Pat Rodgers: Lifetime GroundBreaker Award Recipient
GroundBreak Carolinas is honored to spotlight Pat Rodgers, President & CEO of Rodgers Builders, a leading family-owned construction services firm headquartered in Charlotte. She is being recognized for her leadership and achievements in the construction industry and local community with our 2021 Lifetime GroundBreaker Award. Pat’s energy, business acumen and leadership have enhanced a wide variety of organizations far beyond…
Meet Dr. William J. Davis, Dept. Head, Civil and Environmental Engineering, The Citadel
Dr. William J. Davis is Department Head and professor for The Citadel’s Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, which includes two majors for cadets: Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering and Bachelor of Science in Construction Engineering. The department also offers a Master of Science in Civil Engineering and four Graduate Certificates: Built Environment and…
2021 GroundBreaker: Nichole Kopenhaver, McCrory Construction
GroundBreak Carolinas is honored to spotlight Nichole Kopenhaver, a member of the exclusive group of 2021 GroundBreakers — five individuals who have gone above and beyond to make a difference for the construction community in the Carolinas. Kopenhaver is Assistant Project Manager with McCrory Construction, South Carolina’s oldest general contractor, and Immediate Past President of…
A Dispatch from Grand Teton National Park
I recently did a four-day solo hike in the backcountry of Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming. I have an enduring theory that people show up as a better version of themselves when they are hiking in the wilderness. I am not sure if it is the thin air, solitude, breathtaking beauty, or freedom from…
A New Era for Marketing
It’s important for firms in all stages of growth to invest in marketing and continue to plan for the future. There’s a stark difference between the way AEC firms looked at marketing during the midpoint of 2020 (confusion, cessation of usual activities, budget cuts) and the way they are approaching marketing spending this year. Business…
A Blueprint for the Construction Labor Shortage
Just as homebuyers are discovering that they must make an offer quickly or risk losing a home to another family, construction companies across the country are finding the same in recruiting experienced, qualified candidates to their firm. Along with a shortage in materials, there is a shortage of experienced workers for nearly every tier of…
2021 GroundBreaker: Demi Knight Clark, She Built This City
GroundBreak Carolinas is honored to spotlight Demi Knight Clark, a member of the exclusive group of 2021 GroundBreakers — five individuals who have gone above and beyond to make a difference for the construction community in the Carolinas. Clark is Founder of She Built This City, a Charlotte-based non-profit focused on introducing adult women and young…
Holder Construction’s Jesica Johnson Returns to Clemson and Fulfills a Promise
“I’m going to go here, and I’m going to build something here.” That’s what Jesica Galloway Johnson told her father when they came to Clemson from nearby Walhalla for football games as she was growing up. “Papa used to drive us around town when we were little and say, ‘You know, I built this,’” she…
How to Share Construction Opportunities with Students – and Why You Should
I grew up in a small town with little education about career opportunities outside of the typical mold of a four-year degree. Back in 2019, I drove through my hometown and stopped at a fast-food restaurant to find that three of my high school classmates worked there — 14 years post-high school graduation. It made…
Business is Always Personal
“This is just business. It’s not personal.” I remember the first time I heard those words. It is a story I have told repeatedly over the years. It was in the early 1990s and I was a young manager dealing with a difficult situation on a project. Making the situation more difficult was one specific…
