DSENSUI / DSENSUI@STARBULLETIN.COM One way to dig a career
Construction project manager Robert
Kincaid likes getting dirty handsI have always loved working outdoors, working hard, sweating and coming home content saying, "I put in a good day's work!" The life of those guys in suits with their plush Bishop Street offices has no appeal to me.
As a young man, I made one of the most important decisions of my life to join the U.S. Army. I remember explaining to my befuddled parents that I wanted to be in the infantry because I wanted to feel the challenge of hard work. I wanted to be outdoors. They were never going to persuade me to pursue a field like computers or accounting; my mind was made up. After my tour of duty, I wanted to work in construction. Believe it or not, I actually wanted to dig trenches.
My uncle helped me get my first construction job and I could not wait to put on my work boots and have a shovel in my hands. I started out as a laborer and yard man for a construction company in California. A short time later, they moved me into the equipment rental and sales division. I loved it. I was outdoors all the time and making my own decisions. My boss saw something in me he liked and felt good about me talking to customers and renting and selling his equipment. Within two years, I was his top salesman. It felt good to arrive at a construction site with the confidence that I could make a deal with the contractor, no matter what. Sometimes it would take many months, but I was determined to win them over -- and I always eventually did.
Later on, I returned to the actual construction part of the trade to specialize in concrete restoration and waterproofing. I started out as a laborer and was promoted to foreman. I was again in a decision-making role, which also included some office work and exposure to human resources aspects of the company. After four years there, work slowed significantly in Orange County, and I needed to find another job.
My brother Shane was living in Hawaii and told me to move here. I did and was soon lucky enough to find the perfect job for me at Canaan Construction. That was five years ago, and I started my career with them digging trenches. I spent months working on an award-winning remodel in Kailua, and much of the time I had a shovel in my hand.
I soon found myself on the Big Island working with a project manager on an exquisite 12,000-square-foot home at Hualalai Resort. My boss rented a place for me in Kona, and it was my job to represent the company when the project manager was unavailable, as he lived on Oahu. I was there for about a year and a half, and then my boss gave me an opportunity to be a project manager on an extensive remodel in Aiea. This house is filled with custom woodworking throughout. Chocolate heart eucalyptus flooring, custom birch cabinets -- which are made in our own cabinet shop -- solid core birch doors, clear finish trim, casings and baseboards. Beautiful! Being a part of this magnificent house makes me so proud.
I am doing what I love to do, still feel that contentment at the end of each day, and still pick up a shovel once in a while to remember how I got here.
Hawaii At Work features tells what people do for a living in their own words. Send submissions to: business@starbulletin.com
