Sundt Connections

Anne Hatfield has operated heavy equipment for Sundt for the past 7.5 years.

When Anne Hatfield takes a vacation this fall, she is going with people who are in her line of work. It’s a tight-knit group that gets together every year to discuss their profession and enjoy each other’s company.

The group is meeting in the tiny, scenic community of Tofino on Vancouver Island this September. It’s the perfect spot for the International Sisterhood of Equipment Operators – a small group of female construction professionals who usually stand out on the job site.

“We mostly get together to get away and be around other women who have the same life experiences,” said Anne, who has been with Sundt for 7.5 years. “It’s kind of nice.”

Anne and her friends are accustomed to being the only female construction professionals on their projects. Their expertise working heavy equipment earns quick respect from their co-workers.

“I never had a problem fitting in,” she said. “Once I proved to them I could do what they were doing, they were always very accepting of me. I guess I was a novelty.”

Anne has worked on transportation projects in Arkansas, Arizona, California, New Mexico, North Dakota and Texas. Most of her work involves using equipment such as scrapers, loaders, bulldozers and backhoe, making her a valuable person to have around.

“I don’t remember having any down time,” Anne said.

Anne is working on our Ina Road/I-10 improvements in Tucson. She has been on the project for the past year, allowing her to spend time at her home in nearby Oracle.

“It’s been really nice to be home,” she said. “It’s good to be around family.”

Anne was a late bloomer in construction, getting started in her 30s. She was working nights at a rehab hospital when she decided it was time to make a radical career change. She was hired by a residential construction company in Phoenix as the housing boom sparked up.

“The company was training anyone who wanted to learn, because it was so short-handed,” Anne said.

Anne made her way to Sundt a few years later. While women on the site are still rare, they are getting more company all the time.

“I am seeing more female engineer interns during the summer,” Anne said. “It seems like more and more women are getting into the field.”

Anne is one of hundreds of women who work for Sundt Construction. This article is part of a series celebrating Women in Construction Week.

Interested in pursuing a career with Sundt? Please click here for more information.

A Mike Gaines event player tees off on the scenic 18th hole at Arizona National in Tucson.

We’re teeing it up for a great cause in Tucson next Friday and everyone is invited to join.

Our company and industry partners support the fight against ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease, by holding five golf tournaments and a trap-shooting event at locations across the Southwest. They honor the memory of Mike Gaines, a longtime Sundt employee-owner who died in 2002 from ALS complications. The events, which started with a golf tournament in Tucson in 2001, have raised almost $2 million.

The golf tournament in Tucson is being held at Arizona National Golf Club on March 2. Individual golfers pay $200 and foursomes cost $800. Registration covers golf, range balls and lunch and all proceeds benefit ALS research. Registration starts at 6:30 a.m. and the tournament begins at 7:30 a.m.

For more information on the event, please visit the Sundt Foundation page or contact Aly Gartin at (520) 750-4702. The next Mike Gaines event is March 30 at the Legacy Golf Resort in Phoenix.

Sundt Heavy Machinery Operator Jesse De Haro.

Heavy Machinery Operator Jesse De Haro has been with Sundt for more than 10 years, working on projects across the Southwest.

Last year, Jesse became one of dozens of Sundt craft professionals to earn NCCER-Plus Certification. The assessment is broken into two parts. Knowledge verification is a written test that assesses the employee’s knowledge of a subject matter within an area of expertise, such as pipefitting, industrial concrete or ironworking. The second part is the performance verification, a hands-on demonstration that measures the employee’s ability to perform skills in a particular area of expertise. Craft professionals carry the certification throughout their careers.

A Tucson native, Jesse is working at home on the Banner-UMC project. Previously, he was across town on our Ina/I-10 improvements.

What made you want to work for Sundt?

My dad connected me with the company and I really got close to a lot of guys. I felt like they were family. I still feel that way.

What has been your favorite project?

I’m kind of biased on that. My first job was the Fourth Avenue underpass. It couldn’t have been a better job as a 21-year-old. I got to work at home.

What’s the best part about your job?

Besides building cool things and saying I was a part of it, I like meeting good people when I go out of town. People who see this as a career. I’m open to teaching green guys who are willing to pick it up. I like to see people prosper and become part of the Sundt culture.

What are your hobbies?

I love to spend time with my young daughter. I collect DVDs and Blu-rays and try to work out when I’m not too tired.

Where do you get your best advice?

I turn to a lot of my superintendents … people I’ve worked for over time and built relationships with. They help me with work and personal things.

If you weren’t in the construction industry, what would you be doing?

Maybe a mechanic. It’s become more of a hobby. I really like what I do.

Our prep work at the site of the future Caterpillar Tucson Mining Center recently revealed buried treasure.

The team was excavating and removing trash about 20 feet deep when Project Superintendent Aaron Bond noticed paper blowing around on the ground outside the work area. He took a closer look and saw the Sundt logo. To his surprise, it was an employee check stub dated 1943.

“We looked around a little bit and found about 15 additional check stubs,” Aaron said. “The checks still had the ‘Safety First’ motto printed at the top.”

Some of the check stubs were for workers who were born in the late 1800s. We have performed work in the Tucson region for almost 90 years.

“It certainly gives a tangible reminder to our longevity working in Southern Arizona,” said Regional Vice President Ian McDowell.

While these checks from the 1940s were for small amounts, craft professionals these days make careers out of their work. For more on a job with Sundt, please visit our website.

Sundt Field Superintendent Andres Herrera.

Andres and his wife, Silvia, moved to Tucson in 2011 from Phoenix. He worked in Sierra Vista, Arizona on the Fort Huachuca Barracks shortly before joining the team in Tucson and briefly working on the Las Cruces High School project overseeing demolition work to prepare for the second phase.

He earned his bachelor’s degree in construction management from the Del E. Webb School of Construction at Arizona State University with a minor in business from the W.P. Carey School of Business. Andres and Sylvia have three children.

What does a Field Superintendent do?

A Field Superintendent assists the Project Superintendent with managing the field activities associated with the construction of the project, developing and maintaining the project schedule and coordinating inspections to assure the execution of a safe and quality project that is delivered on time and on budget.

What’s your favorite project you’ve worked on while with the company?

My favorite would have to be construction of the 13-acre Northwest Fire Training Facility campus for several reasons. One being it was the project that relocated me from Phoenix to Tucson and although I bleed maroon and gold, I enjoy living in Tucson more than Phoenix. Also, like many kids, when I was younger, I wanted to become a firefighter and this project allowed me the opportunity to not only drive a fire truck and go through the training obstacle course while wearing the full turnout gear but also enter the live fire burn building we constructed. It was an experience I will never forget. I developed a greater respect for the men and women who fight fires, especially during the hot summer months.

Who has had the biggest positive impact on your career?

My close friend and mentor Josh Geis whom I worked with at the Northwest Fire Training Facility gave me the inspiration to become a superintendent.

Have any hobbies?

My 1-year-old son keeps me busy chasing him around! I definitely enjoy spending time with my family and running/hiking with my wife.

Dog person or cat person?

Growing up as a child, I had a German Shepherd as well as a Rottweiler. Now with a family of my own and being outnumbered by my wife and two daughters, we have a poodle. I would definitely say I am a dog person.