August 3, 2017
Alten Construction strives to help every member of its team navigate a successful career path – from interns and new employees to those who are interested in project management, engineering or supervisory roles.
Everyone that works at Alten Construction, a full-service San Francisco Bay Area commercial construction company, is considered part of the Alten family and that includes six college students who are working alongside Alten Construction project managers and superintendents this summer to learn more about the construction industry.
For years, Alten Construction has hired college interns to further their knowledge and gain valuable hands-on experience while assisting with a number of different projects Alten Construction is currently working on, including Roseland University Prep High School, Tierra Linda Middle School in San Carlos, Calif., San Jose City College’s new gymnasium and San Rafael Fire Station No. 52 and No. 57, among countless others.
Through a selective interview process, Alten Construction tries to find students who are not only willing to learn the technical skills they’ll need to know to do the job, but more importantly fit the mold of the company and are willing to go above and beyond to manage expectations while cultivating relationships with clients and colleagues along the way.
“We can teach them all the technical skills they’ll need to know, but we cannot teach them work ethic, positive attitude and an innate ability to build and foster relationships,” says Andrew Nortz, vice president of operations for Alten Construction. “These things are instilled at a young age and we look for men and women that exemplify these traits to the greatest degree possible.”
Alten Construction places its interns in positions where they can learn the job and mentor under experienced professionals. After graduation, Alten Construction’s new employees, many of whom come from the company’s internship program, work in the field for several years to further learn the challenges and tricks of the trade.
Each of Alten Construction’s six interns was given a specific project to work on this summer while learning more about the company, which not only offers a full range of commercial construction services, but is also a licensed builder with its own shop, carpenters and construction laborers.
“Our project managers, project engineers and superintendents strive to teach the next generation of managers the technical skills they will need when they enter the workforce,” says Andrew. “As for the industry as a whole, we consider it our responsibility to make the intern’s time with us productive, and to send them off with a usable skill set that allows them to make a positive impact wherever they end up.”
All of the students that Alten Construction hired this summer have enjoyed learning more about the construction industry while gaining valuable real world experience.
Q: What made you want to get into this field?
A: I’m not completely sure. I wanted to go to Cal Poly and construction management seemed like a good program and something interesting, so I tried it. I am very happy I did.
Q: Why did you apply for an internship with Alten Construction?
A: I know the owner and his son very well. I knew that Alten would be a place where I would be thrown right in the action and be able to learn more than anywhere else I could possibly have an internship.
Q: Who is your supervisor with Alten Construction?
A: Luke O’Neill, project engineer.
Q: When did you start your internship and how long does it run?
A: June 23 through Aug. 31.
Q: What project are you currently assisting with?
A: Roseland University Prep High School.
Q: What’s been your favorite part of the internship thus far?
A: Learning more in two weeks than I have in the first two years of college.
Q: What do you hope to take away from the internship?
A: I hope to take away the knowledge and frame of reference to excel in school and get a solid job after college.
Q: What are your aspirations for the future?
A: To become a developer.
Q: What is a typical day like for you on the job?
A: RFIs, RFPs, submittals, as builts and taking progress photos.
Q: What’s been the most challenging part of your internship thus far?
A: Not being afraid to ask questions. At first I thought I would be annoying or a burden if I asked questions, but I quickly realized how helpful everyone is and how much they want to teach us. Luke has explained everything with so much detail and wants to make sure I fully understand it.
Q: What made you want to get into this field?
A: At first it was because it was different than anything I’d ever learned before; but now that I see how the industry works, I want to be in this field because of the people. Dealing with subs on a day-to-day basis and being able to manage a building being built — I can’t think of better career for myself.
Q: Why did you apply for an internship with Alten Construction?
A: I was looking to get my first internship and Alten had everything I was looking for. With only about 40 employees, Alten had that family feel I think is important in every successful company. Another big reason why I originally wanted to intern here was because of Andrew and Eric. They really gave a great impression of what Alten is all about. The main thing I got out of talking with them was that Alten wants to put their interns in a position where they can actually learn the construction industry. As a student that hasn’t seen much yet, besides what I’ve learned in the classroom, that was awesome to hear.
Q: Who is your supervisor with Alten Construction?
A: Chris Murphy, project manager.
Q: When did you start your internship and how long does it run?
A: May 22 through Aug. 4.
Q: What project are you currently assisting with?
A: Tierra Linda Middle School in San Carlos, Calif.
Q: What's been your favorite part of the internship thus far?
A: My favorite part thus far has definitely been working with Chris Murphy. Being able to follow the project manager around all day has already taught me more than I ever thought.
Q: What do you hope to take away from the internship?
A: Not so much the technical things that I’ve learned, I hope to take away the hard work and teamwork that I’ve seen and been a part of every day.
Q: What are your aspirations for the future?
A: As of now, I’m just excited to see where this internship takes me in the future.
Q: What is a typical day like for you on the job?
A: A typical day for me would be meeting at the trailer on site then talking with Chris Murphy about what's ahead for the day. And then from there usually doing RFIs, submittals, manpower logs, storm water pollution prevention plans (SWPPP), etc. Then I usually take some time to meet with the foreman and see what's going on.
Q: What's been the most challenging part of your internship thus far?
A: The most challenging part so far was first getting used to the project I was on. Since the project I’m on has been going for a year, it was sort of tough jumping right in and getting used to a project with several increments.
Q. What made you want to get into this field?
A: Growing up I had always been around construction. My father is a carpenter and my older brother is a superintendent. I have always had an interest in construction, especially skyscrapers!
Q: Why did you apply for an internship with Alten Construction?
A: I applied because of the work they do and the way they came about when they visited my school. I was interested in seeing what working for a company that does public works would be like. As well as the factor that the company is on a smaller scale, yet still well known by other big general contractors. The ambiance I got from being interviewed by Bob Alten, CEO, and Eric Onick, project manager, was the last deciding factor. Overall, after my interview, I felt that is was a good fit.
Q: Who is your supervisor with Alten Construction?
A: My supervisors here with Alten are John Welch, superintendent, and Peter Dickinson, project engineer.
Q: When did you start your internship and how long does it run?
A: Mid-May through mid-August.
Q: What projects are you currently assisting with?
A: For most of my internship, I have been on-site at the San Jose City College project where we are coming close to completing a new gymnasium for the school.
Q: What's been your favorite part of the internship thus far?
A: Being able to see the building come to a close. When I first walked on site the building itself was just walls and floors, but as the summer has progressed, is has been engaging as well as captivating to see the building get closer and closer to being done with all the finishes being installed.
Q: What do you hope to take away from the internship?
A: The experience in the field. As well as hoping to figure out what I really want to do when I graduate in terms of a position in a company. This is my first internship, so seeing how things are managed out in the real world is much more applicable then learning about it behind books.
Q: What are your aspirations for the future?
A: In the near future, it is to graduate from Chico State with a job as a project manager in the Bay Area or Sacramento Area. Staying up in northern California is also another thing I aspire to do. I am a southern California native, yet as I have spent the last five years up here for school, I have slowly been taken away by what northern California has to offer.
Q: What is a typical day like for you on the job?
A: The job starts at 7 a.m. and ends at 3:30 p.m. Various tasks that I do every day are keeping count of the manpower, insuring everyone is using the proper personal protective equipment (PPE) as well as at the end of the day closing up and locking the job site. This summer I have been assisting Peter Dickinson with LEED, helping him gather the proper documentation and product data in order to apply for the status.
Q: What's been the most challenging part of your internship thus far?
A: The commute! This summer I have been leasing a room in Berkeley, and I commute every day to San Jose. As you can imagine, 880 is a nightmare!
Q: What made you want to get into this field?
A: I have always been interested in architecture and our built environment, so I decided that I wanted to be part of it.
Q: Why did you apply for an internship with Alten Construction?
A: I applied for several internships with companies around the Bay Area. Alten seemed like the best place because of the friendly atmosphere and dedication to their intern program.
Q: Who is your supervisor with Alten Construction?
A: Luke O’Neill, project engineer.
Q: When did you start your internship and how long does it run?
A: Mid-June through the beginning of September.
Q: What project are you currently assisting with?
A: I am currently involved with the construction of Foothill College's new district offices.
Q: What's been your favorite part of the internship thus far?
A: So far, my favorite part was being in charge of the trucking manifests at the job site. My responsibilities included having the truck drivers sign a manifest for each load of soil they took off site. I was also in charge of signing out the drivers at the end of the workday and collecting receipts. I enjoyed interacting with the drivers and helping direct traffic. It was a nice break from office duties.
Q: What do you hope to take away from the internship?
A: I hope to take away new skills that will help me in my construction career, and more specifically, skills that will aid me when I become a full-time project engineer.
Q: What are your aspirations for the future?
A: Short-term goals include finding a job in the Bay Area after I graduate next year and starting as a project engineer and working my way up to a project manager. For now, I haven't thought any further than that. I will be sure to reevaluate my goals continually throughout my career. As I'm sure most twenty-somethings are, I'm not exactly sure what I want.
Q: What is a typical day like for you on the job?
A: Currently, my day is flooded with RFIs and submittals. I communicate with subs, facilitate getting the proper permits and taking progress photos.
Q: What's been the most challenging part of your internship thus far?
A: The most challenging part so far has been learning Procore and figuring out how to operate a Chromebook.
Q: What made you want to get into this field?
A: I didn't want to sit in a desk for the entire time of my professional career as I did in school. I love working with my hands and all in all I think construction is exciting to be around.
Q: Why did you apply for an internship with Alten Construction?
A: I applied for an internship with Alten because I only heard good things about the company. Coming into a growing general contractor creates an awesome opportunity to not only see construction, but also see a business grow in front of your own eyes and the things Alten is pushing to do are awesome.
Q: Who is your supervisor with Alten Construction?
A: My supervisor is Andrew Nortz, vice president of operations.
Q: When did you start your internship and how long does it run?
A: May 16 through Aug. 13.
Q: What project are you currently assisting with?
A: I am currently on the Fire Station No. 5 project in San Francisco.
Q: What's been your favorite part of the internship thus far?
A: My favorite part of my internship thus far has been working with Harry Torrano and seeing the daily tasks of a superintendent, since that is what I want to end up doing in construction.
Q: What do you hope to take away from the internship?
A: What I will be taking away from this internship is a greater knowledge of the construction tasks of a project engineer and superintendent. Working as a team and solving problems has been a big part of my time spent out here at Fire Station No. 5.
Q: What are your aspirations for the future?
A: As of right now, my aspirations for the future are to end up being a superintendent. If I need to come through the ranks as a carpenter to get there then that is how I plan on getting there.
Q: What is a typical day like for you on the job?
A: A typical day onsite at Fire Station No. 5 includes working with my team on problem solving, keeping in contact with subcontractors and their upcoming work, and working through submittals/ RFIs.
Q: What's been the most challenging part of your internship thus far?
A: The most challenging part of my internship thus far has been to learn how to work through submittals with the city authorities as a project engineer. Though I am not turning in submittals officially, I work through them sometimes with our project engineer onsite and can see the process take place.
Q: What made you want to get into this field?
A: I have always been interested in construction. My dad was in construction and loved it when I went to work with him.
Q: Why did you apply for an internship with Alten Construction?
A: They are a great company that had a lot of good reviews. I also saw that they had a great internship program.
Q: Who is your supervisor with Alten Construction?
A: Chad Casper, superintendent.
Q: When did you start your internship and how long does it run?
A: May 18 through the end of the summer.
Q: What project are you currently assisting with?
A: San Rafael Fire Station No. 52 and No. 57
Q: What's been your favorite part of the internship thus far?
A: My favorite part of this internship is being part of the team and getting the work done to build a building.
Q: What do you hope to take away from the internship?
A: What I hope to take away from this internship is the knowledge to be able to perform my job once I'm out of school.
Q: What are your aspirations for the future?
A: To work in construction and to climb up the construction ladder.
Q: What is a typical day like for you on the job?
A: Daily reports, progress photos, RFI, sample submittals and answering emails
Q: What's been the most challenging part of your internship thus far?
A: The correct word usage in an email and being very detailed in an email.
