Alabama Construction News is the states only bimonthly magazine dedicated to the commercial construction industry.
Issue link: http://acn.epubxp.com/i/795144
55 JAN-MAR 2017 AL CONSTRUCTION NEWS WHEN DAVID PUGH ENTERED LAW SCHOOL IN THE 1980s, he went with a specific, not-so-typical plan in mind: to one day own his own construction company. "I thought a law degree or an MBA or both, in addition to my engineering degree, would make me a better manager of a construction company," explained Pugh. "My plan all along was to be in construction and hopefully run my own business." Pugh was interested in construction from a very early age thanks to his father, an engineer at Chicago Bridge & Iron. "I was always around construction, and there was something about it I found so fascinating," Pugh added. "I was fascinated by the level of effort, planning and execution required to build a complex construction project," he explained. "I admired the enthusiasm, work ethic and willingness to take on risk that I saw in the men and women who worked in construction. I appreciated that when you build something there remains—long after you are gone—a visible, tangible monument and reminder of what you participated in doing." That fascination led Pugh to his first construction-related job in high school: working on a maintenance crew for a property management company. In college—he attended the University of Alabama as a civil engineering major—he landed jobs at Chicago Bridge & Iron and for Georgia Power at Plant Vogtle when it was under construction. Upon graduation, he went to work for Harbert Construction as a project engineer, where he worked for two years. "I learned so much during those two years," Pugh said. "Garry Ard was my first boss at Harbert. He was really a mentor to me. Now, today, it means a lot to me that I'm following in his footsteps as he was also a former chair of ABC of Alabama." After two years at Harbert Construction, Pugh decided to attend law school. When applying, he turned to John Harbert for a recommendation letter. "He agreed to meet with me. I was actually scared when I went to his office to talk to him because so many people had talked about how much he disliked lawyers," Pugh said. "To my pleasant surprise, Mr. Harbert was fascinated by the idea that someone with an engineering background and actual construction experience was going to law school. He thought that meant I would be able to be an attorney but speak his language." Pugh's original idea to own his own construction company didn't happen exactly as planned. After graduating from Vanderbilt University Law School, he got a job at Bradley as an associate in Bradley's Construction Law Practice Group. But his overall goal of working in the construction industry never changed. "After law school I was focusing specifically on firms that had a construction law practice, and Bradley was one of the leaders in the Southeast, if not the country, in carving out a construction law practice as a specialty," Pugh said. "I quickly saw that a job there meant the opportunity to work with a variety of contractors, many of whom are ABC members today." The ability to serve the construction industry he loves as a construction attorney convinced Pugh to remain in private practice. And throughout his successful career at Bradley thus far, Pugh has exhibited his knowledgeable background in the construction industry and his passion for it. He has worked 2017 Chairman of the Board: David Pugh by PAIGE TOWNLEY "He's a lawyer, he's an engineer and he's a contractor. David's experience representing general contractors, subcontractors, owners and designers gives him a very broad range of knowledge about our industry." –Randall Curtis, 2016 Chairman of the Board