General contractor appoints first ever Vice President of construction innovation

The headquarters of Jacobsen Construction Company

In an indication of the growing importance and acceptance of technology in the construction industry, a US-based general contractor has named its first-ever vice president of construction innovation.

Jacobsen Construction Company has named Heather Soderquist as vice president of construction innovation, with “an eye toward elevating innovative practices as a core competitive differentiator for the firm.”

Soderquist has been with Jacobsen for 18 years, most recently in the role of director of operations training and development, where she helped project teams grow and refine their construction skillsets. She also played a key leadership role in Jacobsen’s company-wide use of essential jobsite technologies such as BIM, laser scanning, Viewpoint, Bluebeam, Autodesk Build and more.

Jacobsen formed the new vice president of construction innovation position with goal of investing in innovation as a core construction management process long-term, strengthening the company’s preparedness for significant future advances in the industry.

“We recognize that our project teams’ ability to innovate will continue to be a key element to gaining and keeping a competitive edge,” Soderquist said. “Looking ahead, it is clear that innovation in construction and the strategic use of leading technologies will be important differentiators separating good contractors from excellent contractors.”