John began his career in civil engineering and construction nearly three decades ago, building his expertise in worksite planning and analyzing. For the past six years, he’s brought his problem-solving abilities to complex projects at Expand Energy, where his contributions have made a lasting impact.
How would you describe your job to a neighbor?
My team’s main duty is to build and maintain lease roads and pads. We upgrade and repair the public routes around Expand Energy locations and reclaim impoundments for our water team. To put it simply, we move dirt and get things done.
What does success look like for you and your team?
Success for my team means being a reliable support system for the other teams we work with. We measure our success by how seamlessly we enable their work, ensuring roads are passable and project sites remain stable.
Our goal is to never be a bottleneck. It’s especially important to us that rural roads are not only maintained but upgraded, so they’re in equal or better condition than when we began using them.
What’s the most rewarding part of your job?
I’m really proud of the work we’ve done on some of our most recent pad construction projects. I was a consulting civil engineer that assisted with designing one of our pad sites and then transitioned to be the permanent construction superintendent that got to build the site. That was a rare career opportunity that helped me learn a lot about projects of that scale.
Why does ‘learn’ as a core value resonate with you?
Growth can only happen when we stay humble enough to recognize that we don’t always have all the answers. Every day in this industry, and in life, we have opportunities to learn something new, to understand something better or to improve ourselves. Whether it’s learning from a mistake, a colleague, or a new challenge in the field, continuing to learn keeps us sharp and adaptable. I believe that staying curious and open-minded is what allows individuals and teams to continually raise the bar.
What do you do when you’re not at work?
When I’m not at work, I stay busy as a middle school track coach. I had the privilege of coaching both my son and daughter throughout their own track careers, and it’s been incredibly rewarding to help young athletes build their confidence and teamwork skills on and off the field.
Outside of coaching, I love spending time with my family outdoors. In the summer, you’ll often find us wakeboarding and enjoying time on the boat. When winter rolls around, we love to get out together to ski.
