JONAH STEVENS
Job Title: Project Manager
Company: Eldeco, Inc.
Location: Pelham, Ala.
Age: 27
Years on the Job: 6
Interests: Spending time with his son and daughter, playing golf, watching sports with friends, and going to watch baseball and football games at Mississippi State
As a senior in high school, Jonah Stevens noticed the demand and need for electrical professionals and thought the field would afford him plenty of opportunities. After interning for an electrical contractor, he discovered the work suited his personality and skillset.
“I really enjoyed getting into details, working with people, and watching the building progression,” he says.
While he doesn’t have any family members in the electrical trade, his uncle is a retired electrical engineer, and his dad and two brothers work in the construction industry.
Born and raised in Madison, Miss., he earned his bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from Mississippi State University. While in school, he was able to work three summer internships where he was exposed to estimating, project management, and field management.
“The pinnacle of my internships was being entrusted with a crew for the final six weeks to rough-in walls and ceilings in the common areas of a luxury hotel — my first real job,” he says. “After graduating, I was working under a very talented project manager, and he trained me in a hands-on way. Of course, I have learned a ton since then, and I still do every day.”
Within the first year of his employment, he began to manage projects and lead others, which formed the basis of his training.
“It gave me a foundation to build on, and it has helped me with the learning curve and my confidence,” he says. “Being exposed to so much — and seeing how things actually unfold — gives me more realistic expectations.”
As a project manager, he is responsible for material procurement, submittals, change-order pricing, billing, project projections, field communication, and site visits. His favorite part is watching the job get built, but the challenging part is trying to meet the needs of the client and manage their expectations.
