Careers in construction: shaping history, bettering Alaska.

• Author: White, Rindi
• Position: CONSTRUCTION

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Construction is one of the largest industries in Alaska, and the work is varied. Workers might be called on to build new subdivisions or sewer treatment plants, erect power generating plants, or lay a new railroad spur. For many in the industry, that's what makes the field fulfilling.

"The challenges are dynamic, and the days are pretty dynamic. There is some routine, but you never really know what kind of challenges you'll face to get a certain job out of the ground," says Josh Peppard, president of Davis Constructors & Engineers, Inc.

The challenges mean you need to be able to think on your feet, Peppard says.

"There's not a formula to do it one sort of way; out of the box thinking normally wins out," he says.

The chance to shape history is also a draw. Seeing a building emerge from a former grassy field or helping build an airport that will provide a small rural village with a better link to the rest of the state are rewarding.

The challenge of building a good reputation--and keeping it--is gratifying, says Bill Watterson, owner of Watterson Construction.

"In our industry, it's easy to get a bad reputation. And you can spend thirty years getting, maintaining, and making sure you have a good reputation, and one thing comes up and it might be destroyed," Watterson says. "The challenge of bringing it all together, with our crews and subcontractors, getting them all there with the right products and materials, the right people, to have a smooth project, sometimes it's hugely challenging."

But hiring good people--and trusting them to do excellent work--has led to thirty-five years of success, even in times when other companies struggled.

"We had positive growth every year during the 1980s," Watterson says, speaking of the post-pipeline construction recession.

Watterson Construction worked on a lot of military construction projects during the 80s, as it does today. While commercial and residential construction in Alaska slowed during that decade, military construction projects provided pretty steady work.

Dave Cruz, chairman and CEO of Cruz Construction, says for him, part of the draw was being able to be his own boss. He began his career as a commercial driver during pipeline days, fresh out of high school, having just graduated his training from the Alaska Teamsters. He drove in the "heavy construction" field until the pipeline was finished in 1977 and then focused his jobs on oilfield work, building ice roads.

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