Mark Drzewiecki
Vice President & Interim President-elect CQEC Board of Governors Regional Quality Director Mortenson Construction Company |
"I’m an active participant in CQEC because I believe that innovation is bred through diverse thought, so if we all share experiences and work together toward common goals, we can overcome the challenges that affect our industry today and set the bar for the next generation of builders tomorrow."
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Mark Drzewiecki is a Regional Quality Director for Mortenson Construction and is currently based out of the Seattle office. Founded in Minneapolis in 1954, Mortenson Construction is a family-owned organization employing more than 5,000 professionals operating out of 12 regional offices throughout the United States. Mortenson’s portfolio of business is widespread and diverse, including commercial and hospitality, residential, environmental and water treatment, civil and infrastructure, wind and solar energy, high voltage transmission, Federal and sports and entertainment projects. Mark’s responsibilities include direct oversight of quality operations for Mortenson’s regional offices in the western United Sates, as well as assisting with development of company initiatives and strategies that support Mortenson’s Zero Defect and Continuous Improvement philosophies.
With over two decades of experience in the construction industry, 19 of those years with Mortenson, Mark has developed a people first mentality and understands that if we want to improve results and move the needle in the industry, we need to focus on leading indicators that drive and motivate team member’s behaviors. At Mortenson, strong emphasis has been placed on developing and mentoring talent, monitoring progress of individuals’ career aspirations and relating this back to their importance in the company’s objectives, specifically how they impact quality results. Mark believes if we can’t do things right the first time, we are placing ourselves at a higher risk with out-of-sequence and unplanned rework, usually in awkward positions and with aggressive time constraints. This increases our risk for injuries, schedule delays, increased costs and overall lower team member morale.
Mark understands that quality is the root of our success and failure in the industry, so if we apply adequate resources to planning both during the design and construction phases of the project, we can overcome these challenges and deliver successful projects. He believes there are an array of challenges that exist in the industry today. However, none are more pressing than the trend of a decreasing skilled workforce. This places increased stress on project teams to achieve the aligned acceptance criteria that were established during the planning process. The industry as a whole needs to do a better job of creating standards for work execution, similar to manufacturing, so baseline results can be established and improved upon. Quality needs to be built into the execution of the work, not added at the end, and it needs to be in a format that is sustainable and easily understood by the craft. Mark also believes that if we have the right mix of people with diverse thought and backgrounds participating in the planning process, we can drive innovation to the next level in our industry to improve results and increase overall efficiency.
With over two decades of experience in the construction industry, 19 of those years with Mortenson, Mark has developed a people first mentality and understands that if we want to improve results and move the needle in the industry, we need to focus on leading indicators that drive and motivate team member’s behaviors. At Mortenson, strong emphasis has been placed on developing and mentoring talent, monitoring progress of individuals’ career aspirations and relating this back to their importance in the company’s objectives, specifically how they impact quality results. Mark believes if we can’t do things right the first time, we are placing ourselves at a higher risk with out-of-sequence and unplanned rework, usually in awkward positions and with aggressive time constraints. This increases our risk for injuries, schedule delays, increased costs and overall lower team member morale.
Mark understands that quality is the root of our success and failure in the industry, so if we apply adequate resources to planning both during the design and construction phases of the project, we can overcome these challenges and deliver successful projects. He believes there are an array of challenges that exist in the industry today. However, none are more pressing than the trend of a decreasing skilled workforce. This places increased stress on project teams to achieve the aligned acceptance criteria that were established during the planning process. The industry as a whole needs to do a better job of creating standards for work execution, similar to manufacturing, so baseline results can be established and improved upon. Quality needs to be built into the execution of the work, not added at the end, and it needs to be in a format that is sustainable and easily understood by the craft. Mark also believes that if we have the right mix of people with diverse thought and backgrounds participating in the planning process, we can drive innovation to the next level in our industry to improve results and increase overall efficiency.