Eric Hedlund has been with Sundt for more than two decades, making him a prominent figure and well-known thought leader in the construction industry. On Oct. 1, he and his colleague Mike Hoover were promoted to serve the company as dual chief operating officers (more here). While we know a lot about Eric from a professional standpoint, we wanted to take a moment to get to know him better personally. So we asked our new COO a few questions, and here’s what we learned:
When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up? I really liked basketball. I wanted to be on the Olympic basketball team! But in terms of a career, when I graduated from high school, I didn’t even know what a career in engineering would be like. I used college to figure out what I wanted to be when I grew up. I liked math and science, and engineering was a natural extension of those. However, as I worked on engineering internships in college, construction quickly became my passion.
What’s your favorite book? My favorite books are the “Jack Ryan” books by Tom Clancy.
How do you like to spend your free time? Playing golf, reading and exercising.
If you could build anything, what would you build? I would love to have been part of the movement of the London Bridge. I think that project would have been a lot of fun to work on. I also enjoy research labs; the ones we’ve built have been really fascinating for me. If I could build anything, I would want to be involved in a very technical research building that’s purpose is to do research for the betterment of mankind.
Where in the world would you most like to visit? Scandinavia, because my family roots originate there.
What is it about Sundt that has led you to make your career here? The quality of the people and the philosophy of the company. It fits very well with my personal approach of being team-based and focused on the greater whole. Each individual benefits from making the whole team successful. That’s the defining element of the ‘Sundt Experience.’