Innovator Spotlight - Shawn Mongold
At DAVIS, we’re constantly looking for ways to stay ahead of the curve. This industry is always evolving, and the only way to succeed is to innovate. This year, we’re featuring people at DAVIS who help us continue to break new ground—in more ways than one.
As Superintendent, Shawn is in the field delivering successful DAVIS projects. He’s also a part of our Diversity, Equity + Inclusion committee, where he advocates for an inclusive and supportive workplace! Read below to learn more about Shawn.
How do you enjoy being a Superintendent at DAVIS?
I grew up around here so I had always seen DAVIS projects, signage, the big Arrow—it was a household name. I knew what DAVIS was about when I first got into the industry, and working for DAVIS was actually a specific goal of mine, and I’m trying to make the most of it. I want to be the best that I can be at this job.
What’s been a reason for your success?
I feel like I’m very free thinking and forward speaking—and I love getting to know people. So, I think there’s a benefit to me seeing things in new ways—but that can also sometimes backfire on me (laughs). This industry can be very rigid. But at DAVIS, I’ve felt that I can be myself, which is huge.
What’s a big challenge you face?
As a superintendent, we have some really unique, broad challenges. It’s often the case that we’re all so busy that we don’t really get to know each other—and when we work early hours, making the typical social event can be difficult. I want to create some more camaraderie within the superintendent group and promote some opportunities for us to get together and share perspectives. Additionally, the superintendent workforce skews older, and as current workers approach retirement, others need to be ready to fill their shoes. Attracting new hires to the field is a big obstacle, and I want to help do that, because I genuinely love my job. DAVIS, and the industry definitely faces a challenge as far as building up talent from within and supporting their growth—but that’s a challenge I think we’re ready to take on.
You’ve been active in DAVIS’ Diversity, Equity + Inclusion efforts. Why has that been so important for you?
DEI is part of thinking forward, and we all have to evolve. Part of our mission is to create an environment where everyone feels comfortable, because that’s frankly not always the case in our industry. I’ve seen and had to call out racist behavior while working for other companies, and I ended up leaving those places because I wasn’t supported when calling that out. However, at DAVIS, I’ve been backed up in preventing and calling out that kind of attitude and behavior. And we’re not perfect, by any means—but we’re making really good efforts to build an inclusive workplace.
It really starts from the top—and one thing I’m really heartened by is that Jim Davis is invested in this endeavor. He’s someone who is always striving to be better, and he wants this company to strive for the same thing. Before we released the Unconscious Bias educational module last year, he came up to me to talk about how he read a book about the concept and how he learned so much. With support like that, it allows us all to embrace change and prepare for the future.
What have been some of your goals as apart of the DEI Committee?
One of my goals has been trying to establish a way to get fellow employees to trust the company and get them to understand the DAVIS way. We talk about the DAVIS culture and the culture of other companies, but how can we make that tangible? What is a company’s culture? At the end of the day, we want people to trust the company. But in order to build that trust, you have to show that you’re there for everyone—not just the majority, and not just for a certain group of people.
