Question: What do two award-winning ski lodges, a world-class fitness club, an automotive showroom and service center, and a water buffalo farm have in common?

Answer: Each moved (or soon will!) from concept to reality with the help of construction management professional, Ken Merrow.

Ken’s excellent project and field management skills are well recognized within Trumbull-Nelson. His broad understanding of construction has made him an integral part of the Company’s Project Management Team over the past year. Prior to becoming a Project Manager, Ken’s career path has included work as a carpenter, time keeper, assistant superintendent, field engineer and site superintendent. His decision to enter the business 16 years ago was influenced by family (his father was a construction superintendent, and many relatives currently participate in the industry). After high school in Newport, New Hampshire, he decided to pursue coursework at Worcester Polytechnic Institute and obtained a Bachelor of Science Degree in Civil Engineering.

Commitment to project excellence is a big part of who Ken is…but he’d be the first to admit that his real love (after his wife, Rebecca; son, Cody; and daughter, Hannah) is hunting, hunting and... hunting. As often as possible. Snowmobiling and softball fill any recreation voids.

Prior to becoming a Project Manager, Ken’s career path has included work as a carpenter, time keeper, assistant superintendent, field engineer and site superintendent.

Over the years, Ken has participated in a variety of interesting work. He feels that his most interesting job as a Project Superintendent was the River Valley Club. “The amount of materials and products gathered from all parts of the country was just amazing,” he suggests. “The job offered numerous challenges, from site and structural requirements, to detailed finish work.” In the area of Project Management, his most interesting job is likely to be one that he is just starting as this magazine goes off to press: a water buffalo facility in South Woodstock, Vermont. He notes that the complex will be “leading edge” in regards to farming techniques used for these animals.

Over the years, Ken has been an active participant in Industry sponsored training programs. He indicates his personal concern for the Industry’s apparent inability to attract more young people to the trades. “When I started, if your dad was a tradesman, then that’s where you started, so you could learn to work and respect what your father did for work,” he says. “Few young kids today have much respect for a real job.”

In his own way, Ken is serving as an effective role model to those young people who are giving construction a try. And he’s certainly gaining the respect of his T-N peers and associates for the work he accomplishes. Now, managing those water buffalo! That we’ll want to hear about!