For a guy whose executive office is just three miles from where he was born and raised, Jerry Gorski, CEO of Gorski Engineering, Inc., Collegeville, Pa., sure gets out a lot. When he’s not skiing or kayaking in the Finger Lakes, beaching in Cape May, N.J., or biking hundreds of miles for charity, he’s out volunteering in the community, traveling with his family or attending construction industry events throughout the country. But mostly, he’s hard at work in southeastern Pennsylvania, watching his company’s projects take shape and leading the industry he always knew would be a part of his life.
Gorski’s adventurous and determined spirit makes him a perfect fit to lead Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) as 2009 national chairman—a title he earned after years of investing in his business and making friends with some of the sharpest minds in construction.
His father, Caesar Gorski, started Gorski Construction in 1954. Born in the quaint town of Skippack, Pa., Gorski often tagged along with his dad to jobsites when he was just a little kid. He worked his first eight-hour day for the company when he was 14, and as soon as he got his driver’s license, he put in time after school to earn extra money.
"I don’t think I ever thought about doing anything else as a career," he says.
Gorski graduated from Perkiomen Valley High School (where his daughter now attends school) and left Pennsylvania to attend Clarkson University in Potsdam, N.Y., where he earned a degree in civil and environmental engineering.
After working for Turner Construction for two years following graduation, he returned to Collegeville to complete the rest of his four-year professional engineer’s internship. His construction expertise grew as he planned to one day take over the family business.
"I always knew this is what I wanted to do, and I recognized I could use my dad’s hands-on skills as a carpenter and a stonemason and combine them with my skills in design-build development," Gorski says.
In 1986, he met his wife, Kathy, while presenting plans for a bank building at a local borough meeting. She was an editor and reporter for the Collegeville Independent, a newspaper her family owned. The two married in 1987. They have two children: Julian, 19 years old and a film major at Hofstra University in Long Island, N.Y., and Karlyn, 16 years old and an active debate student.
Gorski worked for his dad for 20 years before taking over engineering and construction operations in 2004, when he changed the company’s name to Gorski Engineering.
At the cornerstone of the business is start-to-finish project consulting. "We participate in our projects from the very beginning, helping the owner with site selection, working through the approvals, designing the building, self-performing the structural concrete and carpentry work, and then seeing the project through until the client moves in and starts working," Gorski says.
"We get to be a part of the project from the moment a client thinks, 'Is this possible?' And we get to say, 'Yes, we can make it a reality.'
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The majority of the company’s work is in manufacturing and pre-engineered buildings, but the company also designs and builds office spaces, churches and schools. Gorski Engineering also is getting involved in building information modeling (BIM) to help clients visualize future projects.
"I enjoy producing facilities that really benefit the end user, and we can see the rewards as we go," Gorksi says. "Many of the buildings we build will outlive us. Not every career offers that."
Moving up the Ranks
Gorski knew about ABC since he was about 10 years old. "I remember my parents going to the national convention, and what a big deal that was," he says.
He also remembers his father recounting the story of the 1972 Philadelphia Construction Trades’ attack on a merit shop jobsite in nearby King of Prussia, Pa., where union workers destroyed vehicles, equipment and other property owned by Altemose Construction Co., causing $350,000 in damage. His father’s photos of firebombed vehicles hit close to home for Gorski, whose passion for supporting his merit shop colleagues has kept him involved in the association year after year.
"I got involved in ABC because I knew I didn’t have as much experience working with other construction companies, and it gave me the opportunity to know what other contractors were doing in the industry," he says. "I didn’t want to have the blinders on that others might have in a family business."
The company was a longtime member of ABC’s Eastern Pennsylvania Chapter (then called the Lehigh Valley Chapter), where Gorski began taking notes as the secretary and quickly moved up the ranks to join the chapter board. After Gorski married, the company joined the Southeast Pennsylvania (SEPA) Chapter. He chaired its membership committee for two years while also participating on the budget and finance committee. In 1996, he served as SEPA chapter chairman.
Soon, Gorski was invited to participate on ABC National’s Business Development Committee and Member Services Coordinating Committee. He then was appointed to the ABC Executive Committee as Region 7 vice chairman before becoming national chairman-elect.
The biggest reward, he says, has been getting to know inspirational association leaders like Bob Hepner (former ABC National executive vice president), and Eddie Rispone, Carole Bionda, Ben Houston and Tom Musser (past national chairs), just to name a few. "These people were influential for me, not just in their ABC activities, but in showing me the importance of being involved in the community and in industry initiatives: safety and training, politics and small business," he says. "I think that’s something we all get out of being involved in ABC."
2009: The Road Ahead
Leading these initiatives on behalf of more than 25,000 construction firms will pose several challenges for the incoming chairman. With tight credit markets, limited public financing, strict permitting, new environmental regulations, and battles against project labor agreements and other anti-business agendas, open shop contractors will be more pressed to focus on positive business development efforts, such as workforce investment and modern technology.
"Tough and uncertain times are ahead," Gorski says. "But, what I’m certain about is that ABC can and will grow even during these difficult times."
Also on the road ahead for Gorski—if he can find some spare time—are several long-distance travels. An avid outdoorsman and cyclist, Gorski is a past participant in the MS-150 ride to benefit the Multiple Sclerosis Society and the American Cancer Society Bike-a-Thon from Philadelphia to Mays Landing, N.J. He also enjoys hitting the mountains for a ride, either on skis or on a bike. And, of course, any adventure that involves his family is always a good one.
Gorski plans to focus on the following initiatives during his tenure as 2009 ABC national chairman:
Support the strategic membership growth plan. "We’re excited to help our chapters recruit more members, and we now have a disciplined plan in place to do that."
Promote ABC’s influence in career development, green building and BIM. "We need to be able to tell our own story, and to let people know the good work that we do and the safe careers we provide. We need to tell potential ABC members and, more importantly, the public what we’re all about."
Develop diversity initiatives. "The sustainability of ABC depends on how well we understand the generation that is doing the work now on our jobsites. These will be our owners and managers of the future."
Continue to build alliances. "I will continue ABC’s efforts to collaborate with the American Institute of Architects, the National Society of Professional Engineers, the National Association of Minority Contractors and all of our industry partners."
Focus on key performance indicators. "As an association, we need to understand what we want to measure and become better at reporting this company data. Without indicators to show where we’ve started, we cannot measure improvement."
Enhance member-chapter relationships. "We’ve learned that our members really have their closest and first relationship with their chapters. So, everything we do at ABC National has to understand and respect that. We must use our chapter structure and regional structure to get the best out of our organization."