Chris Carroll
What are you passionate about and how do you pursue that passion at PMA?
The project management work I do fuels my passion knowing the legacy it leaves behind. When I am out with friends or family, I can point to projects, schools, and buildings that I have had a hand in constructing and completing with PMA. It’s really motivating to see all of PMA’s efforts in a tangible form that become a permanent part of the community.
What current project(s) are you working on?
Currently, we are finishing up the Boston Arts Academy, which is the only public performing arts high school in the city of Boston. It just opened in September and is a marvel of a school with unbelievably talented students who are learning music, dance, theatre, and everything related to performance arts. It is unlike any other school that we have built, and it has been challenging and very interesting seeing it all come together.
I am also working on Hingham Elementary School, which is a medium sized elementary school near where I live. I am enjoying the opportunity to contribute to my own community. There are several other projects in progress as well such as Bristol Plymouth Technical High School and Northeast Metro Tech. Both schools are vocational high schools and have a unique purpose in the education system with their much-in-demand vocational training.
Who/what inspires you to push yourself? (Personal heroes, family members, ideas)
It’s hard for me to pinpoint a specific inspiration of mine because I feel like my drive is a part of my nature and make up. I’m sure this has a lot to do with my parents, family and upbringing, though. I’ve always had demanding jobs, starting right out of college and never slowing down. My work ethic has me starting at least by 7:00 AM and working straight through the day. This has been my schedule since high school and a “40-hour work week” would seem like a vacation.
What are the most positive aspects of working at PMA? Or Share your impressions of PMA’s culture.
I think that having worked at PMA Consultants for over 30 years now, one of the most positive aspects that I have experienced is the ability to identify my own interests and passions and develop a business plan along those interests. Because of this, we have been able to successfully create an OPM group within the New England region that has built or been involved with the construction of over 40 different school projects! It has been very rewarding getting to work on these projects and leave behind a legacy for PMA as well as for myself as an individual.
What is something innovative happening in your industry that makes you excited about the future?
The local OPM market and competition has matured greatly over the past few years. PMA’s advantage has been hiring the best staff, always performing for clients and establishing strong standards within our group. PMA’s innovative NetPoint has allowed us to present a unique industry tool to our clients. Looking ahead in the local project management market, our experienced staff and ability to compete with any firm in our market leaves the door open for many welcome challenges.
What university or college did you graduate from?
I went to the Massachusetts Maritime Academy, in Buzzards Bay, Massachusetts, and I also earned an MBA from the University of Redlands in California while working full time for General Dynamics in San Diego.
What is your favorite local establishment/feature (restaurant, museum, stadium, etc.)?
Having grown up on Cape Cod, two of my biggest passions are fishing and eating seafood. There are several restaurants on the south shore of Boston and Cape Cod that I enjoy visiting. They change by the season because a lot of them close during the winter, but there are a lot of nice seafood and sushi restaurants to choose from. If I had to pick one, I’d say the ultimate is Inaho on Cape Cod in Yarmouth Port; it’s consistently been the best sushi for 30 years.
Provide a fun fact or secret talent about yourself.
This is not a secret and maybe not even a fun fact, but straight out of college I started working at the General Dynamics Quincy Shipbuilding facility, building military prepositioning ships that were 675’ and 42,000 tons each. After that program ended in 1986, I transferred to General Dynamics in San Diego for several years to build stealth advanced cruise missiles for delivery to the US Air Force. My work career prior to PMA involved some major construction and manufacturing projects that are very different from the type of work PMA does. It was a unique experience, and I am very proud of the projects I had the opportunity to work on during that time.
So, a final actual fun fact is that on the day I received my job offer call from PMA in 1992, I was 10 miles off the coast of Cape Cod commercial bluefin tuna fishing and had to explain the process to Gui and Monti on that call─job accepted and here I am, 30 years later.