Time is money. Customers need vendor partners who bring real leadership to the table and possess the necessary business and project management skills to navigate timeframes and budgets. Whether you are renting a single temporary fabric structure or an entire turnkey base camp, it takes a highly skilled and collaborative team working together to get the job done right.
This team is comprised of a Project Manager, Construction Operations Manager, installation crew, engineers and more.
In this expert Q&A, Sunbelt Rentals' own Construction Operations Managers—Dan Carruthers, Gary “Moe” Moederndorfer, and Andre Pinto—as well as Sunbelt Rentals' Director of Operations, Dave Rech, talk about the role of construction operations management in delivering world-class client satisfaction.
A Construction Operations Manager’s job is to ensure projects for our clients are completed according to the proposed timeline and within budget. As the overseer of projects and teams, the Construction Operations Manager liaises with clients and Sunbelt Rentals project managers and plays a key role in ensuring customer satisfaction.
Sunbelt Rentals' Construction Operations Managers gain their valuable proficiencies and insights through years of experience in the field, working with all the pieces of the puzzle in construction operations. Their boots on the ground experience yield a powerful wheelhouse of skill and expertise that allows them to solve tough challenges and offer creative solutions and recommendations.
What is the biggest challenge for a Construction Operations Manager?
Dan Carruthers: Even though in a lot of ways we’ve “seen it all” and have contingency plans for the unexpected, unforeseen challenges still arise. For example, the layout of the site or might change after the crew and structure components have arrived on site, or a big storm might alter the ground surface planned for the structure. When the unexpected happens, it’s necessary to insert yourself mentally ‘into the situation,’ anticipate risks, and present solutions as soon as possible. This is really the meat of what we do. In business, we know things can change on a dime. Our field experience and technical know-how allow us to manage the unforeseen with our customers.
Tell us an important best practice you would recommend as a COM regarding open communication?
Gary “Moe” Moederndorfer : Daily updates are an important communications tool. We provide daily updates to the project managers on the progress of the job. This includes milestone targets in the timeline and budget information or changes. If an unexpected challenge arises everyone on the team is immediately in the loop and is able to play a part in the solution. There is a continuous flow of communication on all levels. In that sense, we are similar to major league coaches. We decide the tactic, we get everybody on board, and pretty soon we’ve come up with a game-changing solution that gets us to the end zone.
As a foreman over the job site, what can clients expect you to handle regarding their project?
Andre Pinto: We facilitate the workflow. We develop construction strategies, delegate responsibilities to contractors and team members and handle decisions regarding priorities according to the client’s needs. And as managers, we offer expertise in analyzing and assessing operational and financial risks, helping clients understand any technical design or engineering aspects of the project that they may have questions about. We are the go-to people regarding oversight of the project from start to finish.
Dave Rech: The core challenge that we’ve all touched on is communication. Whether it’s problem solving, coaching or figuring out logistics, free-flowing information from the project manager to the customer, from the project manager to the Construction Operations Manager and then from the Construction Operations Manager to everyone else is key.
We do everything we can to make sure we have every scrap of information and touch every communication base we need to ensure a project is successful. Continuous transparent communication is key to offering the best solutions and services to customers, and laser-focused project management is essential to the full process—from planning to installation to maintenance.
Our Construction Operations Managers are not only experts in the temporary structure industry – they are experts in your industry, too. Sunbelt Rentals Construction Operations Managers believe every detail matters. That’s why Sunbelt Rentals is the number one choice to cover the nation’s biggest jobs.
Want to speak to an expert project manager to learn more?
