News + Ideas

The Impact Blog is a spotlight series that highlights and celebrates the diverse employees that make MGAC tick. Beyond their day-to-day schedules, we want to know how they have a greater impact on their colleagues, their company, and the communities in which they live and work. We want to know what makes them get out of bed in the morning, what led them to their current role, and what they hope their lasting impact will be.

Today, we get to know Rob Garra, Senior Project Manager at MGAC.

MGAC: Hello and welcome to the Impact Blog, Rob!

Rob Garra (RG): Thanks!

MGAC: What is your role here at MGAC?

RG: I work in our New York office as a Senior Project Manager. That means I manage the whole process, from beginning to end and everything in between, to make sure that the client is delivered a successful project. I’m also fortunate to have strong team members in the New York office to help and support as needed.

MGAC: When did you join MGAC?

RG: It was a little over two years ago now.

MGAC: What were you doing before you came to MGAC?

RG: I started my career at Sherwin Williams, the paint company. Including an internship, I was there for about nine years. I went from intern to assistant store manager to store manager to sales rep. At one point I had the opportunity to meet the Senior Director in MGAC’s New York office, Chris Perruna. He was at JLL at the time. One day he let me know about a posting he had there for an associate project manager. I applied and was hired. Eventually, he left JLL, but we kept in touch. When there was an opening for a project manager at MGAC, I applied, and the rest is history.

MGAC: So you had a bit of a wayward path into the industry; what did you study in school?

RG: I’m a huge car guy, and when I went to school, I enrolled in mechanical engineering at York College of Pennsylvania. I did it for the first year, and it was great, but I hated physics. I didn’t care how the ball got down the mountain; I just knew that physics was going to get it there! I switched to business administration with a minor in marketing. Later, while I was working full-time for Sherwin Williams, I got my MBA at Monmouth University.

MGAC: What do you think younger you would think of your role today? 

RG: That’s a deep question! I always knew I could never have a desk job. I was also a kid who loved to take things apart. If my dad had an old printer that needed to be thrown out, he’d ask if I wanted to take it apart first. I’d get the screwdriver out, and take it all apart. So being in the construction world now and watching things get built—it’s like a little kid’s dream job! You see all of those pieces come together, all the big machinery at work. I think younger me would be pretty happy about where I’m at!

MGAC: Sounds like it!

RG: I’ve got a four-year-old daughter, and I can’t wait for when she’s a little older and I can take her to work with me. I want to get a little hard hat for her and take her to a jobsite. She’s already got a little toolkit, so that’s the next step!

MGAC: A little hard hat is a must! Speaking of jobsites, what’s keeping you busy right now?

RG: Currently, I’m working on an Asian supermarket in Flushing, Queens. That’s been going through design. We’re also working on a distribution center for them in Carteret, New Jersey, that’s about 150,000 SF with a 30,000 SF cooler in there as well. At the same time, we are providing financial oversight on some cultivation facilities. That’s my current workload in a nutshell!

MGAC: Sounds like some interesting projects!

RG: Absolutely! The work is all over, too. There are some in New York City, upstate New York, central New Jersey, Chicago, Austin, National Harbor in Maryland, San Marcos in Texas, and a couple of sites in Florida.

MGAC: Wow! Are you traveling often to visit project sites?

RG: Sometimes! I enjoy being able to go on-site when I can. It’s fun to see the fruits of your labor and to see new towns I haven’t been to. I also love the opportunity it presents to learn something new. In construction, you may think you’ve not seen it all, but no one has!

MGAC: That’s a great mindset!

RG: That’s what makes this fun, right? Learning new things. Working on entirely new projects. It keeps it interesting. I think that if I were working on the same type of project for the next 30 years of my life, I’d fall off this chair and say, “I’m done!”

MGAC: What impact do you hope you have through your work here at MGAC?

RG:  I always want to be the go-to guy for anything the client needs. I might not know the answer, and I’ll need to go find it, but I want to be the guy people call on. And at the end of the project, I want the team to look back and know that I was someone they could trust and lean on. Being a great team member and a resource to our clients is really important to me. When clients come back for another project, that means a lot. It’s a sort of unofficial pat on the back. And then when they call, and we talk nonsense for a good ten minutes, I know I must be doing something right!

MGAC: And how has your time at MGAC impacted you?

RG: I previously worked for two huge corporations. In comparison, MGAC is much smaller—in a very good way. The environment is truly entrepreneurial. I can take ownership of my work, be a leader, and then lean on the company when I need support. 

MGAC: With every day at work being a little different, what does an ideal workday look like for you?

RG: I love when we are starting a project off, when you know you’ve got a whole thing in front of you. The other favorite is the opposite. It’s so rewarding to hand the keys over to the client and say, “This is all yours now.” There’s always a huge smile on their face on those days, so it’s really fun to be a part of that moment.

MGAC: So true! Obviously, there are a lot of little moments in between those two phases and sometimes obstacles along the way. What kind of challenges have you encountered in your role?

RG: Well, it’s a challenge but also a privilege to educate our clients. We’re here because they don’t always know the ins and outs of the construction process, and while I’m not the one swinging hammers, I do, and my job is to translate the process for them. And my approach to that varies: some don’t really need to get bogged down in the details; others want to be really involved. It means I need to be flexible to meet their different needs while keeping a project on track.

MGAC: Juggling different projects requires a lot of energy. What’s your go-to for keeping up?

RG: It helps that I truly enjoy the work! And then my family time at the beginning and end of the day is always something I look forward to. I’ve got no complaints! The motions of life right now are good. I know people who don’t love their job or hardly have time to see their kids because they’re off to work before they wake up and back after they’ve gone to bed. Fortunately, that isn’t me!

MGAC: Glad to hear it! Now, are you ready for some rapid-fire questions?

RG: Yeah, let’s do it!

MGAC: You’re starting the workday. What’s the first thing you do?

RG: Check the emails. I have a couple of clients on the west coast, so I like to check in to see if anything important has happened overnight.

MGAC: And the last thing? 

RG: Close up all the loose ends. For tasks I haven’t finished, it means putting a note on my notepad or a reminder on the calendar.

MGAC: What’s the first item on your to-do list right now?

RG: Well, that’s an interesting question, because my to-do list here is all categorized, so there’s really not one thing that’s on the top! It depends on the category!

MGAC: What’s your go-to workday lunch at the moment?

RG: When I’m out and about, I like to find a good sandwich place.

MGAC: What’s the most interesting thing we might find on your desk or in your work bag?

RG: On my car keys, I have a keychain with a photo. I was on the boardwalk with my daughter, and I was holding her. She was like one and a half of the time. My wife took a picture and got me the keychain. When the going gets hard, I have a reminder of why I keep going!

MGAC: What can you not get through the workday without?

RG: My phone. I’m old school, so I’m someone who likes to pick up the phone whenever I can versus just sending a text or email.

MGAC: Speaking of phones, what’s the most-used app on your phone?

RG: If it’s not just calling someone, it’s probably the podcast app, which really comes in handy on days when I am driving to job sites or taking the train for work. Currently, I’m listening to a podcast called Car Stories.

MGAC: How might you describe your job in five words or less?

RG: Understand, listen, and be proactive.

MGAC: What’s your biggest work goal right now? 

RG: Continue to grow the New York office. Make sure my projects run smoothly.

MGAC: What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?

RG: Never go into a situation predicting the outcome.

MGAC: What’s an industry trend you love right now?

RG: The changing way of working. Remote work, hybrid work. It’s making industry folks who’ve traditionally only done office interiors get creative. 

MGAC: Looking at the industry ten years from now, what do you predict will have changed?

RG: Technology, construction software.

MGAC: What do you think will remain the same?

RG: Hopefully, flexible work structures and a continued focus on work-life balance.

MGAC: What would your dream project look like?

RG: It’d be great to do something automotive-related. And then, as a complete 180, I’d also probably love to work on a resort!

MGAC: What are you known for around the office?

RG: I hope it’s being a reliable resource. The guy you can call if you need something done or need to step in if someone needs help.

MGAC: What’s something your colleagues don’t know about you?

RG: I want to run a half marathon at some point. People have asked me why I don’t want to do a full marathon, but I don’t even want to drive 26 miles. Why would I run it? I’ll do a half!

MGAC: Where might we find you if you’re not at work?

RG: Going to the boardwalk, the shore. That’s where I live, so I’m there every day!