Meghan Ulrich: Onward + Upward
The DAVIS logo was created with the onward + upward ethos in mind. It is both our legacy and our vision for the future. We're interviewing 20 people in '20 to find out what onward + upward means to them (along with some other interesting details you might not pick up on at the jobsite). Keep up with this series to get more insight into the DAVIS team!
Meet Meghan Ulrich, VP of Construction Operations.
We sat down with Meghan (over a phone call) to talk about her role as one of our leaders and what she loves most about working at DAVIS! Keep reading to learn more about Meghan.
LIFE AT DAVIS
So how long have you been at DAVIS, and how'd you get to your current position?
I believe I just passed my 21st year. When I started with DAVIS, I was actually an intern doing our construction layout. Then, as I finished grad school and became full-time, I was in the Estimating department. Soon, I was lucky enough to sit next to someone who needed a project engineer at Gonzaga College High School, and I kind of fell into that operations role.
In school, I worked for a couple of different architects, but I had never really felt I understood how everything went together. I knew how to build a model and draw a line, but I wanted to see what it took to put things together. I got to know someone who worked for DAVIS that used to sneak me blueprints to help me figure out the construction side more and walk me through things, which was fascinating.
You were recently promoted into your current role (VP - Construction Operations). How has the adjustment been?
I was a little worried about switching from a project management role, but it's been very supportive. It's been great to dive into the details of projects and support each team, and I'm doing the best I can to fit into each process and improve our operations. And, of course, everything related to the coronavirus pandemic has been a roller coaster. I really learn something new every day in this role. Regardless of how long I've been here, or how much I've seen, every day is an opportunity for me to learn, and that's what I love about construction. Things are always changing.
What kind of approach do you take to your work?
I try to make sure there's a team mentality in each project. A project isn't done by one person or team member--it's all collaborative. That's one of the reasons why I'm at DAVIS, because people here have that mindset. I also put my personal best foot forward, though. If I've made a mistake, I try to own my decisions, see what went wrong, and learn from it to move forward. That's a tough lesson for an individual as well as a team, so this year we've put a greater focus on open communication and collaboration between project team members so that we can learn from each other.
Something my dad taught me was to always take care of your team, and throughout my career I've tried to make sure everyone is taken care of--whether it's helping an owner solve a problem, or helping an architect, or DAVIS employee. We encounter new challenges every day, but to me that opportunity to solve something is so motivating.
What's been the most rewarding project throughout your career?
They all have something positive, but I'd probably say it was the Capital One job. Building a high-rise like that in the DC area was such a huge challenge, and now that I can look back at it I can really be proud of what we did. The whole team was dedicated to keeping each other focused, regardless of the length and difficulty of the process.
