The Daily Reporter – WI Construction News & Bids Wisconsin's Construction Authority
Senior Project Manager of the Year –
Luke Clinard, Gilbane Building Company
Luke Clinard was raised in the construction industry.
His father worked in the industry his entire life and owned a small construction management company in Arkansas.
“I worked for him on the weekends and throughout the summers when I was younger,” Clinard said. “His passion for building rubbed off on me, and I followed in his footsteps and got a degree in construction management from Oklahoma State University.”
After college, Clinard went to work for Hensel Phelps and held many different titles, including field engineer, office engineer, estimator, project engineer and area superintendent. He then had stops at Manhattan Construction in Stillwater, Oklahoma, and Hiram Power Electric before joining Gilbane Building Co. in 2019.
Today he is a senior project manager for the company.
“There are two aspects of my job that are most enjoyable,” he said. “The first being able to take an owner’s vision and turn it into a reality, and the second being all of the relationships you form during the course of a project.
“All projects start out with a vision, and it takes the project team working together to turn that vision into a reality. Being able to lead that process is extremely rewarding.”
One of the biggest challenges in his job is working through all of the supply chain issues. The pandemic has caused massive interruptions and uncertainty around the world.
“Items that use to be readily available are now long lead,” he said. “Being able to prepare for those challenges and proactively develop workarounds to keep the project moving forward is key. Another challenge that we face on projects is getting all parties involved to buy in to the success of the project.”
Although Clinard is passionate about construction, he said the most important thing in his life is family — namely his wife, Emily, and children, Estrella and Duke.
“Due to my career, we’ve lived in seven states and worked internationally for almost three years,” he said. “I could not have done it without the support of my family.”
