FEBRUARY SPOTLIGHT
Dale Horner, Senior Project Manager

Before he was leading some of JR Merit’s most complex, challenging, and really cool hydroelectric projects, Dale grew up on a dairy farm in rural North Dakota, studied at North Dakota State College of Science, and got into working on small engine repairs as a young adult. He worked in an engine repair shop in the mid-80s before striking out to travel west. He landed in Washington and, at the suggestion of a neighbor, put his penchant for working with mechanical systems to use by completing his millwright apprenticeship.

Dale worked in the field as a millwright for a while before starting a business with a friend, which exposed him to the estimating and project management aspects of the work. “I got thrown into the fire, I guess you could say,” he said.

After about five years, Dale found himself looking for the next evolution of his career, which led him to an interview with JR Merit. He put his skills in project management and estimating to use and has been with JR Merit ever since.

Asked about interesting and memorable experiences he’s had on the job, Dale said it’s the opportunity to travel and see different parts of the Pacific Northwest and elsewhere around the country that he loves most. “Especially with hydropower, the plants are often in remote areas in a beautiful canyon that the regular public doesn’t get to see. Those experiences over the years have made this work exciting,” he said. “And we get to do some of the coolest jobs ever.”

Dale enjoys the challenge of getting jobs, working through the bidding process and finding new and unique ways to get a job done faster and better than others think it can be done. While construction work has changed dramatically over the course of his long career, and the business of construction has become more technical and gone digital, Dale’s belief in doing right by his clients keeps him on the leading edge of the industry. “I say to the young people working around me all the time that the relationship with the client is the most important thing,” he said when asked for a piece of advice for those starting out in construction. “Take care of them, stay in communication, and let them know what’s going on at all times. And work hard; that’s a given.”

Dale said he’s excited about what the future has in store for JR Merit over the next five years, with the changes in the construction industry and the new ideas coming from the next generation of construction leaders. Personally, Dale’s excited to keep working, though perhaps at a more part time level as he thinks about winding down his 35-year career.

A little more time outside of the office might be a good thing, as Dale has never given up his love of small engines and continues to work on motorcycles in his spare time. “I enjoy the older 70s and 80s Hondas; I restore them and then hopefully sell them. I buy more than I sell; I have about five restorations going right now!”