08/19/2026
As a project manager at Southland, you have to be willing to oversee a project from all different phases of the building lifecycle, gain exposure to the field and the technical side of the work, as well as develop a keen understanding of how each person contributes to the projects’ success.
𝐁𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐧 𝐎𝐡𝐥𝐞𝐫’𝐬 𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐫 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡 𝐨𝐟 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐝𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐬𝐞𝐭 𝐡𝐢𝐦 𝐮𝐩 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐬𝐮𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐧𝐞𝐱𝐭.
Branden began his journey in the MEP industry as a steamfitter helper, where he then joined the Local 602 apprenticeship program, and eventually made it to Southland where he started as a project engineer and was recently promoted to project manager.
During his time as a project manager, no two jobs have been the same. He values the chance to see projects through the construction, commissioning, and closeout phases, which has been instrumental to his growth.
As far as advice he would give to those interested in working as a project manager?
“Being organized, communicating well, taking ownership, and being willing to learn will take you a long way.”
𝐂𝐡𝐫𝐢𝐬 𝐅𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐬 𝐝𝐢𝐝 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐚 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐣𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐫, 𝐲𝐞𝐭 𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐡𝐢𝐦𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟 𝐞𝐧𝐣𝐨𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐜𝐨𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐡𝐧𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐢𝐞𝐥𝐝 𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐦, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐭, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐢𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐨𝐥𝐯𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐛𝐥𝐞𝐦𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐤𝐞𝐞𝐩 𝐚 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐣𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐦𝐨𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠.
During his time as a project manager, one of the most valuable lessons he’s learned is that that you can have the best schedule, budget, and plan in place, but none of it matters if the people involved aren't communicating and working together.
As far as advice he would give to those interested in working as a project manager?
“Don't be afraid of difficult projects. Some of the biggest lessons I've learned have come from the projects that didn't go according to plan. Those experiences build judgment, confidence, and the ability to lead when things get complicated — which is really what project management is all about.”
For open positions like Branden and Chris’, consult our careers page here: https://ow.ly/91Ta50ZBAvi.
