At The Korte Company, we don’t just talk about Build Smart. We live it. We teach it. And most importantly, we learn it.
That mindset was on display during the 2025 PE Squad Summit held in early 2025 in St. Louis. A sharp, seasoned group of project engineers came together for two days of hands-on collaboration, technical training and straight-shoot problem solving.
The summit wasn’t some surface-level seminar. It was a proving ground built to test judgment, hone instincts and build true cohesion among the boots-on-the-ground professionals who keep our projects moving. But more than that, it was a reminder that learning never stops. Not here. Not on our watch. Because to Build Smart is to get better — every time, every job.
It was led by Director of Technology and Development Alex Ayres. He brought an eye for improvement and a knack for bringing the best out of the people around him.
The challenge: A real-world scenario with real stakes
At the heart of the summit, the team played out a case study drawn straight from the field: a $50 million Design-Build military hotel project, already 20% complete, when a critical subcontractor goes under. Now what? Who steps in? What’s the fallout — cost, schedule, trust?
The options weren’t easy. One sub promised speed but had a paper-thin resume. Another came in low, but with a reputation for change orders and delays. A third matched the original scope but came with compliance risks under the Buy American Act.
Each PE team had to work through the scenario, weigh the trade-offs, and make the call — then stand up and defend their decision to a panel acting as the owner. Real pressure. Real accountability.
That kind of sharp, situational thinking is what this job demands. And our teams didn’t flinch. They leaned in.
Skills that translate directly to the jobsite
This summit didn’t live in a PowerPoint. It lived in the dirt and details. Sessions drilled into essential disciplines: working estimates, schedule planning, buyout, submittals, compliance. The stuff that makes or breaks a project.
It was open. Honest. Focused. Engineers learning from each other, challenging assumptions, sharpening the edge.
Each participant walked out with more confidence, more clarity and stronger connections. They’re headed back to the field better prepared to lead — and to Build Smart.
That’s what it’s really about: making each other better, so every job gets better.
Because the Job Is the Boss.
At Korte, we don’t follow the job passively. We track it. We learn from it. It sets the pace. It calls the shots. And it earns our full focus, every single day.
The PE Squad Summit was about honoring that mindset — and deepening the values that drive us: ownership, trust, ambition, knowledge and commitment.
A word about Alex Ayres
None of this happens without leadership. And this summit had the right one.
Alex has spent years walking jobsites, refining systems, and helping teams push for better, smarter.
He’s a mentor. A challenger of “good enough.”
The summit reflected that. It was sharp. It was tough. It was real.
Just the way we like it.
