Creating Opportunities: Kim Neuscheler on Knowing Your Craft and Believing in Others

By Julia Gamolina

Kim Neuscheler is a Vice President & Construction Executive in Turner Construction's New York office. At Turner, Kim’s focus has been on Healthcare and Laboratory Research projects, her clients including Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, NYU Langone Medical Center, and Columbia University. Kim has managed projects ranging in size from $25 million to $940 million.

In her spare time, Kim volunteers on the Ambassador Council for Nontraditional Employment for Women and is an active participant in Turner’s Women’s Resource Group, Make Your Mark. Kim received a Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Architecture from Rice University in Houston, Texas. In her interview, Kim talks about her beginnings as an architect and her transition to construction management, advising those just starting their careers to learn their craft and be invaluable.

JG: What was the first spark of your interest in architecture?

KN: I’ve been drawn to building since I was young. I built everything from forts out of blankets, pillows and furniture, to creating with erector sets, Capsela and Legos. When I got into high school, I took a technical drafting class in lieu of taking lunch during my Junior and Senior year – and ate lunch in physics class since I didn’t want to give up art or music.

I didn’t want to limit myself to just one thing for my career. To me, architecture was one of the last renaissance professions where you could incorporate science, engineering, math, and art to create something beautiful – a perfect blend of all of my passions. Architecture also provided an opportunity to work with diverse people from varying disciplines who would collaborate to leave an impact on communities and on people. What sealed the deal for me though, Frank Lloyd Wright’s Falling Water. When I saw that house I knew that architecture was what I wanted to study.

“I had a dual role as procurement agent and project manager. I bought my job and then got to build my job, which meant I made my own bed.”

You studied at Rice University - what did you learn there?

I learned how much ‘stick-to-itiveness’ I have. Rice, and architecture programs across the country in general, are so rigorous, but I didn’t just want to go to architecture school. I wanted to have what I considered a normal college experience and explore everything the university had to offer. 

This meant that I didn’t sleep much – I still don’t. I’d leave studio at 5pm and then play all my sports, go to the music school and sing in a choir, eat dinner with friends, and after all that I would go back to studio [laughs]. I was always walking home in the morning for a nap when everyone else was going to their first class. 

Sounds familiar. What did you first do when you graduated? 

At Rice, it is a six-year program – Bachelor of Arts in four years, one year at a firm, and final year at university to finish your professional degree, a Bachelor of Architecture. My sixth year, I took a design-build class. The class prompt was a competition and the design concept for my house won. After graduation, I stayed in Houston and prepared the construction documents for the house. The following semester that same design-build class built the house, and I wanted to participate. 

To do so, I got a full-time job in Houston with one of my professors - working on high end residential homes, assisted living facilities, etc – and then on Saturdays, I would help build this house. We partnered with a program called Project Row Houses, which is artists’ studios, after school programs for children, and single-mother residences where they provide learning skills for these women to have financial self-sufficiency, find a job, and raise their kids in a safe environment. They provided the land and we built the house. 

Kim at the topping Out ceremony at MSK David H. Koch Center for Cancer Care.

That’s amazing, and now I know where the seeds for your work with Non-Traditional Employment for Women (NEW) come from. 

Exactly. This design-build will always have a special place in my heart because there was a woman who lived in those residences who had three children. I got to know her while we were building the house and she was the one who got to move into the house when it was completed. We built something that meant something to this community, and specifically to this one person and her family. That really meant a lot to me.

What did you do next? 

I came back to New York, where my family was, and went to work for another architect doing mainly high-end residential work. As I was moving up in my career, I was doing more construction administration – being detail oriented, I took to managing projects. Soon I realized I wanted to learn more about the business and construction side of things. 

Is that when you came to Turner Construction?

Yes. I was specific in what I was looking for and narrowed my search down to two firms - a design-build company and a construction management company, Turner. 

I decided to go with Turner. My brother worked with the company at the time and all he ever did was talk about how much he loved it. I thought if I’m going to do Construction Administration as an architect, I might as well do it for real and manage construction processes. 

Was it tough to leave architecture and design? 

It was, however, I always knew I could dabble on the side, to help friends and family with design-build, a renovation, or an addition. I still do it, but try to limit my design projects to one or two a year. The work is time consuming and I work a lot of hours as it is. 

“As an officer of a company, what you say and do matters a whole lot more. You are representing the organization, so you always have to think about how you are responding, and you are a role model to a lot of other people...”

Tell me about your role at Turner. 

During the first year when I joined Turner, I started as an architectural engineer for all the architecture trades. I was on this monster project for Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, building a lab research facility that was 692,000 square feet, and I sat in a corner, dissected the drawings, and color coded everything based on the different trades and jurisdictions - carpenters, electricians, millworkers, etc. This was all in order to define and create a scope of work document. It was the perfect transition.

I was then promoted to project engineer, where I was responsible for making sure all engineering was completed by our staff, from MEPS, to structure and envelope, everything. My next role was project manager and I oversaw more budget-related, schedule, and client relations aspects.

I then moved on to procurement, awarding contracts. After that I had a dual role as procurement agent and project manager. I bought my job and then got to build my job, which meant I made my own bed. If I made any mistakes, I had no one to blame but myself. That was probably my favorite position at Turner to that point in my career. From there I transitioned into a senior project manager role and was later promoted to project executive. Then three years ago now, I was named Vice President and Construction Executive. 

Beyond well-deserved. Congratulations, very belatedly! How does having that title shift your responsibilities? Is there a difference?

As an officer of a company, what you say and do matters a whole lot more. You are representing the organization, so you always have to think about how you are responding, and you are a role model to a lot of other people, so what you do and how you do it makes a difference. 

That is a huge responsibility - the role is no longer just about me and my projects. What I do now and how I do it impacts the lives of the people who work with me and the people I’m responsible to – my fellow officers, my clients, our trade partners and the design team. They are all our partners and we can’t do it without them. I try to conduct myself in a way that people would want to work with me again because they know they can count on me to resolve the issues together, and they can come to me to talk about anything.

Luncheon honoring Women's History Month 2018.

Kim with NEW’s students.

You’ve seen so many sides of the design and construction process - what advice do you have for architects? 

We are in a time right now where we are all being asked to do more for less and we are being asked to do it faster than ever before by any means possible. One thing I would want architects to know, is that, as the general contractor, we are not the enemy. We can truly partner, and that is how I would love to see things moving forward, where we work together to develop solutions that are mutually beneficial to everyone. 

I think that we all need to do better at not being defensive when a problem is being brought up. We simply have an issue that we need to find a solution for together. I would love to get back to the point where we can sit across from each other and make design decisions at the table, instead of making decisions by committee. We get the right people in the room and have working sessions. If we could get back to having a true partnership and doing the hard work in real time, I think that would save us all a lot of money and a lot of headaches. 

What have been the biggest challenges throughout all of this? Throughout your career in general, not just at Turner. 

I'm a people-pleaser by nature, so my biggest challenge is when certain people I respect and look up to stop believing in me. I devote the majority of my time to my career – I give up a lot to make sure that I do a good job and make sure the work is done well. So, when someone doesn’t believe in me, it’s really hard. It can be debilitating. But, I’d just tell myself that I was still doing what I always did. I knew that those who didn’t believe in me would see it eventually - I was doing what was best for my company and client, and I was still me. You have to lift yourself up sometimes. 

“One thing I would want architects to know, is that, as the general contractor, we are not the enemy...I would love to get back to the point where we can sit across from each other and make design decisions at the table, instead of making decisions by committee.”

How do you do that? 

I kept my head down and I did my job, and I went back to what is important to me - contributing something that might make a difference in someone’s life and working with a non-profit. I was introduced to NEW and became part of the ambassador council, and now I am in a position where I can help create opportunities for women. I can hopefully help them find employment with companies within the industry – and with our company - to make sure they have an opportunity and a place at the table. 

Creating opportunities is really important to me. Giving someone a shot they wouldn't get otherwise. Seeing what they can do and believing in them and advocating - there are so many people who don’t have an advocate or don’t have someone in their corner. Sometimes all people really need is someone to step up.  

Tell me more about stepping up for others.

I have been blessed with some really good bosses and mentors in my time, who have always given me a chance to show what I am capable of. I want to make sure other people feel like they have that same opportunity to show what they can do. Being able to provide mentorship and guidance is really important. As a vice president of Turner, I get to do that a little bit more than when I was project engineer. I love that, and I love working with women throughout the company.

Ladies on a beam! Kim and her Turner colleagues at the topping Out celebration of the MSK David H. Koch Center for Cancer Care.

Who are you admiring right now? 

I'm still really admiring the Women's World Cup team, for so many reasons - their performance on the field under all that pressure, what they are trying to do for equal pay, and not compromising who they are for anyone else just because someone doesn’t get it or because someone wants to put them down. 

The fact that we are in 2020 and we are still having a conversation about equal pay for equal work is unbelievable to me. I’m really admiring how they are handling themselves. They were the best versions of themselves and came away with a victory and did the country proud. 

“Simply believing in someone can have a lasting effect on them.”

What have been the biggest highlights in your career? 

There are so many. Something I will always be proud of is when I was selected as one of ENR’s top 20 under 40 several years back. That was special to me because I didn’t know about it and seeing my peers who were also selected was really inspiring.  

In terms of what makes me happy to my core, it’s making sure people are taken care of and knowing that I can play a small part in making a difference in someone’s life. Being able to make connections for women who have graduated NEW, or give them a job and know that in some small way I helped change their life for the better, that is huge. Creating opportunities for our staff is equally special. Simply believing in someone can have a lasting effect on them.

Finally, what advice do you have for those starting their careers?

I often tell my staff, “The person with the pen is the most powerful person in the room.” I write down everything everybody says. I not only retain it better, but I have a record. 

Then, put your head down, work, and learn your craft. Be the best at what it is you do. Have the answer. The more you can do that and the more you can make yourself invaluable, the more opportunities open up. If I got a promotion, I knew it was because I earned it - I don’t want a handout because I am a woman. I want to know I earned it because I do the job better than anyone else, male or female.  

Finally, be open to doing new things when you are asked to do them. Say yes, because you never know where that may lead - it may be the best decision you make in your life. Be open to new opportunities and do the best job you possibly can and take on additional responsibility. Be proactive, ask for the next one. Be present and let them know you are willing to work. If you can do those things, you’ll be successful.