“It’s not exactly what you think of when people say ‘Vegas’,” P1 Group Senior Project Manager Brian Maginness said of the scenery pictured above. From distant mountain peaks dusted with snow to the all-terrain outdoor scenery, it didn’t take long for Brian to embrace the western landscape.
A native of the Kansas City area, Brian picked up from his Blue Springs, MO, home in 2015 and moved his wife, Jamie, and son, P1 Group Apprentice Andrew Maginness, to Las Vegas where he joined the P1 Group office led by Vice President Brad Davis.
Brian originally came to P1 Group in 2007 but left for a year in 2014 to serve as the Sheet Metal Workers Local 2 JATC Coordinator. When business started picking up at the Las Vegas office, Brian was invited to return to P1.
“When the economy finally started to recover there were opportunities coming to light in the Vegas market that warranted the move, so upon an offer from Bruce Belcher, I opted come to the Las Vegas office,” he said.
A sheet metal worker by trade (whose father actually retired from P1 Group as a sheet metal worker), Brian has 31 years of experience and has gone from a field role to an office role over his career.
“What I like most about my project management role is that it allows me to learn the intricacies of other trades like pipefitting and plumbing, yet still continue working within the sheet metal trade” Brian said.
While the job types differ in Vegas vs. Kansas City (as one would expect, the work is primarily hotel, restaurant and entertainment in Vegas), Brian finds construction to be a pretty portable trade.
“Construction is construction, no matter where you do it. With a few variants, the process is still the same.”
In their free time, Brian and Jamie take full advantage of the natural wonders surrounding the Las Vegas area. One of their favorite hobbies is riding their motorcycles and taking their Jeep off road through the mountains.
“Las Vegas is kind of in a bowl,” Brian said. “As soon as you get out of that bowl you get into mountains on one side, with Mt. Charleston and Red Rock. On the other side you have Lake Mead and the Hoover Dam where you can swim and enjoy water sports.”
It's a Jeep thing: Offroading where desert and mountains meet.
As far as Brian’s concerned, there’s no contest on who has the best weather.
“Out here there are no tornadoes, minimal hail, low humidity, no ice and sunny skies all year long,” he said.
“In the Midwest, you have ‘down days’. When it’s raining or snowing, you stay in, rest or plan indoor activities. Out here, it’s pretty much sunny all the time so you feel guilty not being outside to take advantage of it.”
Brian still has his daughter’s family, complete with three grandkids, here in the Midwest, so he comes back from time to time, but it’s pretty clear his heart belongs to the desert now.
“I spent 50 years in the Midwest, and I’m hoping to spend all the rest of my years out here!”
Every day is "ride your bike to work" day with sunny skies all year long.