Haskell Project Superintendent Darrell Jones brings three invaluable assets to every project he oversees: electrical expertise, emotional intelligence and field-proven experience.
Jones has worked in the construction industry for 32 years. The Memphis, Tennessee, native joined the U.S. Navy straight out of high school, serving 14 years as a Naval electrician. After retiring from the service, he worked 18 years as an electrical superintendent. He joined Haskell in 2014 as a project superintendent, bringing a high level of electrical acumen to a team of superintendents who come predominantly from structural backgrounds.
“He’s a great asset,” said Mark Van Landingham, Director of Construction for Haskell’s Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) Group. “He brings a high level of expertise in electrical work. Our superintendents are proficient across all trades, but Darrell brings added expertise to the electrical side of the project.”
Jones has amassed years of self-perform experience working in a range of Haskell’s markets, including Consumer Products, Food and Beverage, Maritime, Aviation, Federal, Commercial and Water. Supervisors call him a master at sequencing work activities and credit his focus on team member safety and quality control.
He currently is overseeing Haskell’s construction of a Frito Lay facility in Perry, Ga. Prior to that project, he was assigned to the construction of Project Northpoint, an 880,000-square-foot production and distribution facility in Houston, Texas, for the subsidiary of an international beverage company.
“I’d take Darrell for my project any day of the week,” said Bradley Stone, Senior Project Manager in Haskell’s CPG division. “He has an incredible work ethic. He’s just a super hard worker. He’ll come in early, stay late, and do whatever it takes to make a job successful.”
Jones works with people equally as well as he does with electricity. He keeps a cool head on the job site and builds personal relationships with everyone involved in a project. Jones said he learned early in his civilian career that he can get more out of his team by building them up as opposed to wearing them down.
“When I first got out of the military, I learned that the drill sergeant mentality won’t get you anywhere,” Jones said before laughing. “I work with the guys. I'm more of a lenient superintendent, but I know I’ve got to push the job to completion.”
Haskell has built its reputation as a groundbreaking design-build firm through its results, and successfully executing a project begins with field leadership. Jones exemplifies how emotional intelligence can be as valuable as any technical skill in the construction industry.
“I like his general approach and management style,” Stone said. “He's a friendly guy, and he takes a collaborative approach with his subcontractors and does everything he can to help them out. But at the same time, he knows when to get on people when they're not pulling their weight. It’s a hard balance to find, but I think he strikes it well.”
Van Landingham said clients always speak highly of Jones, which is the highest compliment you can receive at Haskell. Van Landingham said Jones is also regularly praised by subcontractors – and even Haskell’s major competitors.
“A lot of time, we’ll end up working alongside another vendor on a project. Anytime we joint occupy a space, it takes a lot of coordination and communication, especially with our competitors,” he said. “When you're working with a competitor, and you have that competitor say he's top notch, that says a lot."
