He watched the Pentagon burn from a rooftop three miles away and saw a fighter jet come out of nowhere to turn back a news helicopter. Hensel Phelps would go on to renovate Wedges 2 through 5 of the Pentagon — a 4.5-million-square-foot project that took more than a decade to complete.

Chris Coghlan sits down with Matt Krystolic, operations manager at Hensel Phelps, to discuss nearly 30 years with one employee-owned construction company — and what it actually takes to work your way from field engineer to company stockholder. From counting Pentagon windows by hand to helping lead major projects at Orlando International Airport and Universal’s Epic Universe, Matt breaks down the career behind the projects — and how a company founded in Greeley, Colorado, in 1937 eventually transitioned to employee ownership. If you’re building a career in commercial construction — or wondering whether staying somewhere long enough to earn the next opportunity is worth it — this one is for you.