In 2004, Jonathan joined Dome Construction and over the last 16 years, he has been instrumental in growing the culture of Dome and growing the South Bay team.
Jonathan grew up in Sierra Nevada foothills and his love for the snow and the mountains fueled an early obsession for snowboarding. In light of his talent on the slopes, Jonathan decided to attend college to pursue another interest—construction! In 1999, he moved to Central California to attend Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo where he majored in Industrial Engineering.
After college, Jonathan moved to San Francisco and landed at Dome Construction as a bright-eyed Project Engineer, eager to learn. Over the course of the next four years, Jonathan worked on an array of projects, the most notable being a new health campus for the County of Marin.
In May of 2008, Jonathan left Dome for a year and a half, only to realize that the grass truly isn’t always greener and boomeranged back a year later. Over his 16 year career, Jonathan’s experience has run the gamut. With a background in market sectors that include: Life Science, Cleantech, Commercial Interiors, Healthcare and various sectors in between—Jonathan’s depth of knowledge is great and having the ability to oversee a full range of projects across multiple market sectors makes him vital to our team.
After a move to the South Bay from San Francisco, Jonathan set out to grow Dome’s South Bay presence and open the doors to new opportunities—and over the years, he’s done just that. He’s managed to build strong lasting relationships with his clients, his trade partners, and most importantly, his team. In 2017, Jonathan was promoted to Associate Director allowing him to foster and build even stronger relationships and continue to expand his business into the booming tech market in Silicon Valley.
Now, in 2020, Jonathan is named Director. As he begins this next chapter in his career, Jonathan is most excited about cultivating the next round of leaders and continuing to build Dome’s market presence.
Today, Jonathan lives in the South Bay with his wife Tera, and their two children, Jaye (7), and Madison (5). When Jonathan isn’t working, you can find him tending to his vegetable garden or unsurprisingly, in the mountains with a board strapped to his feet.
We interviewed Jonathan to learn more about who he is and to get a better understanding of what he’s looking forward to in his new Role.
What brought you into the construction industry?
Construction Management brings together all sorts of things I enjoy. Building things, working with people, solving problems, customer service, and design aesthetics all combine to be part of the construction process and these are the things that really provide me with a spark.
What do you like most about construction?
Like most things in life, what I have enjoyed most about construction has changed over time. At the beginning of my career, it was all about seeing the physical progress of construction and the sense of accomplishment that you feel at the end of a project. As time has passed, I have become more and more inspired by the design and the design process.
There is always beauty in the design process. Whether it is the ease of use and simplicity of function or the way space makes you feel, I enjoy seeing the way Architects’ and Designers’ minds work and how they create something from nothing.
What do you like most about the company and your job?
From the day I interviewed at Dome, I knew this company was different. I felt supported and valued, not just tagged as a number. This feeling of value extends to everyone that we work with, both inside and outside of Dome. My passion is working with people and building relationships. We sometimes like to say that at Dome, “We’re a customer service company and our passion just happens to be Construction.” For me, this statement really rings true.
People don’t always look fondly on construction, in fact, many would actually say it is something they dread. Construction does not have to be that way. It can be a fun, collaborative journey that is enjoyed by all team members that leads to an awesome final product. This is our customer experience mindset when we go to work.
How do you see Dome developing in the next 5 years?
I’m very excited about where Dome will be in 5 years. We have an amazing team of people throughout Dome focused on becoming better. A few years back Dome started our LEAN journey, which boils down to creating a company-wide culture of continuous improvement. This always-get-better mentality has led to some amazing breakthroughs for Dome, from creating a more robust and compliant application-based safety program called eMOD to advancing our knowledge around how to improve communication with all types of people. When everyone focuses individually on improvement, small incremental change ends up growing and becoming a huge impact.
This LEAN journey only works when the people in the organization are comfortable with continuous change and improvement. I’m very excited to see how our up-and-coming leaders within Dome embrace these concepts and help shape the future of Dome.
What has been the best piece of advice someone has given you?
I’ve been so lucky to work with and learn from so many great people during my career. The best piece of advice I have received is to focus on and be mindful of, the everyday process.
While being results-driven and dedicated to the final project outcome are great qualities to have in the construction industry, becoming hyper-focused can lead to losing sight of creative solutions and other strategic goals. Learning to concentrate more on the process in addition to the outcome has allowed me to slow down, become a better problem solver, see the bigger picture more clearly, and find joy in the everyday. When this is done well, the results will follow.
Tell us about a project or accomplishment that you consider to be the most significant in your career.
Our industry is all about working with people and creating alignment towards a final goal. I’m lucky in that I’ve been able to learn from and work for many great leaders, inside and outside of Dome, each with a different skillset and approach to creating that alignment.
The thing I’m most proud of in my career is being able to pass on what I have learned to others in our industry. Sharing this knowledge and watching others grow, learn, and become better at their craft is very very cool.
If you weren’t in construction, what would you be doing?
If I wasn’t in construction, I would likely own a BBQ food truck or Bed and Breakfast. I really enjoy cooking and entertaining for people, getting to interact, and learning more about people from all different places.
What might someone be surprised to know about you?
I enjoy all things music. From going to concerts to listening to music, music is an escape for me. Growing up I played Piano, Saxophone, and sang in multiple choirs.
What do you do when you aren’t working?
Ha! Well, right now I spend a lot of time in our yard, tending to the vegetable garden and keeping up with small projects. I’ve been known to pull weeds during conference calls. I’ve also gotten really good at making sourdough bread. When we’re not in the middle of a pandemic, my favorite place is on the snow with a board strapped to my feet.