Beyond Building Facilities: Q&A with Assistant Project Manager Daniel Scarpelli

Can you tell us what your normal workday or “day in the life” is like?

“Right now, with the current stage of the project, I am usually tied up on calls or meetings most of the day. When I’m not in meetings I am trying to get caught up on paperwork and constantly trying to learn new things. I try to make it out to the jobsite as much as I can also. I am on site every other week for the entire week just trying to support the site team as much as possible.”

What do you enjoy most about your work?

“The challenge; things are constantly changing and evolving day to day. The people are also a huge part of what I enjoy. I have been fortunate to form and keep relationships all over the southeast while working in the field, and I am now building professional relationships here in the Southeast Office.”

You started at Gray as an intern. What made you want to join the Gray family full time and pursue a long-term career with the company?

“The people and the transparency. From the first day I joined Gray as an intern, I have been challenged and have been given a level of responsibility. I always felt like a part of the team, and whoever I reported to was always transparent about if I was messing up or doing something wrong. I appreciated that because they could have easily let me form bad habits or continue doing it the wrong way, but I feel like everyone here wants you to be the best person and professional you can be. Another reason is, I met Stephen and Brian during my internship and they both talked to me like they had known me their whole life. It reinforced that our No. 3 core value, ‘We treat others the way we want to be treated,’ was not just all talk but it was who the people at Gray were to the core. I was hooked and ready to sign on at that moment.”

What has been the most memorable experience with Gray since you started?

“My first project in the field. It was the Mercedes PCC project and it just so happened to be in my hometown. I remember Andy Allen telling me I was going to Woodstock, AL and me thinking ‘Oh boy, here I am going to work for a general contractor that is international, and I get sent back to my hometown.’ It was probably the greatest growth opportunity for me though, knowing I had a hand in the construction of a facility that created jobs and put food on the table for families that I grew up with. I know people who now work there and it’s cool to know that I helped with that. To this day, it is still the project I am most proud to have been a part of.”

What do you like most about the Southeast Office and Birmingham?

“The whole office is close-knit. It has the feel of a small company, but we do very large, complicated, and fast work. It is nothing for members of the office to go out and grab food or drinks any day of the week, or cookout with each other on the weekends.”

In one word or phrase, how would you describe Gray?

“Family.”

If someone was visiting the Birmingham area, what would you recommend to them as a “must-do?”

“Dinner at Gianmarco’s to me is a must do if you visit Birmingham, even for a night. If you get to stay longer, then I would recommend stopping by Good People brewery before a Birmingham Barons baseball game. If you like the outdoors, then Oak Mountain state park and Ruffner Mountain state preserve are a short drive from downtown.”

If you would like to learn more about joining the Gray family, please visit gray.com/careers.