Since childhood, Project Engineer (PE) Intern Synthia Kotamraju has dreamed of bringing creative, ambitious ideas to life through engineering.

“Growing up, I moved around quite a bit because of my dad’s job,” she says. “It allowed me to experience incredible cities like Seoul and Dubai, where I fell in love with the architecture and infrastructure. Even as a kid, I remember looking at those towering buildings and thinking, ‘I want to learn how to make that happen.’”

Her fascination with the building process reached a turning point in high school, when she visited an active construction site for the first time. As she toured the project and observed the strategy and coordination required to deliver a physical structure, “everything clicked,” she recalls. She knew she was meant to be a civil engineer.

After graduating high school, she began her civil engineering studies at Mahindra University in Hyderabad, India while seeking out internship opportunities. Over the next four years, she balanced her undergraduate studies with internships at a residential construction company, where she supported green roofing and solar panel setups, and a thermal power plant, where she worked on technical drawings and material testing.

“My internships taught me how important it is to ensure projects run smoothly while remaining cost-effective and sustainable,” she says. “I’ve loved learning about the process of building, solving problems, collaborating with teams, and watching things take shape. It’s so rewarding to see something that started on paper turn into a real structure, especially when it’s something that benefits the community.”

Eager to expand her industry knowledge, she began applying to master’s programs focused on bridging the gap between design and construction in 2023. After completing her bachelor’s, she packed her bags and flew nearly 9,000 miles to pursue her master’s in building construction and facility management at Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech).

“With this degree, I’ll be able to use my engineering skills to solve real-world problems and improve the way buildings are built and maintained,” Synthia says. “I’m especially interested in sustainable and efficient building practices because they support a better future for us all.”

Last fall, she attended the Georgia Tech Career Fair in hopes of securing her next internship. As she walked through the seemingly endless rows of company booths, one in particular caught her eye—Webcor, a company she’d discovered weeks earlier when researching major U.S. construction projects.

She walked right up to Webcor’s booth and introduced herself to Assistant Project Manager James Bicamumpaka, Outreach and Partnerships Manager Sharla Sullivan, and HR Specialist Dante Robinson, who were there for The Collective’s (Webcor’s Black employee resource group) annual Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) recruiting trip.

Talking to James, Sharla, and Dante immediately put Synthia at ease. “They were so kind when sharing details about Webcor’s projects, approach, and culture,” she says. “The way they described the internship opportunity felt like more than just a job—it seemed like a space where I would learn, grow, and be heard. The supportive and inclusive environment they described excited me to become part of it.”

A few weeks later, she interviewed for a spot in Webcor’s summer internship program, resulting in an offer in early January. On May 5, she officially joined the Reno ConRAC team as a PE intern supporting coordination, documentation, and site walks.

Nearly a month into her time at ConRAC, Synthia’s favorite moment is still the first time she stepped foot on the project site.

“When I saw how the different trades were working together, everything I’d studied in class suddenly felt real,” she says. “It’s an experience from this internship that I’ll never forget.”

This summer, she’s excited to continue immersing herself in the field and learning the in’s and out’s of delivering a project on a tight timeline through hands-on work. She also hopes to gain deeper insights into the strategic thinking that drives project decisions and of course, connect with her teammates and learn about their experiences.

Although her internship’s just getting started, she’s already realized the value of actively listening, asking thoughtful questions, and paying close attention to others’ communication styles and problem-solving methods.

“Being curious and open to guidance has helped me absorb everything and grow in this new environment,” she says. “My primary goals this summer are to deepen my understanding of construction project management, strengthen my ability to handle field challenges, and grow more confident in my decision-making abilities as a future project leader.”

Outside of her internship and schoolwork, Synthia loves skating, painting, traveling, and exploring new culture and cuisines. She’s also enjoying her first time in Reno and frequents Lake Tahoe as often as she can.

“I’ve already visited Tahoe three times since moving here,” she says. “It’s that stunning! Every visit has felt like a reset. It’s made this whole experience feel even more special. Thank you to the Webcor team for being so welcoming—it’s really helped me settle in and feel at home.”

Mike Price still feels the thump in his chest when he talks about the day a close friend fell five stories during El Niño-whipped winds.

“He died in my arms,” Mike recalls. “Nothing about the schedule or the budget could matter after that.”

The accident happened long before Mike joined Webcor, but it rewired how he thinks about the job.

“If anything can fail on a project, it’s never safety,” he says. “Schedules slip, money runs short—but people don’t get a do-over.”

That conviction runs through the ranks of Webcor’s Construction Managers. Yes, CMs juggle planning, budgets, subcontractors, and logistics, but OSHA and industry guidance make it clear that leading a safety program is inseparable from the role.

Turning “clean” into “care”

At UC Irvine, Billy DeTrinidad strung together four incident-free months by marrying the old adage “a clean job is a safe job” with relentless follow-through. “We literally stop work if a crew leaves debris behind,” he says. “They know we’ll find them, bring them back, and have them make it right.” Weekly safety walks with broker Alliant reinforce the message, but what really moves the needle is psychological safety: any employee of any subcontractor can speak up—and many do—without fear of blowback.

Forrest Walch credits that openness to a tight partnership between supers and safety managers. “I empower them, listen to them, and back them up,” he explains. The result: a jobsite culture where slips, trips, and falls are less likely because clutter simply doesn’t survive the shift.

People first, rules second

Colin Azevedo watched Safety Manager Kendall Cantave work with the foremen at BDFP and stole the playbook. “Kendall models conversations that make workers want to act safely—not just obey rules,” Colin says. “When they know we’re here to help them, not ‘catch’ them, they’ll stop work themselves when they see a problem and ask for our help.”

Mike Flint makes that point with apprentices. While erecting ductwork at Metropolis, he pulled a young installer aside: “Nobody—from your boss to ours—wants you hurt. You will never get in trouble for stopping the job to make it safe,” he told the installer. The sooner that message lands, the easier it is to bake into the project DNA.

Safety wrapped in communication

Anthony Sammut’s project posts QR codes in every stair tower. Scan, and any craftsperson can drop an anonymous safety concern that pings the management team in real time. “Numbers matter, but people matter more,” he says. “Every single person here has someone waiting for them at home. That’s the only metric that counts.” He backs the tech with visible actions: clear travel paths, illuminated signage, and stairwell status updates so “safety first” doesn’t ring hollow.

Veteran Joe Bell sums up his experience in one line: “Our only job is to make sure everybody goes home in the same condition—or better—than they arrived.” On Moscone Center he learned that the best planning meetings happen before the first hammer swings. Get every trade in a room, map out how the work will be done, identify hazards, and then—if the safest plan costs more—fight for the funding. “That’s my job,” Joe says. “Let the mechanics be mechanics. My team removes the barriers that keep them from doing the work safely.”

What “good” looks like

Across projects the Construction Managers called out the same guardrails:

The Safety Week Takeaway

Construction Safety Week reminds us to double-check PPE and refresh toolbox talks, but Webcor’s Construction Managers prove that compliance is the floor, not the ceiling. From Mike Price’s hard-won perspective to Billy DeTrinidad’s “clean equals care” mantra, the through-line is simple: people over production—every shift, every trade, every voice.

As Safety Week kicks off, look for their teams walking the site, asking questions, and stopping work if something feels off. Better yet, join them. Because the safest sites are the ones where everyone—laborer, apprentice, engineer, executive—feels empowered to speak up and confident someone will listen.

Webcor Concrete completed a second pour at the UC Berkeley Switch Station #8 using the experimental Fortera concrete.

Fortera is one of the companies working to replace carbon-intensive Portland Cement in concrete. The mix design for the latest pour included 44 percent Portland Cement, 12 percent ReAct—the replacement material—and 44 percent slag. The concrete was used for two building entrances, a staircase, and an outdoor recycling receptacle area.

Concrete Director Eric Peterson was pleased with the result of the May 9 pour. "The fresh-state properties of the concrete demonstrated impressive workability, were easy to both place and finish, and performed well," he said. "It looks excellent in its hardened, finished state, too, with a very light albedo (reflected by the surface)."

Webcor worked with Central Concrete/@Vulcan Materials Company on the pour at the power plant. Built in 1904, the structure has seen multiple uses; it is now destined to become a substation helping UC Berkeley generate green electricity by 2030.