LINK 2.0 at FCI Constructors
FCI Constructors, Inc. is an employee-owned corporation specializing in providing the best construction management, general contracting, and construction related services with the highest level of client satisfaction. Founded in 1978 in Grand Junction, Colorado, our success was steadily built one satisfied client and successful project at a time. Today, FCI is noticed as one of the premier contractors in the Rocky Mountain region and southwestern United States. Our history of successfully completing commercial and light industrial projects for both the public and private sector have earned our team recognition on the Engineering News Record Top 400 Contractor list.
Trust, integrity, quality, and superior performance and customer service have rewarded us with over 300 return clients. The invaluable bonds we create with our clients are built on those ethics, and they have proven to be the key element to our success.
At FCI, we make a commitment to our clients and the communities we serve: we’ll never compromise our integrity, and we deliver on our promises 100% of the time.
Mission:
To be a forthright construction company delivering exceptional projects and services for engaging clients in a culture based on trust, honesty, hard work, and professionalism. Our employee-owners prosper in a challenging and rewarding environment.
Trust, integrity, quality, and superior performance and customer service have rewarded us with over 300 return clients. The invaluable bonds we create with our clients are built on those ethics, and they have proven to be the key element to our success.
At FCI, we make a commitment to our clients and the communities we serve: we’ll never compromise our integrity, and we deliver on our promises 100% of the time.
Mission:
To be a forthright construction company delivering exceptional projects and services for engaging clients in a culture based on trust, honesty, hard work, and professionalism. Our employee-owners prosper in a challenging and rewarding environment.
Throughout the internship, I did whatever work they wanted me to do. One of the main goals of the LINK internships is to help the company more than they help me. In my case, I cleaned, organized, delivered messages, and worked on small jobs throughout the work site. I sat in on meetings at the Three Springs Confluence project and I learned about RFIs (requests for information) and submittals. I did whatever they needed me to do and whatever they felt would be good for me to learn. I arrived at 7:30 am Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays and worked till 9:30 or 10 so I could get to my first class of the day which started at 10:12 am.
I wasn’t sure I wanted to do LINK 2.0 because I wanted to put more focus on my schooling for my senior year, however since I had the first two periods off everyday day, I figured I should probably branch out now and start to experience things now rather than later. Overall, I’m glad I did this internship because it showed me a lot more of this type of work than I had thought was even there beforehand.
What had originally brought FCI onto my radar was my interests in different skilled trades such as welding and electrician work. Jess Adams knew a friend at FCI who I then got in contact with. I wasn’t able to work with any of the trades I’m interested in because of insurance reasons, so I worked with the site supervisors and in the main FCI office. This was probably the closest I’ve ever been to experiencing what a real job is like because I was told to do something and they expected me to get it done, or at least as much done as I could in the time I had available. I swept rooms, built fans to put in the breezeways, installed carbon monoxide detectors, separated the sprinkler system pipes from other cords and anything that might be laying on them, helped unload windows and doors, walked the site perimeter counting fence panels and the pieces that are missing to clamp them together, taped ne drawing pages to the drawing book, taped RFIs to the drawing book and left notes so that the reader could easily find them, labeled the sections of the drawing book, and more. Honestly, it was boring, but I did a lot that it also went by quickly. It was boring but it didn’t seem boring. I sat in on the meetings, which to most people, would seem boring but I found them extremely interesting. The energy that most of the participants had about what was going on and what needed to be done was refreshing especially outside of school.
The biggest challenge I faced with this internship was breaking out of my comfort zone, and more specifically, talking and confronting people who are complete strangers to me. It wasn’t the same experience of getting an internship as it was junior year. I didn’t make first contact this time around, Jess did. I started emailing my mentor and I went in for an interview. I met a lot of people that I didn’t talk to ever again. I met construction workers that I would make small talk with while I was out cleaning or repairing something. It was all new to me because I guess I’m shy. I don’t like to talk to strangers but I had to overcome that fear to get by at this internship. I believe I’ve gotten closer to overcoming that fear.
When I went into this internship, I had no idea what to expect. What I got was a different side of the construction process that I never would have imagined myself learning about. I’m extremely glad I did because it opened up the intricacies of this subject. It is a lot more interesting than I previously thought. I’m still interested in trades and I think I’ll pursue more of those, but as I stand right now, I can’t see myself going into an office job for construction. I would rather be out on a site either overseeing it or doing a specific job. The office work was, for lack of a better word, boring. But don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed all of my experience.
I am extremely grateful to Matt Aupperle and the FCI Constructors Team for letting me sit around for a few months. You showed me a lot and it was awesome. Thanks.
What had originally brought FCI onto my radar was my interests in different skilled trades such as welding and electrician work. Jess Adams knew a friend at FCI who I then got in contact with. I wasn’t able to work with any of the trades I’m interested in because of insurance reasons, so I worked with the site supervisors and in the main FCI office. This was probably the closest I’ve ever been to experiencing what a real job is like because I was told to do something and they expected me to get it done, or at least as much done as I could in the time I had available. I swept rooms, built fans to put in the breezeways, installed carbon monoxide detectors, separated the sprinkler system pipes from other cords and anything that might be laying on them, helped unload windows and doors, walked the site perimeter counting fence panels and the pieces that are missing to clamp them together, taped ne drawing pages to the drawing book, taped RFIs to the drawing book and left notes so that the reader could easily find them, labeled the sections of the drawing book, and more. Honestly, it was boring, but I did a lot that it also went by quickly. It was boring but it didn’t seem boring. I sat in on the meetings, which to most people, would seem boring but I found them extremely interesting. The energy that most of the participants had about what was going on and what needed to be done was refreshing especially outside of school.
The biggest challenge I faced with this internship was breaking out of my comfort zone, and more specifically, talking and confronting people who are complete strangers to me. It wasn’t the same experience of getting an internship as it was junior year. I didn’t make first contact this time around, Jess did. I started emailing my mentor and I went in for an interview. I met a lot of people that I didn’t talk to ever again. I met construction workers that I would make small talk with while I was out cleaning or repairing something. It was all new to me because I guess I’m shy. I don’t like to talk to strangers but I had to overcome that fear to get by at this internship. I believe I’ve gotten closer to overcoming that fear.
When I went into this internship, I had no idea what to expect. What I got was a different side of the construction process that I never would have imagined myself learning about. I’m extremely glad I did because it opened up the intricacies of this subject. It is a lot more interesting than I previously thought. I’m still interested in trades and I think I’ll pursue more of those, but as I stand right now, I can’t see myself going into an office job for construction. I would rather be out on a site either overseeing it or doing a specific job. The office work was, for lack of a better word, boring. But don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed all of my experience.
I am extremely grateful to Matt Aupperle and the FCI Constructors Team for letting me sit around for a few months. You showed me a lot and it was awesome. Thanks.