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Pete Tuffo has the right ideas about promoting the right people.
Tuffo, an executive with Boston-based Suffolk Construction, is president of the Florida Gulf Coast region, the Las Vegas office and the builder’s National Gaming segment. In his 14 years at Suffolk, he has not only overseen multiple segments, but has been involved in the promotion and hiring of five executives to help grow the company’s presence on the Gulf Coast.
Here, Tuffo talks to Construction Dive about current conditions on the Gulf Coast supposed decadence of Sin City and the types of people who make good candidates for promotion.
Editor’s Note: This interview has been edited for brevity and clarity.
Immersion in BUILDING: You are the Suffolk president of the Florida Gulf Coast region, but also Las Vegas and Gaming. What do you see in these areas?
PETE DIVE: It’s interesting, they’re all separate and distinct.
The Gulf Coast region is interesting. We’ve seen a huge boom in the last four or five years in population. With this population increase, we’ve seen the average project size increase substantially with some very high-end condos as the Florida Gulf Coast luxury market has taken off from Naples to Tampa-St. Petersburg.
But now, with this initial demographic growth that we’ve seen—it’s a bit stable—we’re seeing it shift a bit towards the municipalities.
We are seeing government projects. We’re currently doing $1.1 billion expansion at Fort Myers Airportwhich was driven by the population growth that was coming here.
School work is coming. Healthcare systems must cope with this population growth. So we’re really seeing, I would say, the maturation of the Florida Gulf Coast, both from a product type standpoint and from a population standpoint.
And then in Las Vegas, which is technically a new market for us, we’ve been there about 18 months, we’re also seeing gaming and hospitality projects come out in size and scale.
We are excited about the market, the opportunities both on and off the Strip as we are currently working with some of the largest gaming operators in Las Vegas.
How do the two areas differ?
Where they differ is largely in operational complexity and environmental context.
Pete Tuffo
Permission granted by Suffolk Construction
Gaming projects are uniquely complex because they are highly technical and are often built within or adjacent to active facilities. You are coordinating sophisticated security systems, advanced MEP infrastructure, immersive design elements and, in many cases, phased construction that allows operations to continue without interruption. There is also intense regulatory oversight and a strong focus on delivering a seamless experience from day one.
On Florida’s Gulf Coast, the challenges are more environment- and market-driven. Building in a coastal region means designing and building for resilience, from hurricane-force winds to flooding and evolving building codes. The labor market, supply chain logistics, and seasonal population changes also add layers of complexity.
There have been reports that Las Vegas is in decline. What do you think about it?
I don’t believe that sentiment at all, actually.
I’m out in Las Vegas every other week, and the amount of cranes in the air and the growth seems to be a shift from the entertainment value being in the games and going to the hockey stadium, the football team or the the baseball stadium being built.
We are very bullish on the Las Vegas market. I know the population growth is still going on, as are people coming from other states.
In your experience as a leader, what do you think is an overlooked trait when promoting team members?
I know this is the construction business, but at the end of the day I tell everyone in our company that this is a relationship business.
I think one trait that’s been overlooked is the ability to foster long-lasting, mutually beneficial relationships that are rooted in the trust you’ve developed over that time. That, to me, shows your character, shows your work product.
Because technical solutions usually won’t solve most of the problems that arise in our project. Relationships and the ability to have mutual respect to work things out is really what sets people apart.
What advice would you give to someone looking to promote the right person?
First, I think you have to find people who are looking for a career and not a job.
This market, for a long time, is a pretty aggressive market where people have options, and they can go out and get another job, maybe for a little more money, but that’s short-term.
But I think when you’re looking to promote people from within or hire people from the outside, make sure they’re there for the right reasons, for the long term, and that’s for a career and not just a job opportunity, because turnover in our industry is one of the biggest challenges.
If you don’t have consistency, you can’t create consistency if you’re constantly turning people around. So you have to get people who are in it for the long haul, and who usually land with better results.
