Your favorite college course? “Third year, Soil Mechanics. I enjoyed the courses taught by WIT Professor Jim Lambrechts because he was so enthusiastic about projects, always finding the human context and elements in the sphere of things that are essentially scientific and the products of engineering. He was an impassioned storyteller and could demonstrate both the theory and practical application of virtually any subject we studied.”

Standout events that brought you to today? “I have to thank my dad. As a construction professional—he worked for Granite Construction, Tutor-Perini and Walsh Construction—he would bring me to jobsites, sometimes late at night, where I witnessed rollers, milling and other aspects of public works construction. He talked to me a lot about all the projects he worked on, mostly rail tunnel work in New York City.

“The learning never stopped. He would always make the time on ‘Bring Your Kids to Work’ days. I really liked that. My dad has been a huge influence. He made me want to follow in his footsteps.”

The biggest challenges you now face at work? “When I began working, I thought I would spend more time building. Turns out, I spend more time coordinating. It’s about managing different trade partners. I’m in charge of steel, electrical, civil contractors, and I encourage them all to do their jobs. Lots of time spent coordinating schedules and meetings, and making sure the work lines up with the design and the contract. There are lots of different problems every day and I’ve got to do my best to solve them all.”

What are the biggest surprises on the job? “I was unprepared for the amount of teamwork and communications that is required to run a project smoothly. Poor communications leads to schedule delays. I see all the meetings in the morning, before team leaders go back to their crews. Everything is discussed: high-risk activities, weather issues, safety concerns. I wasn’t aware how much coordination was involved. I thought it just magically happened. It’s hard work to get everyone on the same page.”

Any memorable quotes? When I was a field engineer, I was the newest guy there. They kept piling it on, piling it on. Someone said to me, ‘Keep your head down, do your job, and people will notice. Even if you think you’re hidden, someone is looking at you.’”

Words of wisdom to a young person entering the field? “Don’t worry about the things you can’t control. Set high expectations for yourself and hold yourself accountable. You should be the person to expect the most out of yourself. “Also, when I was a field engineer, I learned that a good leader takes all of the blame and none of the credit. My job is to help others get the job done. It’s a good quality to take the blame and pass along credit.”

Family relationship to the CIC:  He’s the son of Ann and Peter Danyluk, a construction professional employed at the time by CIC-member company Walsh Construction. The family has since relocated to Boston where Mr. Danyluk is a senior project manager for Railroad Construction Co.

On a personal note? “I enjoy running and trained for a marathon, which I ran. I joined an intermural league for Wednesday night’s Kickball on the National Mall in Washington. And I’m engaged to be married.”

Written by George Drapeau III. Research assistant Karen Zedda.