My journey with PCL began 15 years ago and I can share a little bit about what I like about the company.
PCL is the only company I’ve worked for since college, and I can’t image working anywhere else. I love the family atmosphere and the bonds I’ve made with my co-workers. It’s a large company that operates like a small company where I can form solid relationships with everyone all the way up to the CEO. At PCL I’m more than just an employee, I’m an owner and that means the world to me.
Today, my focus is on solar projects directed out of PCL’s US Head Office in Denver, but I’ve worked in several other markets over the years. In 2005, I originally started on a project near Charlotte, North Carolina. In my earlier days, I worked on a lot of industrial and power projects, including natural gas, coal and cement plants holding no less than four different titles along the way. I transitioned to Denver two years ago and now I’m working on two major solar projects in Texas as the newly appointed solar operations lead for the Western United States: the $91 million Rayos Del Sol expected to generate 180-megawatts alternating current (AC), the $6 million Silicon Ranch Rattlesnake project expected to generate 16-megawatts (AC) and the $131 million Shakes solar project expected to generate 200-megawatts (AC).
Solar energy technology has been around for decades but has recently started to take off. Most cities and states now have carbon emission reduction goals. Colorado, for example, has a goal of reduce carbon emissions by 90% by 2050. PCL’s solar program is a major contributor to these initiatives and the demand only continues to increase. In fact, we’ve secured more solar energy projects in the last year than the last nine years combined. To date, PCL has contracted more than $2 billion in solar energy projects across the U.S., Canada and Australia.
If you have an opportunity to intern with PCL, here is my biggest piece of advice: be a sponge. When I first started here, I connected with as many professionals as I could to learn everything they had to offer. Books can only teach you so much, real experience in the field has a learning curve that you won’t see if you’re overconfident. Hang up your ego at the door and try to absorb as much knowledge as you can.
I hope you have the opportunity to apply for one of our many student positions. And if you end up in Denver, please swing by and say hello!
Brad Hise
Operations Lead, Western U.S., Solar