I have always loved working with my hands. Growing up in a little Ukrainian village, I was always able to build something at home with scrap materials that were laying around. Even now when I look at any waste material, I ask myself what I can create with it. This led me to a career in construction. When I came to the US back in 2009, I immediately noticed how fast-paced construction is here and how much waste it generates. The speed and constructibility approach impressed me, but the waste disappointed me. I asked why the industry easily throws away good materials, and the answer was always that it’s cheaper to buy new materials than dealing with wrong sizes. After 4 years as a GC, I got an opportunity through my friend to join VEC in the early days, despite not knowing BIM and electrical. I quickly understood that I could provide real value by bringing my goal of reducing waste to fruition through efficiently utilizing BIM.
My proudest moment was at the end of our early mega projects that I was leading. This was my first project at VEC which I started as a BIM Specialist without knowing much about BIM and electrical. I worked so hard that working 12–13 hours a day became my norm. VEC CEO, Shane, came back from the meeting with my client and shared that he just received the most rewarding feedback from a client he had ever received. The feedback was “I probably shouldn't tell you this, but it shouldn't be this easy."
It’s very hard to say which one was the most memorable. Each of our events and gatherings come with such great joy and a new experience that I wouldn’t have ever experienced without the VEC team. I love them all — trips to Tahoe, Las Vegas, Nashville, golfing after work, and just grabbing lunch with teammates is the best time.