Marie G. on Constructing Excellence into the Future
Marie G. says she just kind of fell into construction after graduating from college with her industrial engineering degree. Yet she has vivid memories from childhood of taking apart and trying to reassemble things, with a curiosity for how things are built. Lucky us, now we’ve got her putting together Taco Bells!
Marie was recently promoted from Director of Construction to Vice President of the department. She’s been leading our small but mighty in-house team for about a year and a half. This is her first time working in the QSR industry and she digs the fast pace!
“It’s not complex builds but it’s the speed – that’s the challenging piece here,” the self-proclaimed “adrenaline junkie” says.
“I just love the building, I love seeing it come to fruition,” she continues. “The problem solving is … the piece for me that is most incredible.”
“I think Summerwood overall runs at a high level of quality and excellence.”-Marie G., VP of Construction
Keeping it All in the Family
Summerwood’s business model is to build in-house and maintain control over the budget and quality. Purchase the land, own the property, own the building – then Construction hands a build over to Operations.
“We have a vested interest for a very long lifespan of the property,” Marie explains about our company’s choice to have an in-house construction department. “It stays within the footprint … the lineage of the construction model. I think it’s just beneficial to then lead into maintenance. Once we build it, they can then take over and repair it, and control everything that we’ve done from the onset.”
Marie says she was drawn to Summerwood’s culture of excellence and innovation during the interview process. After all, our company is at the forefront of building Taco Bell’s modern Kitchen X model (read about our first here). We have the most Kitchen X locations in the country with around 35 to be built in the next three years!
“I define success by having impact. I don’t really care about the how, just as long as it’s progress every day. – Marie G., VP of Construction
For Marie, being new to the Taco Bell world, it’s been exciting to make her own mark on this newest restaurant model. She says Andrew M. (Senior Construction Manager) is an architect by trade who also loves finding ways to make Kitchen X projects Summerwood’s own.
“It’s been nice to impact and influence that design,” Marie says. According to Marie, her team is responsible for facilitating back-of-house improvements that give team members better flow as they work through the line (ie. equipment placement) or dining room and bathroom updates that enhance the team member and guest experience. Exterior improvements can be incorporated, too.
Almost two years in, we’re looking forward to seeing how Marie makes her mark on this year’s plans. At Summerwood, strong foundations aren’t just poured in concrete, they’re built through leadership. We’re proud to have such a seasoned professional showing us how to construct excellence into every build!