The COAA Way

Marvin is the semi-rare Owner who interestingly got to work in both the horizontal (transportation) and vertical realms during his highly successful career.  Hear his thoughts on leadership & coaching, culture, impactful role models, and the value of impromptu meetings.

John Zahor (rhymes with “fair”) has served as the President of COAA since January 2023 and for much longer in a variety of other volunteer roles.  With a strong undercurrent of humility and a great sense of humor, John talks at length about handling transition, why he’s metaphorically a fireman, helping birth The COAA Way, accountability, and more.

Ever humble despite a lifetime of accomplishments, Kevin’s journey started with trade school and being a draftsman and is ending as Chief Operations Officer for a school district that serves over 82,000 students. Kevin touches on a wide of range of topics that matter to everyone in our industry, including the importance of relationships, retaining talent, and his impactful tenure as COAA’s President.

A West Point graduate and former Army officer, BJ is now a highly successful professional in about every way one can define “successful.” His podcast, Inspiring People & Places, actually helped inspire COAA to launch its own podcast. Hear from this incredibly engaging and well-rounded fellow about his journey, leadership, and other insights.

Tim, who began his career with a civil engineering degree cutting grass at an airport, talks with pride about his organization, the importance of relationships, empathetic leadership, and the importance of organizational culture when it comes to retaining talent.

A former U.S. Navy Civil Engineer Corps officer, Sam leads the project management team at Cook Children’s Health Care System on their journey “from good to great.”  Hear his thoughts on Cook’s rapid growth, sustaining a healthy culture, servant leadership, and other candid & heartfelt reflections on his professional experiences.

Melanie is a groundbreaking woman in construction – a former contractor who now serves as an Owner for the University of Georgia (while also being a mom and earning two Masters degrees). Hear about her journey, the fascinating “moon trees” story, internal training, the various ways projects can be defined as successful, and more.

Steve is a “recovering architect” who now leads the Dodge Data & Analytics team.  In this episode, he explains what Dodge does (help the industry understand itself) and weighs in a variety of other subjects, including the industry’s digital transformation, career transitions, and the importance of remembering that ours is a people business.

A professional who has served as both a designer and an Owner, Jim shares his thoughts on a range of topics, including transition, workforce development, his organization’s culture & philosophy, and “getting wide” with transparency.

Keith, who has spent his impactful 40-year career entirely with Whiting-Turner, reflects on his journey and talks openly about being nimble, dealing with challenges, traits of a good Owner, the most impactful person on his career, the value of being uncomfortable, and other great insights.

Kirsten, a former Naval officer and current regional leader for the General Services Administration (GSA), talks about the importance of culture, handling conflict, standardization of processes, and professional development.

Jack – longtime Owner, past COAA President, and thoughtful fellow – discusses transition (“bet on yourself”), culture, regional differences in the approach to project delivery, dealing with tension, and the importance of value (versus cost).

One of the most interesting men in the AEC world, architect Tony Aeck, shares some fabulous stories and anecdotes, plus thoughts on risk management, talent retention, the generalist approach to his career, and several other interesting topics.

Allison, an executive with Medxcel and highly successful past President of COAA, addresses her transition from design professional to Owner, current day job concerns, sustainability, culture, and accountability.

Karen – a dynamic executive with MD Anderson Cancer Center – discusses her professional journey, talent recruitment & retention, the importance of finding purpose in work, being a woman in the construction industry, fit & culture, and a host of other interesting subjects.

Teaser for Episode 2 - Allison Muth is an executive with Medxcel and highly successful past President of COAA; she addresses her transition from design professional to Owner, current day job concerns, sustainability, culture, and accountability.