Getting Personal with Matt Gagnon, Project Manager
L/R BACK: Matt, Sarah, Jenna, Nate, Caleb; L/R FRONT: Ashtyn, Aidan
Where did you grow up.
I grew up in the Town of Portage Lake in Aroostook County on the edge of the North Maine Woods. My love for the outdoors stems from growing up in this small remote town that had a population around 500 that practically doubles in the summer months.
What did you do after high school.
I attended the University of Maine at Orono where I received a degree in Construction Management. I always had an interest in building things that started at a very early age. I initially thought about pursuing the engineering field, however, my guidance counselor steered me towards the Construction Management program during the spring of my Junior year. He thought I would identify better with this program than engineering due to my personality and aptitude tests. He was right because I’m a hands-on guy and love seeing things get built.
First job.
My first real job after graduating college was for Granger Northern in Portland. I was at Granger Northern for five years where I spent most of that time on a $30M renovation of the State House in Augusta. I was an APM for two years then transitioned to Project Management where I was fortunate to be on several diverse projects. After Granger Northern closed its doors, I joined Lee Kennedy in Boston where I worked for the next 9 years. During my time at Lee Kennedy I spent 3-1/2 years on the new Kennett High School and Vocational Center as well as the Conway Middle School renovation projects, and later projects in higher education, banking and hospitality. When times were tough in the industry, I was able to assist with Estimating, Pre-Construction and MEP coordination.
What would your closest friend say is your greatest attribute.
They would say that I think of others and put others before myself, and that I’m honest and hard working.
Family.
I’ll have been married to Sarah for three years this coming Memorial Day. We met on Match.com, and our first date was at Fort Williams, which is where we ended up getting married! We have five kids–Nate, 21; Jenna, 17; Caleb, 15; Aidan, 11; and Ashtyn, soon to be 9. We live in Saco.
Favorite place to travel.
Most of our travel is to visit family in Northern Maine or Southern Massachusetts, but if my wife and I had our choice of locations, we would love to vacation in Ireland. My wife and I like to plan out day trips on the weekend when we have time to ourselves and especially like Newburyport, MA.
Any traditions.
Every year the men in my family go camping and fishing for a long weekend. The group started out with 6 guys over 8 years ago and now has grown to almost 30 members. My family growing up practically lived in a camper on the weekends and always enjoyed the outdoors. I hope to continue the tradition with my kids and my grand kids, but not too soon on that one.
Hobbies.
I enjoy the outdoors and love to fish, golf, and travel. I also love games and projects at the house and spending time with my family.
Dream occupation.
After watching curling in the Winter Olympics, I’d like to be on the 2022 curling team. In all seriousness, I’m doing exactly what I love to do. I’ve wanted to build things since I can remember and I love doing what I do.
What do you want to do when you retire.
Travel. Play golf. I like to stay busy so I’ll have to find something to do.
What do you enjoy most about your job.
I like looking at a project from a 10,000 foot view, then breaking it down piece-by-piece to figure out the best way forward. My job repeats itself on every project, but every project is different in one way or another, but the process is the same. The differences besides the obvious project type or size is the location and people we have the chance to work with. I enjoy spending time in different towns and meeting new personalities from Owners, Subcontractors and vendors. Relationships last and come back around more often than not.
What do you enjoy most about working at Landry/French.
Coming from the Boston-based company, I love that I’m home every night with my family. I also love working for a company where we are charged with building relationships with clients and subcontractors.