Shawn Erdo still remembers getting off the bus, and the cold air hit him like a slap to the face.
“I think it was probably 50 below zero,” he said.
It was February of 1988 in Great Lakes, Illinois. At 20 years old, Shawn knew he needed a change, and the U.S. Navy was about to give him one.
His first orders were simple: put on whatever clothes you can find to stay warm. The next day started at 4 a.m., and every day after that. Thus marked the start of an 11-year Navy career that took Shawn from Great Lakes to Mayport Florida and then to San Antonio, Texas. It also gave him something he still carries today as General Superintendent of Las Vegas projects — direction.
After 25 years in construction, 20 of them on government projects, Shawn has found a place where his military past and construction career meet.
“It’s the best of both worlds,” he said.
From snow to desert
Shawn was born and raised in snowy Poughkeepsie, New York.
He remembers winters sledding, ice skating and visiting his grandparents down the street.
The middle sibling of two sisters, he learned to look out for himself early.
“It was always two on one,” he said. “The sisters against the brother.”
When Shawn was about 12, his family moved across the country to Victorville, California. His father worked in civil service as a sheet metal worker and transferred to George Air Force Base.
It was a different world. Poughkeepsie had trees and snow. Victorville had desert.
Many of the California kids thought Shawn was an oddball. Fortunately, he found his place on the golf course. Shawn played varsity golf all four years at Victor Valley High School, where he graduated in 1986.
The sport gave him a group and a place to feel comfortable. The feeling stuck with him. Throughout his life, if he could find a golf course, he could always feel at home.
The Navy years
After high school, Shawn did not have a clear plan and spent a year or so figuring it out the hard way, in a rough crowd and no clear direction.
The Navy set a clear path for him.
After boot camp and training, Shawn built a career as a gunner’s mate. He advanced to E6, first class petty officer, operating a 5-inch gun weapon system — including all its electronics, hydraulics and other complex systems.
He had the honor of serving five years on the USS Vicksburg, a brand-new ship at the time. This was a special privilege for the young sailor. Most ships have already been at sea for decades. His crew got to work with the latest and greatest technology on a maiden voyage.
“It was a treat to be on that ship,” he said.
His last two years in the Navy were spent in San Antonio, serving as a small arms instructor at the military police academy.
By the time he left the Navy, Shawn had seen the world, gained technical skills and learned how to lead in structured environments.
He also knew it was time for the next chapter.
Finding a new fit
When Shawn left the Navy, his family had already migrated from Victorville to Las Vegas.
Everybody had moved there — parents, sisters, aunts, uncles. And Shawn was soon to follow.
He didn’t enter construction right away. His Navy experience was in electronics and information systems, and he wanted to make use of that in his civilian career. So at first, he went to work for a building automation and controls subcontractor. The job involved card access systems, building automation and electronics.
Outside of work, he earned a bachelor’s degree in information technology to help further his career. But if he wanted to move up in the company, leadership said he would need to move to Milwaukee.
Shawn had just settled into Las Vegas. His family was there, and he wasn’t looking to leave.
Then a superintendent friend asked him a question.
“You want to be a superintendent for a general contractor?”
As a subcontractor, Shawn had worked around general contractors and seen superintendents at work. He had watched how construction projects were managed, coordinated and pushed forward.
This was his opportunity to further his career and stay in Las Vegas. The timing couldn’t be denied.
Welcome to construction
Shawn was thrown into the fire on his first project as a Construction Superintendent.
He replaced a superintendent who passed away two weeks after retiring. Then, someone tried to hit their coworker with a front-end loader all in his first week.
Shawn remembers looking around and wondering what he had gotten into. But he stayed with it.
Things settled down. A few years later, the company started taking on government projects.
And everything in Shawn’s career started to line up.
Government construction requires structure, experience and leadership, everything Shawn had been building toward.
Shawn had no prior Government/Army Corp of Engineer experience, but he had military experience. He understood rank, process, accountability and the people in uniform. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers soon approved him for a quality control manager role.
“I was excited to be able to get back on the military base and work the civilian side of construction,” Shawn said.
The best of both worlds
Shawn said government work is a different ballgame. There’s more process, more documentation. And way more scrutiny.
But he was used to that. He had the military bearing and the construction knowledge. Together, they made a natural fit.
“I believe that everything happens for a reason,” Shawn said. “We can never explain what those reasons are.”
Shawn’s favorite part of any project is when they hand over keys and let them get to work serving the country.
After the hard days. After the paperwork. After the red tape. After the problems and pressure.
That is what keeps him getting up in the morning.
“These government buildings are meaningful to the government,” he said. “They’re here protecting the country.”
A suit in Las Vegas
By 2016, Shawn had spent 11 years with his previous construction employer and knew it was time to find a better long-term fit.
He wanted the next company to be his last.
Shawn researched Las Vegas-area general contractors and narrowed his search to two companies. Of the two, The Korte Company stood out.
He read the website, studied the projects and liked the values. The family atmosphere and rich company history were especially attractive. He liked the idea of a company with deep roots and big capabilities.
Then he came in for an interview with Greg and Gary Korte. Gary noted that he was the only applicant who ever came into an interview in a suit.
Shawn looked him in the eye.
“This is one of the most important days of my life,” he said. “I dress for the occasion.”
A few days later, Gary called and offered him a superintendent job.
Shawn started with The Korte Company on Feb. 29, 2016, making his last big career move on Leap Day.
Getting the tools to do the job
From the start, he noticed the support at The Korte Company. People helped, answered questions. From onboarding to the field, he felt like the company was built to support one another.
“Everybody was bending over backwards just to make sure that you had what you need,” he said.
That mattered a lot.
His first assignments included non-government projects in Las Vegas: a multi-use apartment building, a surgery center and a Catholic church restoration.
Then a government project came up. Korte needed a qualified quality control manager, and Shawn had the right background. So even though he had been hired as a superintendent with Korte, he volunteered to serve as quality control manager to help get the project done.
It was a good fit. He introduced The Korte Company to a government team that already knew him. And he helped grow the company’s Las Vegas federal work from there.
Leading in Las Vegas
Today, Shawn is the general superintendent for private and government projects in Las Vegas.
The role has grown over the three years he’s had it. No matter what, he ensures the work keeps moving and people have what they need.
That means covering a lot of ground and wearing a lot of hats. But most importantly, it is a leadership job. In the years Shawn worked with Gary before his retirement, Shawn learned two things about leading a group.
The first was The Job is the Boss. The second was that the job does not get done without good people and to always take care of our employees.
On the toughest projects, the team makes all the difference.
Big work at Creech
Right now, much of Shawn’s focus is on the Disaster Resilience Program at Creech Air Force Base.
It is a major federal effort, with multiple phases worth a combined $300 million. The work includes multiple buildings, hangars and a central utility plant supporting the campus.
“There are a lot of eyes on these things,” Shawn said.
The project has had its challenges, but Shawn can see the light ahead.
It’s not all rainbows and unicorns in construction, as Shawn put it. But the work must go on.
The balance that keeps him sharp
Construction can take a lot out of a person.
Government construction can take even more. That’s one reason Shawn values his work-life balance.
He and his wife, Joanna, have been married nearly nine years. She recently started her own business, which has brought a new kind of excitement to the family.
Together, they have built a full house and rich family life.
There is Little Sean, age 18. Isabella, 14. Rosie, their young Golden Retriever, who recently completed training to become a service dog. And Kai, the family cat.
Shawn also has two daughters from his first marriage. Megan, a schoolteacher, and Tara, a chef, both live in Houston, Texas. Megan has three children, which means Shawn also gets to be Grandpa, even if some of that happens over FaceTime.
At home, the family swims, barbecues and spends time together in the backyard.
Away from home, they travel. They have taken cruises all over the world, camping trips, theme park trips and national park trips. Recently, they camped near Mount Shasta at Lake Siskiyou. Next year, they already have another cruise planned.
He has learned that on demanding work, a person needs a clear head. A good vacation helps, especially if it includes a round of golf.
Shawn still plays, though marriage and family keep him away from the course. He used to play 36 holes on Saturday and 36 more on Sunday.
Now, he mostly plays in contractor tournaments. He always tries to hit the range first, so he doesn’t hack too bad.
Ready for the next one
Since joining The Korte Company, Shawn has worked on private projects, church restorations, healthcare work and federal projects. He has served as superintendent, quality control manager and general superintendent. He has helped grow the company’s Las Vegas presence and strengthen its government construction work.
But what stands out most is not just the resume. It’s how well he fits with The Korte Company culture.
Shawn has looked for a place where he truly belonged after arriving in the California desert as a teenager. Since then, he’s been a gunner’s mate, small arms instructor, building automation tech, Construction Superintendent and now General Superintendent.
All of it led here. To a job site trailer at Creech Air Force Base, leading a team that’s creating something much bigger than themselves.
Shawn believes everything happens for a reason. And with a career like his, how could he not?
Right now, he’s just focused on completing the Creech project. He’s got his sights on the objective — the building coming online and the team seeing that all their hard work paid off.
Then, as always, it’s on to the next mission.
