Meet Guy Voss, the new director of business development with McCarthy Water for the Southwest division of McCarthy Building Companies Inc.
Voss directs the group’s strategic planning and new market growth, participates in business development initiatives, and maintains and develops client relations. He's been on board since April.
He has nearly two decades of experience in the engineering and construction industry with extensive experience in large-scale water/wastewater and renewable energy projects.
Before coming to the Valley of the Sun, he was the program manager in New York City for a $600-million private construction project on behalf of a former employer, a global leader in engineering, procurement and construction services for energy, water and telecommunications. He also spent more than 10 years supervising teams focused on the planning and management for the design, construction and operation of advanced water and wastewater conveyance and treatment facilities, and renewable energy projects around the world.
Arizona Contractor & Community magazine wanted to get to know Voss a bit. Here's what he has to say:
Q: Considering developing and maintaining client relations is a part of your new position, what is the most important aspect of a successful client relationship in the construction industry?
A: Open and honest communication, which develops and maintains long-term, trusted relationships.
Q: What do you think will be the pros and cons to planning and executing projects in Phoenix? How do you plan to approach the cons to achieve success? A: The pros are we get to work on some of the most innovative and environmentally savvy projects in the world with owners who truly care about our communities. The cons are these innovative projects can be complex and difficult. Less a con, more so a major challenge.
The approach to overcoming the cons is partnering early with designers and owners to infuse construction best practices to collaborate and deal with challenges as soon as possible.
Q: How do you think your experience working in New York City, as well as on your prior projects around the world, will benefit you in your position working for McCarthy?
A: I believe my past experiences working around the world have taught me many things, most importantly for my role at McCarthy is how to listen to and ultimately understand other people’s points of view and their objectives. I believe having the patience and willingness to understanding the needs and wants of our partners and clients – not just espousing our own agenda – will drive my greatest value to McCarthy, and ultimately to our clients.
Q: What about McCarthy’s work stands out to you?
A: As an engineer, I’ve had the pleasure of working on projects with McCarthy numerous times prior to joining the McCarthy team. What has always stood out to me was the McCarthy culture of partnership. I felt it as an outsider and I’m seeing it lived out every day now that I’m a part of the McCarthy team.
Q: What do you hope to offer McCarthy and the Phoenix area as a whole in your new position?
A: I hope that I can offer my insights from my experience collaborating on and strategically planning for long-term infrastructure needs to McCarthy and metropolitan Phoenix such that together we find the most cost-effective ways to get the Valley’s needs constructed.
Q: Do you have specific goals when completing any given construction project? If so, what are they?
A: My personal goal has always been to leave each project with stakeholders that received the project they needed and would be happy to work with my team and me to deliver their next, even more challenging endeavor. An extra bonus has always been having a good time together, along the way.
Q: In your opinion, what are the most important aspects to consider when implementing a construction project (aesthetics, renewable energy potential, etc.)?
A: The most important aspects include a) understanding what the owner needs to accomplish on the project, b) working closely as a team to ensure we can meet, if not exceed, those needs within the budget, and c) making the most positive impact on our environment and community throughout the construction of the project.
Q: What is a fun fact about yourself you wouldn’t mind sharing with our readers?
A: Some people collect T-shirts from their adventures, I collect tattoos. My most far-flung tattoo comes from an adventure in Australia.