Under the Hard Hat with Stephen Pan

At Clark, we are proud to be made up of individuals from a variety of backgrounds and talents who thrive and succeed together. Our “Under the Hard Hat” series is designed to showcase the diverse people who make up the Clark team.

We recently sat down with Stephen Pan, the director of estimating in Clark’s Irvine Office, to learn about his background and his tenure with Clark Construction.

What is your role at Clark?

As the director of estimating, I am responsible for helping oversee Clark’s project development efforts and pursuits in the company’s Southern California Region. At its core, I serve as a trusted advisor to our clients to ensure success from the earliest stages of their projects.

I also look after our internal estimating team. I’m passionate about providing the resources, mentorship, and encouragement for our team to thrive.
 

Tell us a little about your background and how you ended up Clark. 

I grew up following my father, who worked around the world as a diplomat in six different countries.

I attended the University of Texas at Austin where I studied architectural engineering. I originally wanted to be an architect, but I accepted the reality that I was neither artistic nor creative enough to find success there. I switched to architectural engineering which I feel better suited my aptitude and personality.

After graduation, I moved to Austin to work for a general contractor and ultimately moved to California in 2005 to explore new opportunities. I joined the Clark team as a senior estimator in 2010 and haven’t looked back.
 

Who have been your strongest influences in life?

The first would be my parents. My dad's career as a diplomat required them to be bold and agile. Whenever we moved, they sought out new friendships and gleaned the best from the local culture, only to repeat every 3-4 years. They were also encouraging and understanding of the challenges my sister and I faced attending local schools and needing to learn new languages.
 
The other strong influence in my life would be the chief estimator at a previous company. He was smart, personable, and got the best out of the team by mentoring, teaching, encouraging, and continually challenging us. He inspired me to keep pursuing what I was most passionate about at work. 
 

What are you most proud of accomplishing, either personally or professionally?

Professionally, it would have to be helping Clark win the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) Building for the Permanent Collection project. It was an amazing opportunity to collaborate with bright minds from entities across the Clark organization, including Clark Concrete, Clark Foundations, Atkinson Construction, and S2N Technology Group.

From an architectural and engineering standpoint, the building is one-of-a-kind and is a landmark in the making.

What do you enjoy most about working in project development?

In project development, you have the opportunity to set the job up for success early in the project lifecycle.

I used to live for the adrenaline of bid day. But as Construction Manager at Risk and design-build projects become more common, I’ve grown to love working with owners and design teams to find a solution that best meets the project needs. The opportunity to offer ideas during design workshops is the cherry on top.

What advice do you have for someone looking to start a career in construction/ design management?

Try everything that construction has to offer - field engineering, estimating, scheduling, VDC, purchasing, project management, etc. From there, pursue what you are most passionate about, ask lots of questions along the way, and never look back.
 

What does "Thrive as You, Succeed Together" mean to you? 

I subscribe to the belief that having the opportunity to be yourself and do what you love leads to a strong and successful team.