We are highlighting five of our employees over the next few weeks by asking them five different questions. James Shircel is our second employee to participate! See what he has to say.
How long have you been with JCP? I was fortunate to be hired by JCP Construction in May of 2019. JCP had impressed me with the company’s ownership, employees and future goals/growth plan.
How long have you been a project manager and what is the best part of it? I have been in project management since 2006. Before that, my title was Senior Engineer with Abbott Laboratories – Diagnostic Division. The best part of project management is the chance to work with ownership, contractors, architects and engineers on a common goal. It is extremely gratifying to start with a conceptual project or design on paper and see it through to realization. Some projects are extremely stressful, but the satisfaction of completion is fulfilling.
What is the most enjoyable project you’ve worked on? Back in the 90’s, when I was much younger, I was fortunate enough to be on the Medisense Project Team. Medisense was a company located in Abington, England. Our team was tasked with building a new $30 million plus manufacturing facility in the nearby town of Witney. It was my first experience working outside of the U.S. and I was exposed to different construction processes, unfamiliar cultures and new building codes. Throughout the two year project I had the chance to occasionally travel through areas of England. I even had one relative still living in Southern England and so I had the chance to visit him.
What do you think future project managers need to know to be the best they can be? Continue to educate yourself! Continued education (additional schooling, seminars or specialty classes) is the key to success. With the constant changes in new technology and materials it is essential to stay on top of the game.
Tell us something about you that not many people know? Other than my high school classmates, not many people know that I was pretty small my freshman year and I was on the gymnastics team. I actually started gymnastic classes at the age of 6. Now at 6’4” most people I meet ask if I was in basketball or football back in the day. It is hard to explain that I was only 5’4” as a freshman.
