MacDonald discovers trades are in his blood

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For as long as he can remember, Billy MacDonald has been drawn to the construction industry.

Unlike many people his age who grew up with a relative in the industry, MacDonald comes from a family of medical professionals. So he can’t pinpoint how or why he wanted to drive a pickup truck or wear a tool belt. But the desire nonetheless seemed to be in his blood.

“I wanted to work in the construction because there is so much variety in this industry, and each project is different and unique,” MacDonald said. “I get to work with a multitude of team members in the field and in the office with a shared goal of building a tangible finished product that helps our clients achieve their goals.”

Before starting college at Ohio State University, he reached out to a family friend, Mike Moore, to ask about opportunities at Moore Construction Services. He was eventually paired with Austin Moore, vice president and project manager, and visited a couple of jobsites. It didn’t take long for him to decide that construction was for him and Moore Construction Services was where he wanted to work.

“One of the biggest things I learned so far in my career is you can’t pretend to know everything, and you can’t be afraid to ask questions,” MacDonald said. “There is a lot to learn in this industry. I feel everyone has been accommodating if you take an approach and try to continue learning from every project.”

MacDonald jumped right into the industry after his freshman year of college and worked as an intern at Moore Construction Services every summer before graduation, primarily cleaning up jobsites and assisting project managers.

“During the summers, Billy was an assistant on some of our larger projects and we could tell right away that he was going to be a great project manager, based on how quickly he caught on,” Austin Moore said. “His role has continued to grow since the day he arrived, and now he is solely managing multiple projects, including a $12 million project that he successfully completed in early 2020.”

Giving back and involving himself in the community are important to MacDonald. In addition to his day job, he has been an assistant coach for the Arrowhead girl’s hockey team. He has found many similarities between hockey and construction, which are two of his biggest loves. Both require commitment, leadership, teamwork and a results-driven mindset.

“When coaching, I tell my players that they need to work as a team and there are going to be ups and downs in each game that they have to overcome,” MacDonald said. “This concept relates to construction because every project has challenges, so we have to work together to get projects done on time and on budget.”