Braden Moore once envisioned being a fighter pilot when he was a young boy, perhaps inspired by Tom Cruise's character Pete “Maverick” Mitchell in Top Gun, which was released in May 1986 just before Moore turned two.

And while he ended up gravitating to construction and joining his father, Rob, and brother, Cory, at Salt Lake-based Big-D Construction, he did consider other career options, at least initially. 

While in high school, Moore eschewed working at Big-D once he turned 16 and instead spent his junior and senior summers building log homes with a cousin and some high school buddies in Colorado. In addition to paying well—the impetus behind it all—Moore found great satisfaction in the building process, especially the finished product. 

"That's where I started getting a passion for construction, a passion for seeing what you built," said Moore, 40, who currently serves as Vice President of Big-D's Salt Lake office. "I really love seeing what a team did together and seeing the result of hard work.

After graduating high school, Moore served a mission to Romania from 2003-2005, a time he called challenging, yet rewarding. He immediately went to work full-time for Big-D in 2005 during summers while earning a Bachelor of Business Administration from Utah State University from 2006-2010. 

Initially, Moore was in the field for more than two years, doing concrete work, carpentry, and anything that needed to be done on a job site. It taught him the roots of the trade, learning from seasoned veterans like Brett Allen and Lynn Turner, two of Big-D's most skilled field workers.

"I just loved learning the business from guys who have been at it for the longest time," said Moore. "It taught me the business, about what it means to work your butt off for 40-50 hours a week. There is a lot of responsibility that comes with that, values that are bred through hard work. I learned a lot about life."

Rob, who serves as Executive Chairman after nearly 25 years as Big-D's President/CEO and nearly a half-century at the company, explicitly instructed Braden's bosses to show him the ropes. 

"I told them, 'I want you to work him harder than anyone else, show him no favors'," Rob said. "LT (Turner) taught him to be productive [...] we're not going home until it's done, that's the mentality. There were no gifts. It was about learning the process of building from the ground up." 

The elder Moore grew up on a ranch and worked for his father's small excavation company. In an interview with UC+D in early 2016, Rob said he quickly learned "there are no free things in life. I grew up in an environment where you earn your way every day. A lot of folks who come from a rural environment from my generation, we grew up working hard." 

Rob said having Cory and Braden work in the field before transitioning to the office was crucial to their overall training and understanding of the industry. 

"It was important for my boys to not be on a silver spoon program—that's 100% against my personality," Rob emphasized. "They have to work hard and earn their way, or they don't have respect from anybody. You've got to have that base and then take it to the next level."

He continued: "Everything we do is process—you've got to understand the sequencing. If you understand how to put a project together in the field, you know how to do it in the office. Braden got to see all that." 

In 2008, Moore transitioned to the office in a business development capacity, something he had little familiarity with, but a role he tackled head-on as he worked closely with Forrest McNabb, Big-D’s National Food & Beverage President.

In 2010, Moore started working with Rich Hazel on smaller commercial projects, a strategy Rob said is designed to take care of literally anything a client—particularly existing ones—might need, no matter how large or small it might be (under $10 million). 

"It was a way to better take care of repeat customers," said Rob. "We don't want our customers calling someone else to take care of them. It was a way to get over the misnomer that we don't do small jobs. Big-D is about relationships—that's what [Big-D founder] Dee [Livingood] started. Make a promise and see it through."  

"We'd find a project and Rich would coach me on the art of negotiation, coach me on different contract types," said Moore, adding that he'd get involved in all aspects including estimating and project management. "It was huge for [helping] me understand all aspects of the business."

"I love his honesty and energy," said Hazel, a 14-year veteran of Big-D who was named President of the Salt Lake office in 2022. "He thinks strategically. Those attributes resonate with people. Braden's relationships in the community are second to none."

Moore also spent time as National Business Development Director, which gave him a chance to interact with all of Big-D's offices—now numbering 17 different business units in 19 offices (four offices in Utah, including Ogden, Salt Lake, Lindon, and Big-D Signature in Park City). 

He was named Vice President of Salt Lake at the same time Hazel was named President, and the two share a similar passion for the industry, creating a unique synergy that has the office firing on all cylinders and generating about one-third of Big-D's $3 billion annual revenues. 

Moore recently landed an $800 million project in Utah–a mammoth-sized job that represents one of the single largest projects in Big-D's 57-year history. 

"Braden has played a pivotal role in some of our largest and most significant projects," said Cory, Big-D's CEO. "He is a master of relationships, consistently fostering customer loyalty and trust through his genuine approach and commitment to excellence. His leadership skills are exemplary, guiding our teams to achieve remarkable results while creating an environment where collaboration and innovation thrive. Braden's wealth of knowledge, coupled with his larger-than-life personality, has made him a cornerstone of our success."

Moore may not have become a fighter pilot, but he's no doubt soaring to great heights in the construction industry. 

It's been a remarkable journey for Belle Kurudzija—recently named Director of Design for Salt Lake-based Open Range Interiors (formerly Lisman Studio)—from her roots in war-torn Bosnia as a youth to the top of her professional career as a world-class commercial interior designer. 

Kurudzija, 39, appreciates the various challenges she and her family faced fleeing initially to Sussen, Germany for four years on a visa before immigrating to Salt Lake City in 1997, including learning entirely new languages on the fly while in school. 

"I did not speak a word of English," said Kurudzija, who couldn't even attend school for two years because of the Bosnian War, upon starting junior high in Utah. She was placed in an ESL (English Second Language) class with a teacher who spoke primarily Spanish, which was similar to her experience attending school in Germany. "It took me three months [to learn English]; I was determined to learn it on my own." 

That determination to succeed led her to take her schooling seriously, and ultimately 

pursuing a career as an interior designer after attending the University of Utah and Ensign College, earning a Bachelor of Interior Design in 2008. 

She realized around the age of 9 the importance of being in a clean, functional space, and having everything around her look just so. Being an interior designer is simply an extension of her passion for beautiful, inspiring atmospheres. 

"I function well in clean, well-designed spaces—I can't function in chaos!" she emphasized. "That is true to this day—everything has to be pristine in my work area, around my house. I love the feeling of a well-designed space or what a neat space gives me."

At Ensign, she met Lamar Lisman, one of Ensign's instructors and the founder of Salt Lake-based Lisman Studio. She immediately clicked with Lisman and started interning for him in 2006.

"The universe guided me to him," said Kurudzija. "We became good friends, and he's mentored me through my career. He had a confidence that was contagious and he allowed us to develop that confidence on our own, and learn that it's okay to take risks."

One recent project that illustrates Kurudzija's passion, drive, and sheer talent is The Charles, a posh 11-story high-rise apartment building that comprises one-half of the dynamic West Quarter Phase I project (UC+D's 2023 Project of the Year) in Salt Lake. She tackled the entire project by herself and was engaged in every single aspect of the interior design (sans the first-floor restaurant). She prides herself on being an excellent communicator and offering optimum solutions for every type of client.

"The key is truly listening to what clients need and understanding their aesthetic preferences, their colors, functionality [...] we like to present one cohesive, beautiful design from start to finish," said Kurudzija. "We don't have a set aesthetic. We're open to different ranges of design and will tailor it to a client's needs. We're very detail oriented." 

"We've had the honor to work with Belle on several multi-family projects," said Ryan Ritchie, Principal/Founder of Salt Lake-based Ritchie Group, who listed Midtown 360 in Orem, Maye House in Salt Lake, and The Charles as three high-profile, challenging projects where Kurudzija provided her expertise. "She has always exceeded our expectations. Aside from the pragmatic—that her designs, documentation, adherence to deadlines, and professional coordination are all best of class—Belle's enthusiasm and vision to make each project unique and wonderful is what makes her a differentiator."

Over the past 20 months, Kurudzija's work environment has evolved significantly following Molly Louthan's acquisition of the company in March 2023. Louthan introduced essential technology upgrades that have enhanced team performance and streamlined project management across the board. She also initiated a cohesive rebranding effort, bringing a fresh and modern look to the new Open Range brand.

Louthan quickly realized Kurudzija's capacity and had her serve as Head of the Commercial Department in July 2023, before altering her role to Director of Design, which allows her to influence all projects—spanning both commercial and residential markets, in addition to landscape design. A visit by Louthan to Kurudzija's quaintly remodeled Victorian home in Salt Lake's Central City convinced her to expand her role at Open Range. 

"Belle consistently wows her clients with her remarkable ability to infuse every project with a distinctive 'wow factor'," said Louthan. "Her deep understanding of what makes a space unique, paired with her expertise in weaving a brand's aesthetic into the design, creates unforgettable environments that leave a lasting impression on everyone who experiences them."

Other recent/current standout interior design projects designed by Kurudzija include The Vue Apartments in Sugar House, Utah First Credit Union Headquarters in Salt Lake, Skyhouse Apartments in Salt Lake, and a new Megaplex Theater in the Downtown Daybreak development in South Jordan.  

"I take so much pride in these projects—I give my absolute everything," she said. "Having a client that appreciates me and knows this is my passion helps me to be better." 

She also is excited about her new Director of Design role and the opportunity to work with the entire Open Range team, with an appreciation for Louthan and the ambitions to grow the firm and expand its market share. 

"I want to set high standards within the company," said Kurudzija. "I really appreciate everyone here—we have such great talent. It's up to me to mentor them [...] and teach our junior designers that they really can do this." 

Matt Blaser has always been a builder, and that was before founding Intermark Steel and growing it into a construction force over the last 10 years. 

Blaser grew up in Boise, hailing from a family of thriving real estate developers and homebuilders (Interwest Homes, Interwest Development). After graduating high school, he left for Mexico to serve a Latter-day Saint Mission in 2006, returning home in 2008 to see the homebuilding industry collapse. 

With little hope in Boise, he went off to Brigham Young University to pursue chemical engineering. But BYU was proving equally fruitful for Blaser, where he struggled to thrive without those same roots he had in Idaho.

“I started losing ground at BYU,” he said. It wasn’t just the lack of a support system, but opportunities for success were closing off. After his card was declined at the Taco Bell on campus, Blaser returned home for something to eat. All he had was a flat of green beans from his mother’s pantry, what would become lunch, dinner, and breakfast the next day.

Blaser is a religious, devout man. While he struggled at BYU, he knew he needed to change something to alter his path.

“Faith is walking down a dark path, but you have a flashlight. You can see about 10 feet in front of you,” he said. “You walk the path and if you keep going, your path is revealed to you as you go.”

That path of faith led him to knock on doors to find any sort of work: painting, cleaning floors, and his eventual money-maker that returned him to his building roots: constructing storage sheds for folks in Utah County.

With a new wife and a baby on the way, the new Matt Blaser was at the Home Depot entrance, like a contestant on a game show shopping spree, ready to purchase his materials at 6 AM to build sheds by 7 AM. It was so successful he told his wife that he wasn’t planning to return to BYU—he was on track to make more than any entry-level chemical engineer. 

But she had her own plans and put them into place behind the scenes, orchestrating a meeting between her husband and Marriott School of Business Dean Gary Cornia. At that meeting, Cornia and Blaser bonded over brands of welders and discussed BYU’s new entrepreneurship program. Blaser was in. Business wasn’t a zero-sum game for Blaser anymore as he listened to people from all walks of life talk about their success. The best advice from Cornia was: “You need to be looking for opportunities where no one else is looking,” Blaser remembered.

With this in mind, Blaser thought that construction was being overlooked. He eventually popped into Okland Construction’s trailer on the BYU Campus for the new Life Sciences Building in 2012 before applying and joining Okland as a Jr. Estimator working on 111 Main. 

With the base building complete, estimating legend Ralph Spencer retired, leaving Blaser as the go-to for questions on the tenant improvements. During this process, the cost of structural steel modifications blew him away. As it is known in the industry, “miscellaneous steel” was expensive.

Blaser couldn’t let it go, so he created a business plan to start a steel company. Early research brought him to a KSL Classifieds ad for a CNC plasma cutter in Carbon County. He traveled down to meet with the Mayor of Price, who was selling not just that CNC machine, but nearly all the equipment for a commercial operation.

“It was like someone had turned the lights out on the company the night before,” Blaser recalled.

Even with the lights seemingly out on the business, Blaser couldn’t sleep.

He went on to find that, not only was Pacific Central Steel an excellent company, but they had Harry Wilson, “one of the best steel guys in the business,” according to one steel supplier. Simply put, work was drying up in coal country with a recent executive order, mining prospects were vanishing, and the business was $120,00 in debt. So the 29-year-old Blaser offered the Mayor $120,000 for the business.

“It might as well have been a million,” Blaser recalled. Call it naivety, call it hubris, call it trusting the path in front of you, but Blaser was confident the message he heard in business school was true: good deals get funded.

Blaser had 30 days to make it happen and began working the phones like a radiothon volunteer to raise capital to buy the business. One problem— banks wanted nothing to do with him. All he had to build trust was a piggy bank’s worth of equity in the family’s Heber home, and Wilson, the “Steel Guy,” who needed a commitment from Blaser that his heart was fully in the endeavor before Wilson would promise: “If you get the steel here, I’ll get it out of here.”

Blaser quit his job at Okland the next day.

Finally, a call got him in the room at Zions Bank in Price to meet with local investors and county officials. Commercial construction was booming in Salt Lake, Blaser told them, and there were people in Price ready to meet the demand for miscellaneous steel. Simply put, Blaser needed help from these Price residents and investors, and the people of Price needed local, good- paying jobs.

With investors contributing $120,000 to settle the debt and another $50,000 for operations to commence, Intermark Steel was born.

The first contract was small, but Blaser was able to land other work, eventually growing in scope and complexity, even fabricating and erecting the steel for Industry SLC, where Blaser runs administration for Intermark Steel. From those beginnings, revenues have grown to $14.9 million today. 

All of it, he said, is built with the “unique labor force of Price, Utah.”

“We have people in the shop that are in their 60s that are third-generation steel fabricators,” Blaser said. “I have three generations of steel fabricators in the same family line who work together.” Not only do they understand the work, they take immense pride in being the makers; the figurative support that allows the industry to stand proud after a completed project.

They’re expanding the shop now, but for the last five years, Intermark Steel has run their operation out of a 5,000-SF shop, which Blaser and his team take pride that they’re “the most productive steel shop in the state per square inch.” 

“It’s all because of the guys that work there. I cannot say enough and lay enough praise for my people of Price,” Blaser said.

Intermark Steel has allowed Blaser to build more than just a steel fabrication company. Whether it is building structures that stand as lasting monuments to the people who made them, building people who feel valued and motivated within a company that promotes their talents, or building a legacy that he can feel proud to leave behind—the purpose is to build. 

Because with building comes growth. And in reference to growth, Blaser said with a smile, “We’re only limited by where we’re planted.”

Born into a family with backgrounds in construction aggregates, engineering, and the military, Tiffany Pocock early on learned the value of discipline and hard work. 

Her father was in the Air Force and eventually served and retired at Nellis Air Force Base in the Las Vegas area, where Pocock got her formal education, including college at the University of Nevada Las Vegas. 

There she studied civil engineering, earning a Bachelor of Civil Engineering (minor in Mathematics) in 2009. She credits her time at UNLV—along with a two-year internship with the City of Las Vegas from 2006-2008—for giving her confidence via opportunities to participate in various industry-related social events. 

"UNLV was a good foundation in a leadership seat," said Pocock, 37, Program Development Director for the Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) since July 2023. "I got the opportunity to lead a couple of groups including building concrete canoes and other professional industry [associations]." 

She also met her future husband, Adam, at UNLV—although they didn't start dating until after graduation, ultimately marrying in 2012. She credits Adam as being one of her mentors as he was "right there beside me" which included the aforementioned concrete canoe competition, where they ventured to Hawaii for the race. "Ever since we've been two peas in a pod." Adam works for Parametrix, a Sandy-based civil firm where he does site/civil engineering and transportation planning. 

The pair even worked together at Parsons Brinckerhoff, including six years at the Salt Lake office (2011-2017) Tiffany spent two years at offices in Las Vegas and Tucson prior to that, with significant experience gained with geometric calculations and roadway modeling on the I-10 widening project that added a lane in each direction between Tucson and Phoenix. 

"[Parsons Brinckerhoff] offered me some cool opportunities and projects," she said of those early professional years. 

They moved to Utah in 2011 and Tiffany was placed on the challenging Mountain View Corridor project as a discipline lead for program management, her first foray into that side of engineering, which included working closely with UDOT personnel. The project required leading RFQ/RFP design and document preparation, along with providing preliminary design and budgeting recommendations, as well as working with the contractor on coordination and scheduling. 

"It was interesting being on the program side and gave me my first taste of what it would be like if was working for [UDOT]," she said. 

Another key project at Parsons Brinckerhoff, was working as segment lead and coordinator on the I-15 South Davis Design-Build project, which included a complicated diverging diamond interchange reconfiguration.

She also mentioned her role as designer on the SR-14 Emergency Landslide Repair CM/GC project near Cedar City in 2011 as a significant early project in Utah that proved challenging. She performed geometric and earthwork grading design and roadway modeling. 

In 2017, Pocock made the leap to the public sector, joining UDOT as a Construction Implementation Engineer, which quickly led to a role as a statewide Design Engineer. Other roles at UDOT have included Road Usage Charge Program Manager and I-15 EIS Project Manager. 

In July 2023, Pocock was named Program Development Director (PDD), which coincided with the retirement of Teri Newell, then Deputy Director of Planning and Investment—a title now held by Ben Huot. 

In the PDD role, Pocock is involved with all planning, the program finance group, STIP/TIP programs, and the environmental services group, which includes all environmental impact statement work. It's a lot to juggle, needless to say, but Pocock welcomes the various challenges of each assignment.

"I'm gaining the ability to do things I never thought I'd be able to do," she said. "To go from design heavy to central construction was a big learning experience. Then being asked to implement a (Road Usage Charge) program—Utah was the second state to implement it behind Oregon—was also key."

“Tiffany is a dynamic, forward-thinking leader," said UDOT Deputy Director of Planning and Investment Ben Huot. "She does an outstanding job of promoting teamwork and always does the right things, even when they are challenging."

Pocock said the state is in a precarious position as rapid growth continues to drive demand for new transportation options and that UDOT is working tirelessly to balance the current and future transportation growth—more (and better) roads, highways, bridges, rail, etc.—with environmental considerations. 

"Utah's top challenge moving forward is growth," she said. "The secret is out, people want to live and work here. Growth is challenging for my team because we're in charge of the long-range planning process. We don't want people sitting in traffic, while also providing access to people who want to ride a bike or take a train."

Another top concern she said is "air quality in relation to growth. How do we keep people and goods moving and still respect the environment? 

She added that better land development in relation to transportation—think walkable communities like Daybreak in South Jordan and the new 600-plus acre The Point development near Bluffdale—can make a significant difference to future air quality. 

"We can have centers where people live and work and not have to make long commutes," she said. "How do we support a strong economy with the balance of keeping a healthy environment? It keeps our group awake at night."

She's excited about her current role and looks forward to a lengthy career at UDOT. She credits people like Newell and Huot for their mentoring influence and plans to keep progressing in whatever capacity comes her way.

"I currently love what I'm doing—the five-year horizon is to [grow] in this current seat," said Pocock. "Moving the [career] needle is not a fast thing, maybe eventually be a region director. It would be a great learning opportunity to see a different side of a project." 

Devin Pardoe may be soft-spoken, but don’t let it fool you, he is incredibly competitive.

He was over the Southern Utah sales territory for the company when his father, Perry Pardoe, approached his 27-year-old son with what the business was worth and asked him a life-changing question:

“Do you want to buy it?”

By this point, Pardoe had worked almost every job at compressed air supplier Cate Industrial. Service desk, stocking shelves, working in the yard hosing off equipment, and even spending time with the accounting department—you name it, he did it. He felt the call to the business, having also worked weekends and summers growing up around it.

His dad had done it, his grandpa had done it, he said, “and I felt like I could do it too.”

So he mustered up loans from both his dad and the bank and took on the role of President of Cate Industrial in 2016 before buying the rest of the business, Cate Equipment, in 2022.

It’s given new meaning to Pardoe and his competitive nature, especially winning business across Utah, Idaho, and Nevada.

He is quick to acknowledge that he purchased a successful business, and he’s proud of how he has helped make it thrive—growing it five times bigger over the last eight years. Getting there wasn’t a cakewalk, he said, especially at such a young age when many others in the business had been there for decades.

The mood, Pardoe recalled was one of: “You’re just the young guy who doesn’t know any better."

The trial and error of getting the right people involved and in the right positions was a challenge, but he loved it. With a little bit of organizational tinkering, Pardoe found the formula that took Cate Industrial from successful to one of the top compressed air distributors in the nation, with the doubts of what was possible left in the dust. New positions emerged as people began to buy in fully to the new personnel structures.

“When people see the success internally, it’s a lot easier to get on board.”

For the team of nearly 60 folks working at Cate Industrial and Cate Equipment, Pardoe said the emphasis is on them. His philosophy for making a great work environment is getting the best people they can, paying them well, and then giving them all the autonomy they need to do the best they can.

“When you create that environment, people are attracted to that—they have ownership of what they are doing,” he said.

A self-described "people person", Matt Hansen is thriving in his current role at Salt Lake-based Skyline Electric, which has expanded in recent years to include HR duties on top of all safety-related items. 

Pursuing a career in safety was almost a given for Hansen, whose father, Ray, and grandfather, Wally, both worked primarily in safety. Wally worked for Kennecott in mining safety and later worked at Brigham Young University, also in a safety supervisory role. Ray, who retired last year, also worked at Kennecott prior to it being owned by Rio Tinto, serving as a high-level executive for much of his career. 

"He was great, a really good example to me," said Hansen of his father. “Having a consultant on speed dial—honestly he's helped me immensely in my short career."

A 2008 graduate of Bingham High School in South Jordan, Hansen earned a Bachelor of Health Education and Promotion from Utah State University in Logan. He then followed in Ray's footsteps by earning a Master of Occupational Safety and Management from the University of Central Missouri in Warrensburg in 2015—albeit Hansen didn't actually have to live in Missouri like his parents did, as the course became an online option right when Hansen was looking into it, so he stayed in Utah. 

"My dad said to take a couple of safety-related classes," he said. "We're similar in a lot of ways; he had a hunch it would be a good fit."

His first safety-related job was as a Safety Engineer at Plymouth-based Nucor Steel (almost two years), followed by a similar role at The Superior Group, a combined three years between the jobs. During his time with The Superior Group, an Ohio-based electrical contractor working on the massive Salt Lake Airport Redevelopment project, he interacted daily with people from Skyline, a sub to Superior. Within 16 months, Skyline hired Hansen as its Safety Director.

"I got to know a ton of Skyline guys and they were a huge help to me in a new role as Project Engineer," Hansen recalled. "As Skyline continued to grow, by the end of '18 they needed a full-time safety director. It was the best thing that could have happened to me because this company is awesome."

He was hired at Skyline as Safety Director in February 2019 and promoted to his current role of Director of Safety & Human Resources in March 2022, a role that allows him to interact with a staff pushing 300 people.

"It's been interesting—when I came on, we had less than half that amount," Hansen said of Skyline's phenomenal growth over the past five-plus years. We have incredible leadership and great synergy between departments."

Hansen utilizes ProCore and other safety-specific training through the Got Safety app, which offers training videos, etc., and weekly OSHA training as the basis for his construction program, but the reality is safety is all-day, every day, and always the most important aspect of any company, particularly in construction. 

"The reality is you have to have buy-in from ownership," said Hansen. "We owe it to our people to provide a safe environment. (CEO) Todd Shafer and (President) Rhett Butler are the reason I've been able to be successful. They've had my back every time we've had any disagreement, or someone got written up. It's the structure of how you do it—it has to be a people-led safety culture. Commitment, ownership, accountability—it's from the top down." 

"Matt is extremely efficient, task-oriented, and a dedicated team member of Skyline Electric," said Butler. "When he says he'll do something, rest assured it'll get done!"

"I'm a people person; it's a job I love," Hansen added. "I feel like in my current role [interacting with people] is what I'm doing 90% of the time. Skilled tradesmen are some of the smartest people. Being able to learn from them, and help them, has been really rewarding."