Our employees are passionate about the work they do and enjoy a wide variety of challenging work and opportunities to grow their careers. Steven Bryan has been with Tribco for five years, moving up the ranks from Design Engineer Trainee to Formwork/Construction Engineer to his current position of Engineering Manager. Below are nine questions to get to know Steven.

1. What do you like most about working for Tribco? I enjoy the practical problem-solving and seeing the building progress in real time. I grew up on a farm, so the boots-on-the-ground aspect of working for Tribco is very rewarding for me. I love getting out of the office and visiting jobsites.

2. What’s your day-to-day look like? Most days, I’m typically in the office designing formwork and mentoring my team. About once a week, I go to our jobsites to check on our field crew members and inspect formwork.

3. What’s the one lesson you’ve learned in this industry that’s stuck with you? Humbleness is key. There is always more to learn, and there’s always a better way to do something.

4. What project are you on now? I’m involved to varying degrees with all Tribco projects, but my primary focus right now is on 320 N. Sangamon.

5. What’s your most memorable project? The No. 9 Walton project was one of the most unique and memorable projects I’ve had the opportunity to be a part of. Most floors of this high-end, 42-story tower have unique layouts, and during construction there were many last-second coordination issues that kept me on my toes. For instance, a 4-story unit was added to the initial building design after Tribco had already started construction. This condominium unit set the city’s record for most expensive residential real estate when purchased.

6. What’s the best part of your job? When a project is complete, it stays behind for everyone to see, oftentimes changing the Chicago skyline. It’s pretty awesome to be part of the team responsible for that.

7. How did you get started in the industry? My family has a history in construction, engineering and agriculture. Being around these businesses as a kid sparked my interest in civil engineering. My time studying engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign piqued my interest in buildings, specifically.

8. What are your current top two vacation destinations? Loutraki, Greece, has been my favorite trip abroad so far. My favorite long-weekend type of vacation is driving down to the Lake of the Ozarks in Missouri to fish, boat and just relax.

9. What advice can you give to someone looking into starting their career in construction? We all enter this industry from different backgrounds—if you don’t have any construction experience, find a hands-on summer job as a laborer or farmhand, even if it is seemingly unrelated. It will help you relate to field crew members and understand the whys and hows of what we deal with on a daily basis as construction professionals.