since sophomore year in high school when I was first introduced to Construction Management, I quickly took a strong interest in it.
I had taken many different career courses but none that interested me as much as the construction field did. Turning your own or others’ dreams into a reality grabbed me and pulled me in. The satisfaction of a finished project, big or small, was like no other. Something built start to finish with your own hands will make anyone feel very accomplished. Easily I knew construction was the career path I needed to take.
Once I graduated high school, I started on my degree plan towards a major in Construction Management. For three years I have been searching for the right internship to come along. I searched multiple times a week and found nothing that I thought would be a good fit for me. I was wanting to learn labor, yes, but business aspects were also a major deciding factor for me. Some internships were paid, and some were unpaid, but they all had one thing in common and that was the fact that you would only learn labor aspects. Everyone needs to learn labor aspects; however, you are going to have much more difficulty once you need to know how the business works. Unfortunately, many of the construction internships would use young interns for cheap labor and that is not what I was after.
Once I transferred to the University of Texas at Arlington, programs were provided to guide you into an internship that matched your major. I searched for a couple of weeks and finally found DC&H Construction and everything in their bio matched what I had been wanting to do. Upon the first phone call I was nervous, but Willie Grubaugh, DC&H Constructions owner made it very clear to me that he intended to help a person not only achieve their Construction Management goals but also improve as a whole. After a few talks with Willie, I realized this internship would be a great fit for me. One question I had for Willie was the length of the internship, as many internships tend to be a couple months or over summer, and his response was “You can work here for as long as you want, as long as you are improving one percent a day. I would love to have you on my team one day as a Project Manager or help you get the Project Manager job that fits you right even if it is with another company.”
Instantly this surprised me and gave me a deeper respect for Willie. I knew for a fact that he wanted what is in the best interest for me and will help me get there whether I am working for him or not.
From then on, the one percent rule stuck in my head and I tried my best every day to improve that one percent. As we began talking more and I started to learn some of the business, I was then introduced to Kelsey Julian, a fantastic Project Manager for DC&H Construction. I would be working beneath Kelsey and learning the job of a Project Manager. I quickly learned Kelsey was a hard worker and a great mentor to be working with. In the first job Kelsey and I worked on, I was able to learn some basics of estimating as that is one of the most important steps into getting the job and doing it right. We made sure the job was done right and the customer was more than satisfied as customer service is above all. The job turned out perfectly and the customer was very happy with the job we had done. I was taught early by both Willie and Kelsey that the customers are the reason we do this job. We do not want to do a job and have the customer just be happy we are done; we want them to be blown away with how great the project turned out. DC&H Construction strives on great communication, integrity, and customer service and that is how I have always been taught business should be conducted. This mentality will go very far not only in construction but any industry. I continued to learn more and more, such as systems to make the projects more efficient, craftsmanship to make the projects turn out great, interacting with customers, communications, and much more.
Each day I work with Kelsey or Willie I learn something new relating to the project we are working on or something that will help me be successful in my future. As I continue to learn more and more each day, I move closer to the job I strive for and that is being a Project Manager.
