Jared B. Scarbrough
Firm's use of engineer's innovation is highlight in 'marathon' career
32, Senior Engineer
Parsons Corp.
Salt Lake City

Jared Scarbrough has worked as a deputy design project manager, systems manager and utility manager for light rail transit and road projects throughout the U.S.

He developed a process that integrates utility design into the overall project, using an intelligent model to check the interdisciplinary compatibility of each sub-system. The process has been proven to save hundreds of hours of work for survey crews as well as rework costs for the contractor. Its use is now becoming standard practice in the transportation group at Parsons Corp.

"Doors of opportunity are often open, but it's up to us to walk through them and make the most out of our careers," Scarbrough says. "At the same time, though, I have to remember that it's a marathon, not a sprint."

Suzenne Tang
Filipino project control manager energizes firm's power projects
33, Civil Engineer
URS Corp.
Boise

Suzenne Tang's interest in construction developed at a young age through her family's involvement in the construction industry in her native Philippines. The civil engineer is a Stanford University graduate and received a fellowship for Southeast Asian students.

Tang gained significant construction and startup experience in infrastructure- and power-related projects through a program at URS Corp. that rotates job experiences for young professionals.

She then immersed herself in a design-build management project to redevelop a site in Montana for additional hydropower generation. As the company's site project controls and contracts administrator, Tang's responsibilities ranged from generating the project's integrated schedule to processing monthly pay applications from five main contractors and processing change orders.

Currently, Tang is part of the URS estimating team in Boise, working on proposals for new projects. She is recognized in the company for both her leadership ability and continued professionalism.

Tang is a member of several industry professional groups, including the Association for the Advancement of Cost Engineering International and the American-Filipino Engineers of Washington.

Jonathan Updike
Fluor manager does what it takes to build transit jobs and leadership
38, Project Engineer
Fluor Corp. and Denver Transit Partners
Denver

Because of his design-build expertise and project leadership, many say that Jonathan Updike helped deliver most major transportation projects in Utah over the last decade.

Now in Denver, he is at the forefront of innovation in transportation infrastructure design and construction on the $2.1-billion FasTracks Eagle commuter rail project for the city's Regional Transportation District.

The first comprehensive public-private partnership for transit in the country, the project is being designed, built, financed operated and maintained by a Fluor Corp.-led joint venture, Denver Transit Partners.

Updike's rise to become a key member of the venture's management team since joining Fluor in 2008 is testament to both his leadership abilities and growth as a young professional.

"It isn't easy to grow your leadership and business management skills fast enough to keep pace with the magnitude of opportunities," Updike points out. "While having a civil engineering background, I find that the most exciting opportunities for growth are in management of mega-infrastructure projects, which require a multitude of additional skills, including business, finance, negotiation, communications, contracts and law."

Those added skills also serve him in non-work involvement with several nonprofit community improvement groups.

Jacob Vogel
Omaha contractor chief leads by example to build firm and industry
36, President
MMC Contractors
Omaha

Jacob Vogel is recognized in the Nebraska construction industry community for helping to transform and expand the market in Omaha. In 2011, he built a new office building for his company, MMC Contractors, which included an 18,000-sq-ft prefabrication shop. Vogel then used the building to showcase new technologies for mechanical contractors. The event is now something that his partners and even his competitors look forward to attending each year.

"We must strive to blend the differences of an older, more experienced generation with the more technologically savvy younger generation," Vogel says. "Building a team to take advantage of the strengths of both generations and balancing the growth areas of each is the key to sustained growth in today's environment."

Vogel's company is a subsidiary of MMC Corp., a national construction holding firm with three brands and eight offices around the country. Under his leadership, the Omaha unit has annually earned the National Safety Council award as one of the city's safest firms since 2007.