Alex Fesi Discovers a Hands-On Career He Loves

LEGO® sets and Lincoln Logs® were the building blocks of Alex Fesi’s childhood.

“I used to have tons of that stuff around the house when I was a kid, and I've always enjoyed building things,” he says.

After a bit of research, Fesi concluded he was wired to become an architect, saying, “I was always good at math and designing, so I figured it matched my skill set.”

While completing the five-year Master of Architecture program at the University of Kansas, Fesi discovered a bit of a mismatch with his aspirations. He explains, “I'm a hands-on learner who loves to build and fix things, and most of my peers at school just wanted to design things on a computer.”

The summer between his fourth and fifth year, Fesi completed an internship at McCarthy Building Companies that convinced him construction was where he belonged. “I got to work with a good group of people for three months, learned a lot and really enjoyed the construction side,” he says.

During his final year of the master’s program, Fesi participated in an internship with Studio 804, a hands-on design-build experience at the University of Kansas. Each year, the student-led organization buys a property and invites students to build a house from the ground up and sell it on the market. “I got a lot of experience with grading, concrete work, framing and finishes.” The proceeds go back into the program as the budget for the following year’s build.

Life on the Civil Side

After Fesi graduated, McCarthy asked if he had any interest in civil work at Castle Contracting. “I decided to take the leap of faith and go over to Castle, and it's been probably the best decision I've made,” he says. “The people here are super enjoyable to be around, and I really enjoy getting to learn new things every time I get on a job site.”

Working for Project Manager Mark Reizer, he began his Castle experience as a project engineer in July 2022 and earned a promotion to senior project engineer in December 2023. His current projects include sitework and deep utilities work for Riney Hall, the new Arts & Sciences building to be constructed at Washington University in St. Louis. He’s also working on the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service Midwestern Laboratory project in Normandy, MO.

Fesi is currently gaining project management experience while running a few smaller projects. “I've become known as ‘The Chick-fil-A guy’ because I've managed a couple of jobs renovating the outside portion and drive-throughs of Chick-fil-A restaurants.” He’s also running an earthwork job for the women's field hockey stadium at Saint Louis University.

“My favorite part of working for Castle is getting to go out in the field and meet with our craft workers,” he says. “We just have a lot of really good people who work for us, and I love learning about them and their families.”

Born in south St. Louis Hills, Fesi moved to the Oakville area when he was 10 and met his future wife, Katie, who lived next door. “We started dating when I was 17, and we got married right after college,” he shares.

The couple lives in Arnold, MO, with their 18-month-old son, Wesley. “We've been enjoying getting out into nature to hike and see some beautiful parts of Missouri.” He adds, “Wesley is super fascinated with everything mechanical, which makes me excited. I can’t wait to teach him all that stuff.”