For quite some time, Jake Sampson knew he wanted to enter the world of construction. While interning for his father at the ABC Empire State sector, Jake got a sense of what working for a small construction firm would be like. After graduating from Hobart and William Smith College with a degree in Economics and a Master of Science degree in Business Management, Jake was on the path to making his career decision. His search led him to the Haynes Group, and his drive, determination, and willingness to learn landed him a position in the BEST Program. Jake appreciated the tight-knit community that the Haynes Group offered and felt it was the perfect fit.
“Working at Haynes Group makes me feel like more of a person at work, I enjoy it a lot more… Being able to work closely with each department and know everyone is a lot more intimate of an experience,” Sampson said.
The BEST Program is a rotational program for students out of Construction Management, Architecture or HS Trade programs. The Haynes Group prepares participating members for a year-long rotational program with 4 months in the field on a project as a Project Engineer/Asst. Superintendent, four months in Estimating and four months in Operations as an Assistant Project Manager (APM). Once the program is complete, the student then determines which department is the best fit for them. Jake is halfway through the program and has already gained tremendous industry perspective.
“I think my favorite experience so far is the one I didn’t think I would enjoy that much,” he said. “I really enjoyed field work from the perspective of what the guys go through onsite. How to handle projects and problems on site is beneficial and something I didn’t think I would enjoy or what I wanted to do.”
Jake had made it clear from the start of his time with the BEST program that he wanted to cultivate meaningful relationships with everyone he worked with, including the vendors and subcontractors on site.
“As someone who didn’t have any field experience, it’s nice to see what vendors go through daily. The problems they tackle, how they handle it, how they work with each other but then also getting the perspective of the superintendent,” he said. “Ultimately, I would like to be a PM (Project Manager) but if you don’t know what the Superintendent goes through its harder to have a relationship with them. It’s important to have perspective of the operations side.”
The BEST program offers a unique and seamless way to build relationships and gain experience in an otherwise vast industry.
“If I were to give advice to someone joining the BEST program, it would be to value the field experience as much, if not more so, than project management and estimating,” Sampson said. “If you don’t have a good relationship with your Superintendent, it’s not beneficial or a good environment. The day to day is exciting. I come in and I’m like “what’s today bringing?”
Jake is looking forward to his future at the Haynes Group and is most excited about more restaurant projects and continuing to be part of the Haynes Group family.
