Change in weather wasn’t the only thing
Turk experienced once he settled in as an
official Californian.
“I wanted to grow my career and the
piling market out here is where I could do
that. In Pennsylvania, I was bidding on a
bridge overpass or a job with a few H-piles
on it. I would be fighting over a truckload of
steel; two or three truckloads was a goodsized
job (in Pennsylvania). Out here, every
job is 20 truckloads of steel; one job I got
was 117 truckloads! The jobs out here are
just much larger.”
Another noticeable change between
SoCal and Pennsylvania is the amount of
traffic. Oddly enough, it doesn’t bother Turk
very much on most days.
“I work remotely so I also really love that.
I tell everyone I have the shortest commute
in SoCal, which is about 18 steps to my
office!”
Not only does he avoid the traffic, he is
also able to be more productive in his work
for L.B. Foster by working remotely.
“L.B. Foster is getting more out of me,
I think, because I don’t have to commute
so I’m more readily available. I run my own
region and I take all the jobs from cradle to
grave. I estimate the job, I bid it, I negotiate
the purchase order, I do the submittal drawings,
any fabrication needs, logistics to the
job site, I’ll bill it, credit approval – I do it all.
So, it’s nice that I work remotely because I
can do all of that at my own pace.”
Building a dream
With the big California market also comes
competitiveness. But Turk has a very
straightforward answer to what inspires
him to continue building his career.
“The short and funny answer is, I prefer
not to be homeless. Prices for homes out
here are out of control compared to back in
Pennsylvania. I also had a solid work ethic
instilled in me from a young age by my
grandfather and mother. Both were very
strong personalities but also very careeroriented,
too. The drive moving me forward
is about providing for my family.”
Living in a place where he can hike a
mountain in the morning and head down
to the beach in the afternoon certainly
makes Turk’s work even more enjoyable. He
also enjoys being a member of the PDCA
Pacific Coast Chapter.
“I go to the PDCA Shoot Out every year.
You’ve got customers and suppliers all in
the same picnic area so you get to chat with
everyone, share information, get to know
people more. PDCA brings people together
and I truly do appreciate that. I also like
shooting guns, so it’s not a bad combo!”
As for his future, Turk will continue to
grow his career and keep an eye out for
opportunities to help him do so.
“I embrace change and enjoy experiencing
new things. I’ve been on the construction
side but L.B. Foster is also really big
in the rail and energy markets. Maybe I’ll go
over to those divisions at some point. But
in the next two years, I’d say I’ll be continuing
what I’m doing. I’m pretty happy where
I’m at right now.”
As he continues to build opportunities
and his life in Southern California, we
could learn a lesson from Turk – that perhaps
the unfamiliar doesn’t have to be so
scary after all. t
Photos courtesy of L.B. Foster Co.
CONSTRUCTION CAREER
“I wanted to grow my career
and the piling market
out here in California is
where I could do that.”
– Justin Turk, L.B. Foster Co.
Marla Wallace, Northern California and
Northwest rep, with Justin at the DFI booth.
116 | EDITION 5 2019 www.piledrivers.org Job site at Solana Beach, CA.
/www.piledrivers.org
