W.T. Sermeus started his career at PCL as an intern while studying at Oregon State University. After graduating, he joined PCL full-time and worked on several high-profile projects across the country, including the Ritz-Carlton Naples in Florida, Kona Village Resort in Hawaii, Tower 12 Apartments in Seattle and the Clackamas County Circuit Courthouse in Oregon. Inspired by the competitive yet collaborative environment at PCL, he is committed to advancing PCL's success in the Northwest.

Growing up in a small town in Minnesota, I started working with my hands at a young age. My family owned a hotel and restaurant where I worked, and I also gained experience on a dairy farm and as a mechanic. I was fortunate to have an excellent drafting and wood shop teacher in high school that helped spark my interest in building things and helped me to develop a strong interest in math and finance. Combining these experiences, pursuing a career in construction made perfect sense.

I first found PCL at a career fair during my undergraduate studies at Oregon State University and completed a summer internship.

During my first project, I was fortunate to have great mentors who I still get to work with today. The team entrusted me with significant responsibilities, providing valuable learning experiences that motivated me to return to PCL for another internship the next summer and during the winter break of my senior year. While finishing school, I continued preconstruction work for PCL, gaining insights into estimating and the preconstruction side of the industry.

After graduating in 2013, I joined PCL full-time, starting with a project in Seattle before moving to Florida for the Ritz-Carlton, Naples project. Despite the demanding schedule, we had an excellent team, and that project turned out to be hugely successful. I then returned to the Pacific Northwest to work on several Sea-Tac Airport projects and Tower 12 Apartments in Seattle, then down to The Canteen and Intersection at Adidas Village in Oregon, my first project as a project manager. Following its completion, I moved to our Nordic Hawaii office for the Kona Village project and later returned to the Pacific Northwest to lead the Clackamas County Circuit Courthouse project in Oregon.

 During my time at PCL, I’ve had the opportunity to grow quickly with strong support at every step. Embracing mobility has played a key role in my development, offering both valuable career growth and meaningful life experiences.

Choosing just one project is tough because I've had the privilege of working on several great projects with truly special teams. From Florida to Hawaii to the Northwest, the people at PCL are what have made the projects the most memorable.

The Adidas Village project in Oregon stands out as my first opportunity to lead as a project manager. It was a fast-tracked, multi-phased design-build effort that gave me invaluable experience and a supportive team I’ll never forget – it's a project that will always stay with me.

 The Clackamas County Courthouse has also been an extraordinary project. This project is the first time in Oregon history that a courthouse is being delivered through a Public-Private Partnership (P3) project delivery method. This required close collaboration with our integrated team, fostering strong relationships and has resulted in a project we're incredibly proud of.

For me, it's all about the people. I'm constantly surrounded by individuals who are ambitious and share the same goals. Personally, I'm very competitive, so being in a strong team environment where everyone is working towards a common goal really motivates me. At PCL, I've found that our people are driven to succeed, but there's also a strong culture of mentoring and teamwork where everyone wants to see each other succeed.

It's rare to find so many people aligned with the same goal, but that's a key part of the culture here. I believe the employee ownership model at PCL plays a significant role in this. It takes a certain type of person to thrive at PCL, and in the Northwest, we've succeeded in building a close-knit group of individuals who share the same core values.

I’m actively involved in Associated General Contractors, Urban Land Institute, National Associated of Industrial and Office Properties, and 7x24 Exchange, but the most rewarding has been the Professional Business Development Group (PBDG). PBDG is an organization in Oregon that is dedicated to providing resources and training for minority and women-owned businesses in the construction industry. Through PBDG, we offer training sessions that help businesses learn industry best practices and processes for managing their company’s and projects to succeed in the industry. This partnership is mutually beneficial, as it allows us to connect with local trade partners we want to work with, while they gain valuable resources and develop connections to grow their companies.