Congratulations to Alex Smith on becoming the new Managing Member at Subsurface Construction. Alex is a professional engineer, a partner at Subsurface, a volunteer in his community and our friend. We sat down with Alex to see what makes him tick.
Briefly describe what you do all day.
For the first 12 years at Subsurface, I was a project manager and estimator who had to learn and gain experience by relying on mentors and jumping in and figuring things out for myself. I learned quickly by making some mistakes and asking a lot of questions. I was fortunate to learn from some of the best leaders in the industry, right here at Subsurface. In the past year or so, I have been involved in implementing a new operating system for the business and learning about other facets of the business that I had no experience with. This has opened my eyes to how many different people and processes it takes to make a business operate effectively and safely.
What is the best thing about your job?
Hands down it is the people. I really enjoy meeting new people and helping people achieve their goals and aspirations. I really enjoy getting feedback from others that we have made a positive impact. I want everyone who comes in contact with Subsurface, whether it is a client, vendor, or team member, to have an awesome experience and believe that we as a team have added value to the projects and more importantly to their lives
What is the best thing about Subsurface?
Once again that is the people who I get to know and work with daily. The relationships that have been made over the past 14 years are what I cherish the most. Being able to contribute to a team to build great projects, learn from one another, help people achieve their goals, and develop friendships has been fulfilling. Having fun in what I do is awesome as well.
What has been one of your proudest moments working at Subsurface?
I would say that even though I have had some very difficult times over the years, whether it be project related or personal, that I have never given up and never had to compromise mine nor the company’s values. I am proud to be associated with a company in which the leaders encourage others to always do what is right and to uphold our core values of Honesty, Creativity, Respect & Dignity, and Self-Motivation. I am proud to be associated with some of the best people I have ever met and that we are a company where individuals bring their own talents and gifts together to accomplish great work, but more importantly help one another grow as individuals.
What do you like to do when you are not at the office?
I enjoy spending time with my beautiful wife Kelly, my son Landon (7 years old), and Hallie (3 years old). I enjoy duck hunting and spending time outdoors.
What inspires you?
Life. I am thankful that God has given me so many opportunities and that I can live everyday knowing that He has a purpose for me and that in some way I can help others achieve or find their purpose as well. I am inspired by seeing how others have special gifts and how they use those gifts to benefit the team. There is no one person who can do all things and seeing others become successful and add value through their gifts inspires me.
Why engineering?
I think it was what I was called to do. I was never overly excited about engineering, but it was the path that was laid out before me. The engineering path has prepared me to solve problems but has also opened many doors for helping people. I am glad I went this route.
What is the most important attribute of a good leader?
I would say always do what is right. We all make mistakes, but if you make decisions on what you believe is right and truthful, usually things will work out for the best.
Also, listening to and caring for people. There are a lot of things we cannot change about this world but having a positive impact on someone’s life is a good start. We are all leaders in some way and have influence on others. The way we treat and serve people will have an impact on future generations. One of our best opportunities to make a positive impact is with the people we work with.