From Intern to Hire: Associate Profile on Project Engineer Griffin Souder

P1 Construction Project Engineer Griffin Souder recently started at P1 Construction as a Project Engineer with the estimating department. He is one of several P1 interns who have gone on to become full-time P1 associates in recent years.

Growing up in Pittsburg, KS, Griffin says Pittsburg State University (PSU) was the natural choice for getting his bachelor’s degree in construction engineering.

Griffin actually began his course work in pre-med but soon realized that wasn’t the avenue he wanted to pursue. 

“I was considering transferring to another university to study architecture, but a friend convinced me to stay at PSU and go into Construction Engineering instead,” Griffin said.

“He recommended the construction industry because I would still gain some understanding of how things are designed, and also be part of building the entire project,” Griffin added.

“That was great advice because I really enjoy being a part of the construction process and getting to see how each part of a building comes together.”

As part of the Construction Engineering program, Griffin joined the Mechanical Contractors Association (MCA) chapter at PSU and that was how he learned of intern opportunities at
P1 Construction.

Griffin was an intern at P1 in the summer of 2024.

Griffin (third from left) with fellow 2024 P1 interns and mentor Glenn Shain at the tour of SPX Cooling, LLC

“Being an intern at P1 was a great experience,” he said. “I got to work on Project Kansas – the Panasonic battery plant under the guidance of Operations Manager Chris Champagne.”

He says getting first-hand experience about how a project runs was very valuable. 

“I was given actual tasks so I would learn the job processes, and that was so beneficial,” Griffin said.

“I was also learning a lot about the mechanical industry, and that was challenging,” he said. 
“But through weeks of continual exposure, it got a lot easier and started to become second nature.”

He worked alongside Project Engineers Hayley Leonard and Ross Williams, noting that both were great assets in helping him learn the processes.

“Everyone I worked with was nice and easy to get along with, and if I had a question, I could ask anyone and they would help me or direct me to someone who could,” Griffin said.

“I didn't feel like I had to figure things out on my own.”

As Griffin was finishing up his academic career, he began to look for permanent employment and immediately considered P1 Construction among his options.

“Being an intern with P1 Construction gave me good knowledge of the company,” he said.

 “I knew if I could get an offer, I would feel comfortable, and it would be easier to start out because I already knew a lot of the people and had familiarity with company operations.”

Griffin wanted to start his career in estimating and was able to get a position as Project Engineer under Mechanical Estimating Manager Dan Tylski.

Today, he is assigned to Project Kansas, the same project he worked on as an intern.
“The biggest reason I wanted to be at P1 was the people. Everyone here is nice, and so knowledgeable. It was also clear that they genuinely wanted to help me succeed,” he said.

Griffin is excited to start this first step into his career. As for future goals, he said he is happy to get started in his chosen field. 

“It will take some time for me to get a good grasp on estimating, and then I’ll see where that leads me!”

Welcome aboard, Griffin!

Griffin got hands-on sheet metal experience during a
2024 tour of the P1 fabrication shops in Lawrence, KS.