Advertise on podcast: Exit Interview

After a career in both education and construction, Karlen Anderson joined Story Construction in 2014 to lead recruiting, training and development initiatives at the company. Over time his role evolved into a heavier focus on supporting the implementation of Story's Construction Production 2.0 system on projects. Hear more about Karlen's life and career in construction, as well as his plans for retirement as he enters the next chapter in his life.

Kent Meyn spent worked for ACI Mechanical in Ames for more than 40 years, cementing a legacy in the commercial construction industry in Iowa and beyond. He retired this year and joined Story Construction's Mike Espeset on the Exit Interview podcast to talk about his career, his lessons learned, and what lies ahead in retirement.

Jerry Long joined Story Construction in 1983 as a project engineer, ultimately working for the company for 41 years before retiring at the end of 2024. He progressed to the rank of superintendent and then project manager in 2000, overseeing projects in industrial, treatment plants and a variety of other markets. Hear from Jerry as he wraps up more than 40 years in the construction industry!

Joe Hewitt retired in 2024 after 10 years with Story Construction managing safety initiatives and compliance. Prior to joining Story, Joe had a long career with Martin Marietta in supervision and safety roles. Joe imparts some knowledge and perspective around safety and the industry in general in this Exit Interview.

Dean McCormick joined Story Construction in 2017 after 22 years leading Iowa State University's design and construction services team. His career includes the rare combination of sitting in the design, owner and contractor seats at the table before retiring this spring. Dean's impact at Story Construction and on the construction industry in Iowa is immeasurable, and we're glad he took time this summer to sit down with us for his Exit Interview.

Kenny Lendt retired from Story Construction in 2023 after more than 37 years with the company. Hear from Kenny as he talks about his career as a superintendent in the construction industry and shares some lessons learned during his time at Story.

After beginning his career with Spencer Construction in northwest Iowa, Rick Sippel and his wife Cindy picked up roots and moved to central Iowa, where he began his career at Story Construction. He retired from running the crane full-time in December 2022 and sat down with us to discuss his life and career as a crane operator.

As we continue to bring in other industry retirees, this episode features our conversation with Dennis Tiernan of NAI Electrical Contractors based out of Ames. Dennis recently wrapped up his long career in the industry and was kind enough to sit down with us in November 2022 to discuss his journey and lessons learned during his time working for - and leading - NAI.

Larry Sperlich joined Allen Construction, Story's predecessor company, in 1972, and has been one of the most influential builders of projects and people in the company's history. Now that he's (mostly) retired, hear from Larry about his journey in life, the construction industry, and Story Construction.

Steve Chmelar retires from Carroll Distribution & Construction Supply, Inc. at the end of 2022 after almost exactly 50 years with the company. We had the pleasure of bringing in Steve in the summer of 2022 to record his Exit Interview and hear about this life and career in the industry... and the famous foam finger.

Dale Hofert retired from Story Construction in 2022 after 37 years with Story Construction. Listen to this episode of Exit Interview to hear directly from Dale as he talks about his career, his lessons learned, and shares a bit about his retirement plans.

Pete Lonergan retired as Story's warehouse manager in March 2022, after 31 years with the company. To many at Story and to those in the industry who have worked with him, Pete embodies many of Story's core values. His helpfulness in providing tools and equipment for job sites and his consideration for safety made him a valued team member on every Story project. In this episode, hear Pete recount his career and some of his lessons learned in the construction industry.

Lloyd Uitermarkt is another longtime superintendent at Story who retired officially in 2018. Listen to this episode of Exit Interview to hear about Lloyd's journey in the industry and at Story.

After coming to Iowa as a freshman at Iowa State University, John Haila planted roots that eventually led to owning his own architecture firm, Haila Architecture + Structure + Planning, growing his family, and an encore gig as mayor of Ames. Hear John's story and the lessons he's learned in this episode of Exit Interview.

Donny Paris worked for James Thompson & Sons, and then Story Construction, beginning in 1966. He's served as a role model for many younger foreman and superintendents throughout his career and has worked on many significant projects in Ames, Cedar Falls and elsewhere throughout Iowa. Hear a bit about Donny's career and the memories he's made over the last 50+ years.