Scott Hammond is the Director of Public Relations and Governmental Affairs at Erickson-Hall. CBJ interviewed Mr. Hammond about his passion for the construction industry, the rewards of working with public agencies and Erickson-Hall’s ability to provide quality projects to public sector clients with limited budgets.
1. Tell us a little bit about your background and what inspires you at work.
As a young boy I was raised and groomed in the construction industry. My father became a licensed general contractor in February 1978 and owned and operated his own business for over 30 years. My involvement in his company started as a construction apprentice at the age of 15. After working in the field throughout my youth, I ended up going to college focusing my studies in marketing and construction management. For the past 15 years, I have led a marketing team for my respective employers to help grow their client base and advocate for the best business practices in our industry.
My inspiration to work in this field is really driven from my father. Growing up and watching him work, I realized that the construction industry was more than just constructing buildings. There are a number of components that have to be executed in order to deliver a successful project. It is crucial to understand your client’s needs, be cognoscente of their budget, assemble the appropriate project team and delivery method, and most importantly delivering the project on time and within budget.
2. What is your favorite aspect of working with government clients? Is there anything unique about working with governments and municipalities versus other clients?
The construction industry continues to progress by offering various integrated project deliveries to the public sector. This menu of project delivery methods is a great tool to have when you’re working with a client. Each public agency has its own identity. One of my favorite aspects of working with government clients is being able to provide them options.
3. What are two unique competitive advantages Erickson-Hall brings to the table?
One of the biggest advantages Erickson-Hall provides to its clients is true ownership involvement. As a privately held firm, the two owners stay very active with their employees as well as our clients. Erickson-Hall can proudly say that most of our current business is with past clients. Our philosophy and mission is to make sure we maintain a high level of communication and workmanship from the time we meet a potential client to the follow through after a project is built.
Another competitive advantage that Erickson-Hall provides is its flexibility in services offered. In addition to being a licensed general contractor, we have the ability to provide construction management, program management and public-private partnership structures. These services make us unique because it provides the client with additional value in these areas because we’re a builder.
4. How does Erickson-Hall help government organizations and municipalities address the challenges they face today?
The word that defines this is “flexibility”. In our current economic condition the one thing we realize is we must be flexible with our clients’ needs. There are a number of public agencies that have infrastructure needs with little to no cash flow to move forward. Erickson-Hall provides significant depth and resources to assist and strategize with owners on how they can push forward with a much needed construction project.
We assist our clients with budgeting, cost analysis, financing options and an overall turn-key solution to their project needs.
5. Tell us about a hobby you have or something you enjoy doing outside of work.
I have 2 boys ages 6 & 11 and I enjoy coaching their baseball, basketball and soccer teams. I stay active by working out 5 days a week, playing flag football, snowboarding, running and biking.
