As a Construction Project Manager at Okland Construction, Katie McGregor helps guide complex commercial projects from concept to completion. Working across Utah, Arizona, and Idaho, Okland serves a range of public and private clients. Katie has been especially involved in public-sector work, including hospitals, laboratories, and renovations of historic buildings at the University of Utah. She has also contributed to projects in the sports sector, from building out suites at the Delta Center to constructing a dance school.

Leading Through Coordination and Change

In her role as Project Manager, Katie focuses on finances, procurement, team building, and change management. At its core, she says, construction project management is about clearing roadblocks for the field and looking ahead to develop a safe, workable plan with the team. It also means being ready to pivot when conditions shift, as they often do.

Construction is dynamic by nature, and that is exactly what Katie enjoys most. “Every day is truly different,” she says. “Shifting and interesting challenges to tackle, all made enjoyable with good partners and earnest collaboration.”

That sense of shared purpose fuels her work. From superintendents focused on inspections to flaggers coordinating safe deliveries, each person plays a distinct role. Yet everyone is aligned around the same goal: delivering a successful building on schedule, within budget, safely, and with high quality for the eventual occupants.

An Unconventional Path into Construction

Katie did not initially plan on a career in construction. She earned a degree in interdisciplinary humanities with an emphasis on history and worked at an art museum throughout college. A year after graduating, she joined Okland’s Salt Lake City office on a temporary basis. Curious about what was happening in the field, she accepted an opportunity to try her hand as a Project Engineer and never looked back.

Today, she finds deep fulfillment in seeing months or years of planning take physical shape. “It’s incredibly fulfilling to see everyone’s hard work and ideas manifest in a real, physical building,” she says. “Those buildings are then populated and made alive by the community and people that occupy it. I feel very fortunate to be a part of that.”

Building What Comes Next

Katie is currently based onsite at the Price Computing and Engineering Building on the University of Utah campus, with a year remaining before turnover and the start of classes. She is proud of the collaboration between her team, the design partners, and trade contractors, and excited to see the building come into its own.

For those beginning a career in construction, her advice is direct: Take initiative. Do not wait for direction if the drawings or details hold the answers. At the same time, draw on the expertise around you. “There are so many experts with area-specific knowledge that goes much deeper than yours,” she notes. “Learn from it, and clear a path for their expertise to shape the project for the better.”

Katie is also quick to recognize the broader team that supports operations. “No one in operations could go into a project interview and win a job without the guidance of our marketing team,” she says. “They help us put our best foot forward and show potential clients what we do and how well we do it.”

During Women in Construction Week, Katie McGregor’s path and perspective highlight the depth of opportunity within the industry. Construction may not have been her original plan, but it has become a career defined by curiosity, collaboration, and the lasting impact of building spaces where communities gather, learn, and thrive.