Council Post: How Young Leaders Can Shake Up The Construction Industry

Gianni Cortes is an experienced construction executive and owner of Cortes Construction, Inc. in Florida working nationwide.

Construction has innovated the world’s infrastructure since the Megalithic Temples of Malta, believed to be constructed during the fourth millennium BC, according to UNESCO. And the need for construction has not dissipated but increased as the population of the world continually increases over time. Work in the industry has brought the incorporation of heavy machinery, electric tools and innovation in building materials to make the construction of our infrastructure as efficient as we need it to be. 

Construction is one of the oldest industries in the world, so it can be hard to innovate and adopt new business practices, as practices have been passed from generation to generation. According to data and research from Probuilder, the median age for construction managers is 40-45 years of age. Based on today’s technology and medical abilities, this is considered middle age; however, given that our businesses are becoming technologically driven and growing faster than ever by becoming dominant on youth-led platforms — such as Facebook, Instagram and TikTok — these businesses may face hardships growing or even surviving in the future.

Business leaders today are riding the cusp of technological breakthroughs in business dominance. The global pandemic is forcing businesses to switch from their usual headquarters and office buildings to remote workforces. We have witnessed the adaptation of programs like Zoom, hosting 300 million daily participants since Covid-19 started, to find success in remote meetings, remote work and even education. It’s hard to say that we’ll return to our offices anytime soon, as it is saving money. 

Construction is one industry that is shaky with marketing, but the industry needs to step forward technologically in that regard. If you do great work, the referrals spread like wildfires if your place of business is populated enough. The type of construction affects marketing efforts, of course, but embracing new technology in marketing, specifically, can help.

I believe the elder executives leading the construction industry have made it easy to overlook the importance of web presence, website design, SEO, online portfolios and much more, which drive businesses to succeed in this digital age. This is where the youth and new generations will come in and knock them off their horses. The more present your company is on the internet and digitally, the more likely you are to outlast the transformation to digital dependency and become everlasting. 

Although it can be hard to pinpoint future benefits and trends, it is easy to identify how little your competition is doing or how much they are doing to stay competitive. This will help you analyze where your efforts need to be focused. Construction is a great industry to capitalize on how little companies do digitally. 

If you are among the old school crowd, there is not lost hope in making the changes that will secure your future. Hiring young graduates, implementing a marketing/sales division and staying informed and knowledgable on new trends and practices for business are all things that can shift an entire company into keeping up and staying up-to-date. 

If you are among the younger aspiring entrepreneurs and business leaders, it is in your best interest to practice and figure out what works for your business and not let your voice be unheard or ignored. On the other hand, we cannot allow the impulsive nature of our generation to get in the way and not stay consistent with action to bring your proposals to life. To help you have a voice that matters, be prepared with not only ideas but also evidence and proof your actions will be beneficial to your executives and leaders, or put this evidence into your business plan. 

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