Eric Ritchie’s journey from a Downeast small-town kid with a love for Tonka trucks, to the President and Chief Operating Officer (COO) of the employee-owned construction company Sargent, reads like a quintessential American success story. But it’s more than that—it’s about passion, resilience, and a deep commitment to the transportation and construction industry.

In a candid podcast interview, Ritchie, who also just ended his term as the president of the Maine Better Transportation Association (MBTA), shares insights into his career and the critical role infrastructure plays in Maine’s future.

“I grew up in the very eastern part of the state of Maine, in Perry, and had an affinity for construction even as a child,” Ritchie says. “My father dabbled in it. I was a big Tonka truck owner and that's really where it all started.” That early fascination with trucks and building things became more than just child’s play when Ritchie saw Route 9 being reconstructed from “the old goat path” it used to be.

After earning a degree in engineering from the University of Maine and spending 16 years with The Lane Construction Corporation, Ritchie found his way to Sargent. Today, he leads a team of over 500 employee-owners from Maine to Virginia. Since joining Sargent, the company has grown significantly, expanding from 300 employees in just a few short years.

When asked how he ended up as a leader both at Sargent and the MBTA, Ritchie reflects on his humble rise. “It’s a long story, so I’ll try to shorten it,” he says with a laugh. “I’ve been very blessed in life… I got involved in MBTA a long time ago, early in my career… I've got a tremendous passion for the industry. I love what I do. I love the company I work for. I love MBTA and its mission is a very critical mission, not only to the maintenance of our state's infrastructure, but also to getting to a point that we can leverage our infrastructure better to become a more economically viable state at the end of the day. So, I encourage young people all the time, cut your teeth in this organization. It's a great place to get to know people.”

One of the biggest challenges facing the industry today is recruiting and retaining young workers. “Most of my career, and I think probably 95% of the people you talk to in this business, there's been a lot of baptism by fire in a person's career.” Sargent has been working to ease some of those transitions and take some of the harshness out of it, “trying to help folks see that this can be a career for you. This can be where you make your living, and where you make your mark for your own legacy. And educating folks around benefits, educating folks around retirement, something I wish I had more of when I was a young guy.” 

Ritchie fondly recalls the mentorship and support he received from Herb Sargent, “Herb said something years ago that really stuck with me, and you know it's nice when you find folks that have philosophies like you, he said that ‘someone who works for this company for a long time should retire with a surplus of dignity.’ And I truly believe that if you're going to put your life, heart, and soul into this business, which isn't always easy, you should be able to retire and live a healthy life.”