2024’s 30 Under 30 EC&M Electrical All Stars: Connor Smathers

CONNOR SMATHERS

Job Title: Project Manager I

Company: Stansell Electric

Location: Nashville, Tenn.

Age: 24

Years on the Job: 1

Interests: Watching sports, especially college football and basketball, and exploring new restaurants and bars around the city

Connor Smathers says he is fortunate to have a supportive team around him that pushes him to excel in his career.

Connor Smathers’ most influential experiences came from working in engineering labs at Central Magnet School.

“This school not only offered me the opportunity to study engineering, but it also shaped me into a well-rounded student and learner before continuing my education at the University of Alabama,” he says. “During my time at the university, I was introduced to power systems, which ultimately led me to explore a career in the electrical trade.”

During college, he interned at a local manufacturing company, where he was able to gain hands-on experience outside of the classroom both in the field and office settings. His training from the classroom and previous work experiences helped him to become the diligent problem-solver he is today, he says.

“Having to navigate through various obstacles that can arise throughout the day taught me to be versatile, flexible, and disciplined in my approach,” he says. “This has, so far, translated well into my career as a project manager for Stansell Electric Company.”

Currently, he is an entry-level project manager in the industrial and commercial division with Stansell Electric Company. He directly contributes to the delivery of a project whether it is documentation, communication with other trades, or communication within Stansell. Some of his key responsibilities include material procurement, schedule tracking, delivery of submittals and RFIs, as well as coordinating between internal and external parties.

Since he began working at the company, he has been working on a commercial high-rise and has learned the day-to-day schedule and tasks required to run a job smoothly from the project management side.

Up to this point, he says he hasn’t completely dived into all the opportunities for certifications and training offered to developing project managers, but he plans to get more familiar with certifications like Lean Six Sigma or PMP.

“I see myself attaining these certifications and improving my resume to a significant level,” he says. “I think this will help me become more valuable in my role at Stansell and encourage others to do the same.”