Mark Ragan Enjoys Making the Rounds
Superintendent Mark Ragan spends most workdays traversing the city of St. Louis as he checks in on the multiple projects he oversees.
His wide-ranging responsibilities include checking on construction progress, connecting with crews, coordinating with other contractors and helping to solve problems. “I make sure everyone knows what they're doing and direct them on the right path and the order of operation,” he says.
Arranging the workday can be one of the trickiest parts of Ragan’s job. “I usually try to split the day up and spend a couple of hours at each job,” he says. “Sometimes, I'll be at a job for several hours and then stop by the other ones for about 30 minutes or an hour because they're going smoothly.”
Ragan always has to think on his feet as he helps teams address the unexpected issues that inevitably happen on construction projects. “I try to handle problems and come up with a solution as quickly as possible,” he says. “If there’s not an immediate solution, we develop a backup plan so we’re able to shift the crew and they’re still productive.”
Juggling multiple projects simultaneously can become challenging at times, but it’s also one of his favorite parts of the job. “It keeps my mind active and always thinking,” he says. “I’d get bored if I was just working on one job.”
Ragan credits his current success to the wide range of early training he received while working as a laborer at another local civil contractor. “When I started there as an apprentice, they’d put me with a sewer crew for a month, then with a concrete crew for a month and then on a bridge crew doing structural for a month,” he says. “Those experiences helped me be well rounded and better understand how everything worked.”
Diverse Project Experience
Prior to joining Castle as a laborer in 2015, Ragan cut his teeth working on high-profile infrastructure projects, including the Page Avenue Extension and the redevelopment of Highway 40. He also worked on a couple of large pipeline jobs across the state.
His early Castle projects took him from Gateway Arch National Park to Washington University and Maryville University as he gained hands-on experience installing pipe and utilities as well as checking the grade of sites while crews dug footings. “I was pretty decent with GPS, so I did a lot of layout to grade for roads or curb lines,” he recalls.
One of Ragan’s largest and longest-term assignments has been the Next NGA West campus for the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency in north St. Louis. “The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has a lot of unique specs and requirements, so it's been a challenging project,” he says.
Growing up in Troy, Missouri, Ragan currently resides in Foristell. Outside of work, he enjoys spending time with his 10-year-old daughter, Sloan, and his girlfriend, Kate.
His hobbies include hunting, fishing and visiting his parents’ property on the Gasconade River. “In the summertime, I like taking my boat out on the river to fish and just sitting on the gravel bar drinking a beer,” he says.
