Construction is a huge industry with a multitude of career paths. With the Career Building Q&A, we ask some of Pinkard’s longest tenured employees to share stories, advice, and lessons leaned over their own career journeys. In our first edition, we spotlight Blake Chambliss, whose remarkable 40 years at Pinkard has seen him rise from a journeyman carpenter to Chief of Operations.
How did you get started in construction?
My father is an architect, and he introduced me to a home building contractor. We formed and poured foundations and driveways, framed and sided, and did all interior trim including setting cabinets and countertops.
How did you come to Pinkard Construction?
I had just moved to Denver and was working for a multifamily developer when I heard that Pinkard was hiring. I hired on as a carpenter and we were just coming out of the ground and doing the concrete frame on the Hyatt Regency hotel in the Denver Tech Center.
Superintendent-era Blake (circa 1996)
Tell us the play-by-play of your evolving roles and responsibilities at Pinkard.
I started out as a carpenter in 1984, and soon moved up to carpenter foreman at a time when we were doing a lot of high-rise PT cast-in-structures. I was promoted to Assistant Superintendent in (1986) and worked on Harvard Gulch Rec Center, DirecTV Broadcast Center, Tropical Discovery at the Denver Zoo, and a couple others.
In the early ‘90s I was promoted to Superintendent and did several tenant improvements, a train wash station in Alliance, Nebraska, and some renovations before doing the first of several recreation projects in Highlands Ranch, including both phases of the Westridge Recreation Center and the renovation of Northridge Rec Center. I built several tilt-up projects (boring, like watching paint dry) and was put on three projects to replace existing superintendents, one of those still only in the foundation phase.
In 2004, I was promoted to Field Manager where I also managed the self-perform concrete when we were doing decks and cores, and we did some very impressive architectural concrete using Agilia, a self-consolidating concrete, on One Riverfront. I worked as a project manager to replace a departed PM and finish up West Metro Fire. Finally I was promoted to Construction Manager before being named COO in 2022.
What have been some of your career highlights?
I really enjoyed working on Westridge Rec Center. We had a great repeat client in Highlands Ranch and [architect] Sink Combs (now Perkins & Will), and it was really rewarding being involved in preconstruction and working with [structural engineer] Martin & Martin to make structural changes to facilitate the proper sequencing of steel, masonry, and concrete.
The architectural concrete at One Riverfront was fun to do. We did several mockups using different form-plys and form release agents to get the desired end-product, and we even used a pump to pour the mock-ups—not because of accessibility but because we needed to exactly replicate how we were going to pour the final product.
In-progress architectural concrete at ONE Riverfront
What’s the biggest challenge you’ve had to overcome?
Probably taking over the projects that were already behind schedule and getting them finish on time. Also, the water and rock challenges we had on a tilt project we did at 6th & Indiana. The soils report said no water or rock, but we ended up having to blast rock (Colorado blue shale) and install wells to keep the water out of the foundations.
What’s was your most memorable project at Pinkard?
There have been a lot of great days, but form setting and flying decks at the Hyatt Regency was super fun, even though we had to hear superintendent Leroy Jefferson yelling like a mad man all the time!
What’s the best advice you ever received?
When I worked at DSP Builders, a superintendent said, “You’ve got to have eyes out your ass, because as soon as you turn around someone will f#@& something up,” and that’s never been truer. You always need to be aware of what people are doing and that can only be done by continually walking the job with your eyes and ears open.
What’s the worst advice you ever received?
I don’t ever recall getting bad advice. There are always lessons to be learned, and a day without learning something new is a lost day.
What’s your advice for people navigating careers in construction?
Ask a lot of questions.
