Professional Profile: Brian Parmenter
Lab Design News spoke to Brian Parmenter, project executive at Callahan Construction in Boston, about his career journey.
Q: How did you get started in your career? Did you major in your field in college, get an internship, switch careers mid-stream, etc.?
A: I went to school for civil engineering, but realized over multiple internships that my true passion was actually in building and managing construction projects. After school, I started as a field engineer and worked my up to the superintendent role. After 10 years in the field, I transitioned to the project management side and am currently a project executive with 20+ years in the industry.
Q: What is a typical day at work like for you?
A: There is no such thing as a typical day in construction. Some days are filled with meetings in the office; others are spent going to job sites for project team meetings. I go where I am needed and try to balance office and field time. It is never boring, that’s for sure. A typical day revolves around meetings with clients, staff, and subcontractors. The focus of every day is to provide a smooth ride for clients and to make sure my teams have everything they need to be successful in the delivery of a high-quality product, on time and under budget.
Q: If you weren’t in this profession, what job do you think you’d be doing instead?
A: I was studying environmental engineering at the University of Rhode Island (URI) but switched my major to civil engineering. Newport, Rhode Island has gorgeous bridges, and I was fascinated by the civil and structural engineering aspects so changed my major. If I hadn’t been studying in Rhode Island, I might still be doing environmental engineering.
Q: What is the biggest work-related challenge you’ve faced? How did you overcome it?
A: Supply chain issues continue even three years after the COVID-19 pandemic and can have a negative impact on life science projects where specialized equipment is required. They can’t open or start work without it. We have a mechanical, electrical, and plumbing (MEP) department with specialists in-house and they can pick up the phone and get us answers about a workaround. They are very specialized and think outside the box. This is a big differentiator for Callahan Construction. Also, we have good relationships with our trade partners, and they help us come up with workarounds to mitigate the impact of equipment issues.
Q: What are you working on now?
A: I am working on three core and shell projects with lab fit-outs. We are doing a lot of office-to-lab conversions in the Boston area to meet the growing demand for lab space. We gut the building and put in a structural steel roof to support the equipment required for life science companies.
