SEPTEMBER SPOTLIGHT
Troy Haslem

Troy is a project manager and has been with the team for eight years. He’s a prime example of JR Merit’s career path in action: Troy started as an intern, hired on as a project engineer, and worked his way into project management. But construction wasn’t always Troy’s path—he  started out as a mechanical engineering major at Oregon State University! He switched to construction engineering management when he realized that a career with more opportunities to be in the field and see a project start to finish was more aligned with his goals. He first heard about JR Merit as a sophomore after receiving an email from the college sharing information about internship opportunities with the company two weeks before summer break started. Though he already had a different internship lined up, Troy applied to JR Merit because the office was much closer to home. He started two weeks later and thoroughly enjoyed the experience.

“After summer when my classmates and I were back in school, I heard what they had worked on and realized I was exposed to something completely different and more interesting. I got to do everything—I was immediately exposed to submittals, RFIs, being involved in bidding, being on site, helping troubleshoot issues, and working on projects in different industries from hydropower to food processing. It made it an easy choice to come back as a full-time employee.”

From working on projects in powerhouses to paper mills to food processing plants, Troy loves the variety of work he’s a part of at JR Merit. “Every day is a challenge. Everything I do involves multiple trades, figuring out different problems, and thinking about project staffing to pair the right teams to each part of the work. I have good relationships with our field teams, and they’re the foundation of making a project successful.

“I like to get my field guys involved early during the bid process, leveraging their experience and getting their input about project approaches, risks and challenges they see, and what they think it will take to do a job. I don’t hesitate to ask them questions. We continue to work like this on site day to day. It’s a collaborative effort to make sure a project is done right and safely. Trust and good relationships make it easy.”

The variety and changing nature of the work isn’t without its hurdles. Troy noted that project logistics keep him on his toes, managing multiple projects, tools, and work teams to make sure each team has the resources they need to be successful every day. “Everything changes so quickly in this industry. What you plan to do today may change tomorrow. A client may need your support somewhere else in the plant, and we need to divert our efforts, sometimes even bringing in different trades and crafts. It takes patience and an ability to adapt on the fly.”

Troy’s looking forward to continued growth over the next several years—growth in his role, the growth of the company, developing crews, and supporting the next generation of field leaders. “We know construction as a whole is facing a labor shortage. I’ve been trying to work with our superintendents, foremen and journeymen to identify who will be the leads in the next five years. I’ll be working directly with them over time; I think it’s great to be getting comfortable with them and developing together as we grow.”

Troy finds many of his projects memorable and rewarding. “We do so many cool things in so many places. That’s one awesome benefit in this industry. We’re sent to beautiful places—places where people go for vacation, and we get to go for work! We get to do things that you never expect, like going to work on a helicopter or a boat. It keeps it exciting!”

In addition to a busy few years of exciting work projects, which included the successful launch of a plan to get JR Merit into the pulp and paper industry, Troy marked several major milestones in his personal life: buying a house, completely remodeling it, and getting married in July. He and his wife Jenna enjoy camping, fishing, and hanging out with their two-year-old dog, Remi.