I'm based in Northern California. I'm transitioning into the leadership role of Strawn Construction. A Construction Management and General Contracting firm that specializes in School Construction. I direct project management teams, drive strategy, oversee technological transformations, and look to find ways for Strawn Construction to add value to school construction and facilites projects.
I worked a variety of formative jobs before and during college, including McDonald's, Taco Bell, Longs Drugs, Residential and Commercial Mover, Ventana Property Services, and Home Depot. At McDonald's and Taco Bell, I learned to work with those at the lower end of the workforce. It was not great work, but even from my first job I learned fast and was valuable to my employers. I cooked, washed dishes, handled cash and worked the drive through. At Longs I met my future wife and learned the power of making lists. As a mover I worked with ex cons in segregated moving teams. I learned why I wanted to work with my mind and not hard physical labor. I did learn the concept of working smarter not harder. At Ventana I learned sales and how to work in an office environment, and Home Depot is where I was first introduced to a formal training and development program. I also got first hand experience with customer service and learned doors, windows and trim in the millwork department.
I ended up pursuing and achieving a degree in physics with a minor in mathematics. Why physics? I wanted to build strong analytical and problem solving skills that I knew would apply in almost any field. Physics taught me how to approach complex problems logically and break them down, which has proven invaluable in areas like data analysis and project management. I also knew a physics degree would show that I can handle technical and abstract thinking, making me a strong candidate for a wide range of roles beyond traditional physics jobs.
I joined the family construction firm. Building is in my blood. My Grandfather was an iron worker who built the Bay Bridge, my father is a civil engineer, and has worked on everything from Nuclear power plants to mushroom farms, but ended up in schools. I asked what he did as a child, and he answered, "Jacob, I argue with people all day long."
I joined the construction industry after already working in healthcare training and development for almost 10 years. It shaped who I am, and training people will always be closest to my heart. Even after all these years I prefer to build people more than buildings. It works out as Strawn Construction needs more and more qualified competent employees performing at the highest level. I also learned my first great lesson from my friend Larry. Always leave a room better than you found it. I took that idea and ran with it until it practically became my life mission. I always leave everything including people, a team I work with...anything better than I found it. I must be a net positive.
I've tried to explain to people why construction is so important. It isn't just that construction is essential because it creates the built environment that shapes nearly every aspect of our lives—roads, buildings, utilities, and public spaces where we live, work, and connect. This infrastructure supports safety, resilience, and modern functionality, making it possible for communities to thrive. It isn't just that. It is these built environments are part of us, just like our tools and our cars are able to be thought of as extensions of our bodies, our built environment is part of us. I could argue the industry is more important than any other.
There have been challenges. Being the owner's son is difficult; you can never be just an employee. You are isolated. Succession is always a topic of discussion, and it is still an unsolved problem. Moreover, construction is inherently challenging, and there have been bad projects and costly mistakes. A friend of mine, who is a superintendent, and I often discuss how the decisions we make daily can involve tens of thousands of dollars and how we balance these decisions against their impact on the schedule. We frequently ask ourselves whether an issue is worth stopping the job over. However, these challenges and mistakes build experience; they make the next job better. If you aren't willing to make mistakes, then you are in the wrong field.
I see a better future for public school construction. I am CSI certified and trained on the the master format system. I loved the order of it, but then I realized it was more of an attempt at order, but I feel in my bones that this organization and order is what construction needs. The execution isn't there yet. I'm hopeful that easier to use and more powerful database applications will bring our execution closer to reality. There could be a single source of truth. Transparent for all to see. That can be constantly improved, and used throughout the life of the project.
How do I see the work. Process and procedure. Construction is just a series of linear steps. Site work, foundations, structure, rough in, then finishes. It is very complex due to interconnections, but step 1 comes before step 2 and you can't complete step 4 before step 3. I think almost all problems occur when we forget this. You can't just know there is a linear process, but you need to be able to see the steps and people need to know how to do each step. This is not my whole philosophy. There is room for some magic. I have seen problems solved and work completed when everyone said it was impossible. Human will can bend logic and I have had the privilege to work with people who know you can get it done. Whatever it is...it can be done.
One of the most defining moments for me in the last decade was when I was in my kitchen, listening to an interview with Garry Kasparov discussing the concept of "centaur chess." He explained that a centaur chess player is a human who plays chess while consulting an AI for moves, creating a unique partnership between human intuition and machine precision. It wasn't just the idea of centaur chess that struck me; it was the discussion about "open chess," where novice players could outperform experienced ones by leveraging superior AI support. In that moment, I immediately knew I wanted that advantage for myself—the ability to enhance my skills and decision making with the power of AI.
My current mission is applying existing AI technologies to improve Maintenance, Meetings, Staff Development, and Financial Forecasting. Of these I'm most excited about staff development. People are the foundation, and empowering them with AI can foster growth, streamline learning, and personalize development. This approach helps build a more skilled, engaged workforce, better equipped to meet our organizational goals and adapt to future challenges. Also, a certain amount of learning and development is required to function in the advanced technological age.
I have recently spoken at the CASH conference workshops and participated in panels for the Western Winter Workshop. I think constantanly about the future of construction, projects, and ai.
One idea I've been thinking about for years involves ai agents modeled after Mr. Meeseeks, a blue, humanoid character from "Rick and Morty," summoned to complete a single task, after which he ceases to exist, often exclaiming, "I'm Mr. Meeseeks, look at me!" In my concept these agents take on tasks autonomously, freeing up our team to tackle strategic decision making. Imagine that a submittal was alive and wanted to "complete itself", and was able to email, communicate, and determine if a pdf matched what is requested in the specifications. I like this vision because it isn't an incremental change to our existing work. I'm not talking about 1 or two agents who assist a project manager. I see thousands of agents on each project who are relentless about accurately achieving a goal that is essential to the project.
Not just idea. I've put my technology chops to good use. Writing pythons scripts that use AI generated content directly into my airtable databases. Numerous google app scripts for more productivity in our construction teams. Daily checklists for project managers, and even hard coded change order wizards that make users draft proper change order requests compliant with the project general conditions.
Ultimately, my work is about advancing these ideas every day. Each meeting, design review, and submittal is more than just a task to complete—it's part of a greater mission. I'm not here merely to manage projects; I'm here to question the status quo, push boundaries, and rethink what construction management can achieve. So many companies talk about building the future, but I want Strawn to be a place where incredible people execute at a level the industry has yet to see.
I refuse to accept the current limitations of our field. I envision a future where we can build more with fewer resources, where projects are completed with zero change orders, and where construction costs decrease over time, just as technology costs do. I'm tired of hearing that inefficiencies, delays, and design imperfections are inevitable. That mindset has frustrated me my entire career. Excellence isn't a luxury—it should be the standard in an industry as essential as ours.