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One does not become an icon of the construction industry by failing to learn from others, both in good times and bad.

That ability to listen is what has allowed Hoffman Construction Senior Project Manager Gerry Hein to stand out from the crowd during his 36 years with the Portland company.

鈥淚t鈥檚 keeping people engaged and talking and discussing,鈥� Hein said. 鈥淚 listen. Then I listen some more, and then I ask a question or two and I listen some more. Problem solving is really about engaging other people.鈥�

In part, this approach is the result of a unique career path. Since graduating from Oregon State University with an engineering degree, he has served as a field superintendent as well as project engineer and project manager. And he鈥檚 also spent time as an estimator and scheduler. This has given him the ability to view the myriad of challenges every project presents from pretty much a 360-degree point of view.

鈥淚鈥檓 one of the unique people at Hoffman who has pretty much done everything,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 bounced back and forth between being a project engineer and superintendent and project manager probably for about 15 to 20 years. I went back and forth depending on what the project was and what was needed and ultimately sort of stuck in the project management field.鈥�

He has spent much of that time specializing in what are termed justice projects 鈥� courthouses, police stations, jails and similar buildings. Most recently he worked with the Hoffman team that built the new 17-story Multnomah County Courthouse tower in downtown Portland.

Being able to understand all sides of a project has turned Hein into something of a diplomat, said Faye Burch, the DMWESB coordinator for Portland鈥檚 Professional Business Development Group.

鈥淚 think that鈥檚 a very good word for him,鈥� Burch said. 鈥淗e takes the fight to the owners, sits down with the owner, the supplier, everybody at one time, and they have a meeting and he keeps at it until it鈥檚 resolved. Gerry is a problem solver.鈥�

Hein chuckled briefly at the description, but admitted it is true 鈥� up until a problem needs to be solved.

鈥淚鈥檓 a diplomat until I鈥檓 not,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 definitely am a diplomat up until I鈥檓 not. If I was to take a compliment and turn it back into a little bit of dose of reality, that would be how I鈥檇 describe it.鈥�

Fostering continued growth in the people he works with and mentors is what鈥檚 important, he added.

鈥淧eople can look to me for the answers, and sometimes I have the answer,鈥� he said. 鈥淏ut if all you do is provide the answer, nobody grows and also you only get my answer, you don鈥檛 get a collective answer. You don鈥檛 get the best answer, you only get Gerry鈥檚 answer and Gerry鈥檚 answer might not be the best answer.鈥�