Employee Spotlight: Justin Sowell, Superintendent

Justin Sowell joined Elder Construction’s team of Superintendents in April of 2020. He brought 18 solid years of experience to our team and we are most certainly the better for it. Justin hit the ground running when he came on board, putting his skills to use on a ground up dental office project in Fort Collins. According to Justin his favorite things about being a Superintendent is two-fold; it satisfies his natural abilities as a problem solver, and it allows him to meet many new, different, talented people.

We asked Justin what the favorite project of his career has been, and he easily responded “The Woodward Drake renovation was my most favorite project to build. It was extremely challenging from a MEP (mechanical, electrical, plumbing) and structural perspective and we had a great group of subcontractors on the project. From start to finish, the project was well coordinated, well managed, well executed, and well received by the Woodward membership as well as their senior leadership.” According to Justin the project received multiple DBIA awards and most importantly went over 1000 days worked injury free – Definitely a job to be proud of!

The passion in Justin’s career stems from a drive to provide clients with a superior building experience, every step of the way, from project inception to completion. “Seeing the looks on the vested parties’ faces as the project progresses is a phenomenal feeling of accomplishment and really goes to the core of my determination. To see people happy with their decision to give me the opportunity to build for them and their respective companies – it’s the best feeling.”

Justin has a genuine desire to earn the trust of the people that he works with. Following in his father’s footsteps, Justin learned at a young age the importance of respect and trustworthiness; values that are foundational to his career today. “I learned to respect people to the point where trust is developed. I sleep much better at night knowing the people I work with day-to-day are giving their all on the job. Lack of trust forces micro-management. Knowing someone is doing “the right thing” provides trust and a creates a lasting, successful working relationship. High trust generally means high morale and a high performing team.” We agree, Justin hit the nail on the head!

When asked to choose his favorite of Elder’s Core Values, Justin chose Servant Leadership. He has observed that the more one serves others, the less battles they will have that cannot be won.