In modern construction, data can be just as essential to project success as steel or concrete. Having invested in sophisticated software and analytics to support the planning and execution of its projects, McGough has now elevated the role of data and advanced technologies with the recent hire of Trevor Behar as VP, Business Intelligence.
“When I was first talking with the leaders at McGough, I saw this perfect confluence,” Behar said. “McGough’s focus on quality and craftsmanship in the physical world translates perfectly into the digital world. There’s an embedded spirit to innovate, a passion for unique projects, a focus on building trust with clients, and a desire to do it better.”
In his new role, Behar will help apply, expand and improve McGough’s enterprise-wide data strategy to deliver better outcomes for clients and internal teams. The insights extracted will help McGough teams deliver more precise project plans, shortened timelines and reduced costs. “Data can’t solve everything, but there are many opportunities for us to leverage it for insight that can smooth out the friction inherent on any jobsite,” he said.
Behar’s unique blend of skills makes him a great fit at McGough. He learned the basics of carpentry and drafting in high school, earned a Bachelors’ degree in mechanical engineering, performed facilities engineering for the Navy, and earned his Professional Engineering certification. For the past decade, Behar has tackled complex engineering, business, and construction challenges with a data-driven approach for some of Silicon Valley’s top firms.
Applying lessons from Silicon Valley on the construction site
While the tech industry can seem like a different world, some of its lessons can help construction firms like McGough – and by extension clients – complete projects more efficiently, faster, and with reduced risk.
“The tech world has always put a huge focus on data and how interconnected systems affect each other,” Behar said. “Indicators around material supply, lead times, and costs can have massive downstream impacts in both tech and construction. The better we connect and understand the signals across a business, the better we can plan and prepare for potential risks or new opportunities.”
Like construction, the tech world is dynamic, with new challenges arising on every project. Adaptability and innovation are crucial for firms that want to stay ahead, and Behar has developed both of those skills working in organizations known for going big and moving fast.
At the same time, with experience in design, engineering and construction, Behar understands the solution isn’t always digital. “Construction still comes down to the work being done in the field. There are safety risks, organizational challenges and the need for the kind of trust that is built by showing up, helping out, and building relationships on site.”
A new center of knowledge for an ongoing journey
The new Business Intelligence role ensures that Behar and all of McGough’s data experts will be deeply engaged as the firm continues to grow and evolve, and also serves to centralize data security and governance practices. Tapping into Behar’s experience at the intersection of tech, data, and built environments will position McGough well for the future.
“McGough is growing and we’re starting to move faster,” Behar noted, with new offices opening, incredible people coming on board, and more work in complex fields. He believes anyone at the company should be able to explore, connect, share and gain insights from the company’s information. “There’s this huge potential at McGough to explore all these different facets of the company. How can we cross connect data? How can we blend data to come up with new insights specific to us?”
Behar hopes to dovetail this work with McGough’s Lean journey, a formalized approach to developing best practices, uncovering opportunities for efficiency and striving for continuous improvement. Putting data in everyone’s hands, he says, means anyone can call attention to something that needs improvement.
Preserving culture while developing new skills
As excited as he is about data, Behar is keenly aware that McGough succeeds because of its culture of integrity, relationships, and people-first decision making. It’s a huge part of what attracted him to McGough, and his goal is to support that culture first and foremost.
“Sometimes when companies strive for a more ‘data-driven’ approach, the organization can lose touch with the people, trusting the information over the institutional knowledge,” he noted. “ McGough has individuals with vast depth and intuition in the field. The key to success is combining that intuition with the insights found in the data.”
Balancing cold, hard data with a human touch can be a challenge, but Behar is setting the tone from the top.
“Technology is just a tool and data without context is just a bunch of signals,” he said. “ But once it’s merged with the knowledge and wisdom of our people, we can spur new ideas, identify risks sooner and find new solutions across the company.”
