7
OPINION
Our future depends on bridging generational gaps through mentorship, field experience, and modern leadership development. The future of construction management
W e’re witnessing a massive shift in how construction is managed. Gen X and baby boomers are “the old school.” They primarily make up the VPs, senior superintendents, and owners who are retiring or selling their businesses every day.
In “the new school,” we have millennials, who are the primary generation responsible for overseeing today’s work – as project executives, PMs, superintendents, etc. Then there’s Gen Z, who is graduating from college and joining the front lines of important projects as APMs and project engineers. There are far more new schoolers on your average job site today than there are old schoolers. Thus, the new school of construction management is here, and it’s impossible to ignore. Meanwhile, Gen X and baby boomers are our last generations of truly great builders. Don’t get me wrong – there is some serious building talent in the millennial generation, but it’s so much rarer. Most millennials have spent more time in their career focused on managing the construction rather than building it themselves. And technology and unrealistic schedule expectations from owners have skewed their perception of what is possible to execute in the field.
I know it’s true because I’m a millennial who followed a very common “new school” path: civil engineering degree, two summers interning as a project engineer at a GC, seven years running and estimating work at a trade contractor, VP of preconstruction and sales at 28 years old, and master’s degree in construction management. I am very good at understanding how to use technology, communicating with customers, selling, and managing a project efficiently – which are massively important skills – but I have no real experience in the field. I only know as much as what the people before me have shown me. Running construction companies this way is exciting but also terrifying. It’s good to be more efficient and great communicators, but what happens when we lose this generation of great builders? And what happens when the field realizes their value and gets sick of listening to the office telling them what to do? And how about when high-potential people leave
Matt Verderamo, MS
See MATT VERDERAMO, page 8
THE ZWEIG LETTER AUGUST 11, 2025, ISSUE 1597
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