Professional Profile: Chandler Creel

Chandler Creel is the new senior project manager at HPM. He joins the Atlanta management firm expanding its’ pharmaceutical and life sciences reach. Lab Design spoke to Chandler about his career journey, favorite lab building, and his knack for making homemade pizza and kombucha.

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 first became interested in construction around the age of four. One way my mother would keep me entertained while staying home with me was to walk through houses under construction in our neighborhood. It may sound crazy, but I vividly remember seeing the bare studs, piping, and wiring and having the revelation that houses and buildings contained unseen materials and systems that were covered up by walls and ceilings. Those site visits left an impression and I knew I wanted to do something in the realm of buildings.

In fourth grade, I gave a presentation to my class on how I wanted to go to Georgia Tech and become an architect. In high school, I also worked as a laborer for a custom home builder in rural Virginia. It was my first taste of hard labor, and seeing the full life cycle of a construction project. It was also on one of these projects that I started to understand how asking questions could lead to smarter, more efficient work.

One morning, the crew received a truckload of trusses and the first truss we needed was at the bottom of the stack. We spent 30 minutes using a crane to unload and place the trusses randomly around the house before finally picking up the one we needed. I asked my boss if we could request the order of how the trusses were loaded onto the truck next time. He hadn’t thought of that, but we tried it on the next house and it made the work go quicker and life was easier.

After spending a year in architecture at Georgia Tech and fully understanding what the work of an architect entailed, I switched to construction. I interned with a well-known general contractor for two semesters, which was a mixed experience. I had a very difficult project manager during my second semester who gave me the worst job performance review I’ve ever gotten to this day, and told me I had no future in the construction industry.

Due to the economic downturn in 2008, I dabbled in some other industries before returning to construction. I helped start a campus ministry in Tübingen, Germany, spent a few months in a cubicle farm for Wells Fargo, and even worked in the oil field for a fracking company for a few months. But, once I got the opportunity to work on a shutdown project at an oil refinery in Trinidad, I never really looked back.

Q: Tell us about a great book, movie, song, or TV show you’ve enjoyed recently.

A:

• I believe ‘Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind’ should be required reading for every person on the planet.

• Ted Lasso has undoubtedly influenced my leadership style. Not by changing my leadership style, but by providing me with an image and some added confidence to lean into being a caring and positive leader.

• Clair de Lune by Claude Debussy is the most beautiful song, period, and that’s a hill I’m willing to die on. I still get goosebumps every time I hear it.

Q: If you weren’t in this profession, what job would you like to have instead?

A: I’d love to be an assistant coach for a professional soccer club. I’ve gotten into the tactical/formation side of the sport over the last few years, and combining the hyper-analytical part of my brain with my love for developing positive impacting relationships is very appealing to me.

Q: What is the biggest work-related challenge you’ve faced? How did you overcome it?

A: I think the biggest challenge for me personally was a few times earlier in my career when I felt out of place and inadequate at my job. There are a few projects where I struggled and questioned being in this career. I began to wonder if something was wrong with me, but after moving on to another company, I realized the issue wasn’t with me, but with those companies and supervisors. I, like most people, don’t do well when I’m treated like just a cog in the machine and not valued as a person. Once I found myself working for someone who saw me as a person and valued me, my ideas, and even my questions, my career blossomed into what it is today. I keep that in mind as people have started reporting to me.

Q: What is your favorite building, lab-related or not?

A: The project that has significant sentimental value was one where I upgraded an exhaust system for an absorbable suture facility for Ethicon. Approximately 80 percent of the world’s absorbable sutures were manufactured in this one room at a facility in Cornelia, GA.

Having grown up as a rambunctious kid and having my fair share of ER visits and stitches, it was very cool to watch the all-too-familiar purple thread be manufactured in person.

My wife also had surgery, which required those sutures when I was managing that project. During post-op, the doctor started explaining what absorbable stitches were. I politely interrupted and let her know I spent several hours a week in the room where those stitches were manufactured. Working on that project was a surreal and gratifying experience to see the direct positive impact my work was having on a global and personal level.

Q: What is the best piece of professional advice you have received?

A: Once you make a commitment, do whatever it takes to meet that commitment. No excuses.

Q: What’s your typical order when you visit a coffee shop?

A: A double espresso and a large light/medium roast drip.

Q: What is one important skill you think that all lab design experts should have?

A: A basic understanding of how to construct their designs.

Q: If you could teleport to any destination in the world, where would you go?

A: I would never use teleportation as a means of travel. Google “tele-transportation paradox,” and try to convince me a teleportation device wouldn’t be a suicide/murder machine. But even if I had access to a safe method of fast travel, I’m not sure I’d utilize it. Some of the most interesting places I’ve traveled have been a struggle to get to, and think the struggle makes the destination more meaningful and less crowded.

Q: What kinds of hobbies or interests do you have outside of work?

A: Both my wife and I have a love of traveling to new places and experiencing different cultures and ways of life. Jet-setting took a pause during the pandemic and having our son, but we hope to return to it sooner rather than later.

My wife likes to joke that my hobby is getting new hobbies. I have certifications in scuba diving, sailing, and kite surfing.

Living in Saudi for a while, I tried my hand at making my own beer, wine, and cider; more out of necessity than anything.

One of my most significant accomplishments outside of work and family was finishing an Ironman triathlon.

I love fly fishing and have gotten to fish in some fantastic places like Iceland and Patagonia. I’m a big Atlanta United supporter and have season tickets.

I’ve gotten decent at making kombucha, homemade pizza, and sourdough bread. I love cooking for friends and family and experimenting.