8 Cornerstone Winter 2025–2026 agchouston.org S P O T L I G H T O N A N A G C H O U S T O N S T A N D O U T MEET A MEMBER What first inspired you to pursue a career in construction? Like many others in our industry, I started with an able body and the work ethic my parents instilled in me, which qualified me to manage the back end of a shovel or hammer and collect a paycheck. I also grew up playing nearly every sport, so the team-based nature of construction felt familiar. What drew me in was seeing a tangible product tied to determination and teamwork. Everyone in our industry knows the prideful feeling of driving by a project you helped build, pointing at it and explaining the history behind it. Rarely does anyone else in the vehicle care — kids are especially immune to any form of interest — but you know that structure is a monument to a team’s hard work and dedication, and that you took part in creating something bigger than yourself. What was your first AGC Houston event, and why did you join? I’ve been at ORION (formerly TAS) for more than 18 years, so I’ve been an AGC member for quite a while. My first event was likely an annual breakfast with a notable speaker who challenged me to improve personally and professionally. My first real commitment, though, came when I was voluntold to apply for the Leadership AGC program. I was accepted and had no idea how career-changing that program would be. Can you share a story about a time you benefited from AGC Houston? There are many examples, from con- struction personnel being classified as essential workers during the pandemic to meeting some of the best minds in our industry, but one stands out the most. Right after my first Leadership AGC event, we kicked off at Moody Gardens with team-building activities and dinner. After dinner, everyone migrated to the bar, and we got to know each other bet- ter. The next day we were grouped with some of the same people. The following Monday, a minor client dispute came up that I expected to turn into a long email exchange. Instead, the client’s representative was someone I had connected with that weekend. We got on the phone and resolved the issue in minutes — not through favoritism, but through trust built by a real relationship. Did you always know you wanted to be in this industry? My path definitely evolved. During my first year of college, I wanted to be an engineer, then a coach, then a stock- broker. One day, a mentor sat me down and gently explained that I wasn’t as smart as Bill Gates, Steve Jobs or Warren Buffett, and I needed a direction beyond “working hard.” Given that I had just started a part- time job on a formsetting crew, he mapped out a path for me to continue my education while gaining construction experience. No one had ever provided that level of clarity in my meager pro- fessional life. Looking back, he recog- nized that my team-oriented mindset and ability to understand systems made construction a strong fit. What was your first job in construc- tion? What did you learn? My first real construction job was on a formsetting, framing and finish carpentry crew in college. I gained firsthand expe- rience watching a piece of land trans- form into a usable structure. As a young laborer, I assumed everyone showed up knowing exactly what to do each day because that’s what construction workers do. I quickly learned how wrong I was. Successful projects require constant problem solving, communication and unified teamwork pushing towards a common goal. I realized how much I didn’t know and still remain amazed at how much there is to learn, even now. That experience taught me to keep my mouth closed and my ears open, and to never hesitate to ask what might feel like a stupid question — because that’s how the people before me learned their craft. Who were some of your biggest influ- ences or mentors when starting your career? Bob Bacon taught me to assume peo- ple want to do good, that successful Kenneth Loper Vice President of Operations (Houston), ORION
