Hello, my name is Coty.
These 4 words sum up my extraordinary journey in the CM industry.
“When you learn . . . teach.” ~ Dr. Maya Angelou
I started with a degree in CM from MSU—which happened on a fluke—because I found a campus publication that ranked all majors by their average starting salaries after graduation.
Construction Management was #2.
I knew nothing about construction. But I was intrigued. It sounded kind of hard—in a good way—like most people wouldn’t be able to hack it. That challenge, along with good money, was enough for me. So I chose with my head and hoped my heart would follow.
That theory worked. Picture this.
I was a 22-year-old woman who had never set foot on a jobsite when Turner hired me to be a Field Engineer on a $25M high profile project off the coast of Miami on Fisher Island. I WAS A DEAD-OBVIOUS ROOKIE wearing mint-in-box boots, armed with nothing but my degree and a willingness to drink from a fire hose.
I was saved by 7 things:
- Humility
- Grit
- A thick skin
- Intuition and empathy
- First principle reasoning
- The ability to ask 1000’s of smart questions
- Initiative
Fast forward 30 years.
I have gone FASTER & FURTHER than anyone would have thought possible for me. My career trajectory charts like a hockey stick. I progressed through greater levels of responsibilities on up to senior executive roles in both operations and business development, impacting well over $500M in project volume. I also founded a contech company that was successfully acquired, and is now owned and operated by the Dodge Construction Network.
I am fortunate to have a well-rounded grasp on what it takes to excel in construction management from both sides of the Owner/GC equation—and for all of this, I am indebted to a long list of people.
So in the end my head was right.
And my heart followed when 2 things happened.
#1 – I fell into a deep state of admiration.
I am in awe of people who get sh*t done out there. What we do is intellectually, emotionally, and physically taxing. It is straight-up-hard and dangerous. If there is a private sector career where everyone deserves a trophy for even trying—it is construction.
#2 – I discovered what I do best.
I literally catch fire developing top talent in the CM industry, guiding them from project-focus to company-focus. It’s what I have always done, when no one was watching. It’s why I literally wrote the book on professional development for people like us. It’s why I have delivered keynotes, workshops, courses, lectures, and 1:1 coaching to 30,000+ construction pros nationwide. It’s the ONE thing I would do for free, though I am paid appropriately to do it.
And I love it.
If you are anything like me, I bet your sights are already set ambitiously high.
Want to get the best possible entry-level position?
Want to continue leveling up as quickly as possible?
Want to ultimately join the MVPs in the top 1% of our industry's talent pool?
Enroll today in THE MVP TRACK™ and save 20% off the entire collection of professional development courses with the following discount code:
MSU-CM-PODCAST
Every class includes a 30-minute private career coaching AMA session with me - so I hope to see you online soon!
Coty
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COTY FOURNIER - EXECUTIVE SUMMARY BIO:
Coty Fournier brings 30+ years of complex design-build, construction management, talent development, and business development experience, as both a corporate executive and entrepreneur in the commercial construction industry and related tech spaces.
She leads by example with passion and optimistic vision to consistently challenge the status quo, foster requisite industry change, and inspire high-performance cultures. As a proven industry leader and motivational change agent, she is tapped by construction companies for her exceptional training and talent development skills, business development expertise, and executive leadership advisory.
Coty is an insightful, thought-provoking management consultant, keynote speaker and best-selling author — and she is leaving a well-marked trail of differentiating strategies along the fast-track to success at the top of the construction management industry.
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SPECIAL OFFER TO ALL PODCAST SUBSCRIBERS:
Enroll in any professional development course on THE MVP Track™ for Construction Managers and enter discount code MSU-CM-PODCAST to save 20% on the entire collection.
Please visit the Construction Management Program at Michigan State University for more information on how you can build the career of your dreams in the construction management industry.
