Internship Spotlight | Zach Barnes
Zach, (featured above with Superintendent, Everette Bradburn) is also from Virginia Tech’s Myers-Lawson School of Construction. He is working on his degree in Construction Engineering & Management. Zach primarily worked at the Carlton Neighborhood Housing Project and later moved to The Point Church.
I really see Zach’s generation as the future leaders of construction. It was nice to see him taking a hands-on approach to his career. Hopefully his time spent as a paid intern here, will help him excel in school and beyond. – Superintendent, Everette Bradburn
Intern Question and Answers
What responsibilities were you given during your internship?
At Carlton I performed general labor tasks and oversaw a large portion of the daily reports which included: Entering project photos, taking headcounts and generating punch lists. When I moved to The Point Church, I mainly acted as a laborer. I also updated and appended project drawings and handled some daily reports as well.
What have you found to be most interesting about the job site you’ve worked on?
At The Point Church, I had the opportunity to use my 3D modeling and drawing interpretation skills from classes to make changes to the design as needed.
How has being a Virginia Tech student prepared you for this internship?
My Construction Economy class covered the basics of project scheduling, which gave me the experience I needed to forecast potential scheduling conflicts among subcontractors, as well as the necessary prep work we (the GC) needed to complete for each phase.
What skills have you learned while working for Martin Horn that will help you in the future?
I’ve learned that documenting job site details is extremely important and that the General Contractor has the final say on any project. We are ultimately answerable to the client, and if we need pull our weight around to get things done, we do it! Additionally, I can now readily use ProCore software.
Zach’s Testimonial:
My time here at Martin Horn has been an amazing experience. I have had the opportunity to do everything from simple labor to overseeing inspections and project documentation, and I am a much more well-rounded and experienced student for it. My coworkers have been nothing but welcoming and encouraging in my learning on the job and pursuit of a degree. They often have great advice or suggestions as well. I will be returning to Virginia Tech this Fall with a renewed interest in my courses having seen their direct applications in the field.
