Fast 15: Mahonry Jaen

When Mahonry Jaen was growing up he wanted to be an astronaut. There was only one problem. He was living in Mexico, and the prospects of going into space seemed nearly impossible.  

When he was 20, he moved to the United States to study finance at Brigham Young University in Utah. It was long before his interest morphed into construction management. In his youth, he’d worked in construction and understood the nuances of the industry.

“I like numbers,” he said. “I like working on the financial side of things.” 

Nabholz Construction came to BYU to recruit students, and Jaen said he was intrigued. The company offered him an internship five years ago and hired him full time four years ago. Many Hispanics work in the construction industry on the labor side, but few work in management, he said.  

“I wanted to change that,” he said. “I wanted to show that Hispanics can work on the management side too.” 

During his internship, he shadowed and worked closely with several other managers. From those managers, he learned how to organize and tackle major projects such as the Walmart Home Office project that he has worked on.  

As a project manager, his primary duties include the finances and schedule of the project. He works closely with the owner, subcontractors, architects and others that are involved.  

One of the main challenges in recent years has been material price spikes and shortages, he said. Prices on all construction materials — wood, concrete, rebar, etc. — have increased, and this impacts a project’s overall cost.

Material shortages or supply chain issues can interfere with a project’s schedule. Keeping the owner in the loop when these problems surface is key to what he does, Jaen added.  

Another issue in the construction business is the age of the workforce. Fewer younger people are getting into the trades such as electrical and plumbing, and the workforce is getting older.  

Many younger people don’t know how lucrative the trades can be, he said.

Taking a position with Nabholz and moving to Arkansas was a good decision for him and his family, Jaen said. An avid mountain biker, he said he’s happy that Northwest Arkansas is now his home.  

“It was a no-brainer [moving here]. … I had a good feeling,” he said.