Warfel Construction Company is pleased to announce the promotion of Sean Cotter, LEED GA to Vice President of Preconstruction & Estimating. In this new role, Cotter leads the Preconstruction & Estimating teams, initiating client engagement early in the project development process and setting projects on a path for success by providing input on cost, schedule, logistics, constructability and other key influencers. Cotter will be responsible for the day-to-day oversight of the Preconstruction & Estimating Department and ensuring a collaborative approach to leading projects through the design phase. He will also serve as a member of the company’s Executive Team.
“Sean has demonstrated his commitment to our Clients for Life mission through his work,” said Matt Hartzler, President of Warfel Construction. “He is dedicated to our core values of honesty, integrity, accountability, initiative and teamwork, and delivers upon them with our team and our Clients. We are thrilled to see Sean continue to grow and develop his career at Warfel.”
Cotter graduated from Millersville University with a B.S. in Psychology and Harrisburg Area Community College with a B.S. in Estimating. He is a LEED (Leadership in Environmental Energy and Design) Green Associate.
Cotter lives in Lititz, PA with his wife Kristen and daughters Mackenzie and Payton.
Warfel Construction Company is pleased to announce the promotion of Sean Cotter, LEED GA to Director of Preconstruction & Estimating. In this new role, Cotter leads the newly-combined Preconstruction & Estimating teams, initiating client engagement early in the project development process and setting projects on a path for success by providing input on cost, schedule, logistics, constructability and other key influencers. Cotter will be responsible for the day-to-day oversight of the Preconstruction & Estimating Department and ensuring a collaborative approach to leading projects through the design phase.
“We continuously look for opportunities to enhance our client’s experience and improve our processes,” said Brett Calabretta, Vice President at Warfel Construction. “By combining these two departments we feel we will achieve both. Sean has been a key contributor to our estimating department and his leadership will allow us to continue the momentum that has been built over the past several years.”
Cotter joined Warfel in 2011 as a Project Estimator. He most recently served as Director of Estimating.
Cotter graduated from Millersville University with a B.S. in Psychology and Harrisburg Area Community College with a B.S. in Estimating. He is a LEED (Leadership in Environmental Energy and Design) Green Associate.
Cotter lives in Lititz, PA with his wife Kristen and daughters Mackenzie and Payton.
In honor of Women In Construction Week, we’re highlighting some of the fantastic women who make Warfel a great place to work. The U.S. Bureau of Labor and Statistics expects available jobs in STEM fields to increase 17% by 2024, but only 18 – 19% of individuals receiving degrees in computer science, engineering, or physics are women. Check out our featured employee today (Junior Estimator Kaitlyn Mellon), and follow along all week as we learn more about the team members who make Warfel a leader in the construction management industry.
Describe what you do at Warfel: I assist other estimators to complete the estimating process for various construction jobs. This process includes reviewing drawings and specifications, understanding the scope of work, calling subcontractors and manufactures, and completing an estimate of my own. My estimate includes taking off quantities and applying prices to those quantities accurately.
Where did you go to school? I went to Millersville University in Lancaster PA.
How long have you worked at Warfel? I started at Warfel in May of 2017, a few months short of a year.
What did you do before you came to Warfel? I started in construction when worked with my dad doing hands-on construction work during summers and winter breaks, mostly carpentry work. I had two internships with a subcontracting company and one of our competitors, then I graduated college with a degree in construction management and started working at Warfel.
What is your favorite part of your job? My favorite parts of my job are the people and atmosphere. Everyone at Warfel are always willing to help you out with anything. Being still somewhat new, it is always good to have a supportive work environment.
What is your most exciting accomplishment? My largest and most recent accomplishment was being on a winning bid team for a project at ACTS Cokesbury. It was awesome to see our team’s hard work come together.
What advice would you give someone applying to Warfel? Warfel is a great place to work. Everyone is super hardworking and positive. When I was hired someone said “Warfel hires people based on how their personality will fit with current employees” I would say that is 100% accurate. I have a lot of great coworkers.
What’s the most important thing you’ve learned in your career? Everyone makes mistakes or errors occasionally. Admit your mistakes, learn from it and move on.
What has changed the most since you’ve started your career? My motivation level has increased since starting at Warfel. It is a great feeling to be a part of a great company and knowing your work is appreciated.
What’s your favorite part of working in the construction industry? I love seeing the progression of a construction project. Watching a building go from ground up is so interesting and satisfying to me.
What do you think is the most challenging part of the construction industry? The most challenging part about working in construction is being a young woman. I have just graduated college so I am still young and I do not have as much experience as most people in our industry. Construction in the past has been primarily males, but it is nice to see this changing one woman at a time.
What do you enjoy doing outside of work? I love going to concerts, participating in bar crawls and going to the beach.
What’s a fun fact about you that we might not know? I did Irish step dancing for six years of my life.
You can learn more about the statistics of Women in Construction here.
In honor of National Engineers Week, we’re highlighting Warfel employees with engineering degrees. Experts say demand for engineers will continue to grow as governments and industry work to meet the challenges of a growing global population and dwindling resources. Check out our featured employee today (Senior Estimator Kyle Goodyear), and follow along all week as we learn more about the team members who make Warfel a leader in the construction management industry.
Senior Estimator Kyle Goodyear
Describe what you do at Warfel: As a Senior Estimator, I lead one of our bid teams, handling project coordination with Clients and design team members, as well as our internal team members such as the Preconstruction and Operations departments. I am also responsible for managing the detailed estimating of my assigned trades for each project and coordinating the various scopes of work within the bid team. Conceptual “one-off” estimates are another responsibility of mine when Clients are looking for early budgetary pricing without a lot of design details.
Degree: Architectural Engineering, Construction Management Focus, Penn State University
Why did you choose that course of study/degree? I was always very good with math and science so an engineering path just made sense. As a kid, my dad did a lot of residential construction so I was around it all the time and was always interested in building things, so that led me to the specific major.
How long have you worked at Warfel? Nearly 8 years.
What did you do before you came to Warfel? I came to Warfel right after graduating from Penn State. While I was in school, I worked over the summers for another construction company as a laborer and intern.
What is your favorite part of your job? There are several aspects that I really enjoy, but I think my favorite part is getting the opportunity to visualize the construction of a project in my head, right down to the minute details. Coincidentally, this is also when I feel like I’m really putting my engineering background to work.
What is the worst job you ever had? From the standpoint of being physically straining, I’d say my worst job was one winter while working as a laborer for a sitework contractor. I spent the days working in below-freezing temperatures installing pipe and precast structures, often working with bare hands. Having gone through that, it served as a great reminder of why I was going to school, and gave me an enormous appreciation for the people that do it every day.
What is your most exciting accomplishment? I think the most exciting accomplishment for me in terms of my career was winning the first bid that we submitted where I was the leader of the bid team. We spend a lot of time working on preconstruction projects, where it is no longer a competitive environment. So, on the occasion that we have a competitive bid, there is nothing more satisfying than knowing you out-worked and out-smarted everyone else, and it just creates a huge sense of pride in the team.
What advice do you have for students considering pursuing an engineering degree? Whether you’re considering more of a design role or something in management, I think one of the best things that a potential engineering student can do is to spend some time working in the field for which their future work would be impacting. Not only does it give you a chance to be sure you like it, but it also helps build some rapport with those whom you may be managing or sending your design to.
What advice would you give someone applying to Warfel? Above all else, when it comes to growing our team, Warfel is focused on culture. So, if you’re interested in joining our team and you get the opportunity to talk with us, the most important thing you can do is to be yourself. While knowledge of the position is great, we’re much more concerned about whether it’s a fit culturally, and we can only determine that if we get to know you.
What’s the most important thing you’ve learned in your career? I think the most important lesson I’ve learned is that I can’t, and I don’t have to, do it all by myself. Ambition and initiative are wonderful, but there are reasons why we work in teams, rather than as individuals. I’ve always considered myself a good team player, but learning when to rely on my teammates for support has helped me become much more efficient.
If you could switch jobs with someone, who would it be/what would you do? I think if I were to change jobs, and educational background was not a limitation, I would lean toward meteorology. Ever since I was a little kid I was always fascinated by watching weather patterns and models on TV, as well as watching storms develop in the sky.
What do you wish people knew about engineering? I can’t tell you how many times I’ve told somebody what my degree is, and they immediately think I draw buildings. There are certainly engineers who do that, but the foundation of knowledge from an engineering degree opens all kinds of opportunities. In our company alone, there are engineers in preconstruction management, estimating, project management, and field supervision positions.
What do you enjoy doing outside of work? I enjoy spending time with my wife and daughter, doing home improvement projects, hunting, golfing, and pretty much anything that gets me outdoors.
Kyle with his wife and daughter.
What’s a fun fact about you that we might not know? When I was an intern with another company during college, I worked in the estimating department and I was adamant that I did not want to do estimating as my career. After working in operations for about 5.5 years at Warfel, I made the switch to estimating and I love it now.
Warfel Construction Company is pleased to announce Kyle Goodyear, LEED AP, has been promoted to Senior Estimator. In his new role, Goodyear will both lead and work alongside bid teams in the generation of negotiated and competitive bid estimates, and assist in the training of the East Petersburg-based estimating team.
A graduate of Penn State University, Goodyear joined Warfel in 2010 as a Project Engineer. Goodyear moved to the Estimating Department in 2015, and to date, has estimated projects totaling more than $175 million.
Goodyear lives in York with his wife and daughter.
