what gets passed down from one generation to the next
Jayda Martinez starts her days early. She’s generally up before the sun, preparing for a day at Stresscon’s 68-acre production facility. Getting up that early doesn’t really bother Jayda.
“I’ve always been an early bird,” she says.
Prior to joining Stresscon, Jayda had mostly done office work. Her tools were a desk, computer, and phone. Her father Chris and her sister Alyssa both work at Stresscon (Alyssa now works at EnCon’s plant in Colorado), and she’d listen to them talk about the pace and energy of the precast yard. In listening to those conversations, she wanted to seek out work that was a little more hands-on, swapping those tools specific to the office environment for edgers, groovers, hand floats and trowels.
“Having some of my immediate family working at Stresscon and hearing about the work they did, I became interested and wanted to give it a try.”
Chris, Jayda’s father, has been working at Stresscon for 20 years. His days start early too, but preparations for a day of work start the night before, checking prints for dimensions, details and potential design issues—a routine that’s become second nature after two decades on the job.
“When I started out, I really knew nothing about concrete,” Chris says. “I started out like a lot of the guys do and just worked my way up.”
Now, as a foreman, everything has clicked – a far departure from those early days when he was still learning. He cites the work he completes on the architectural side as one of his greatest accomplishments.
“When I started, I didn’t think I’d ever be that great at looking at these prints and be able to respond to all the detail. Knowing the strengths, the size of the rebar. But now, I can look at a print and know exactly what to do with it. I guess it just caught on. It’s almost like my calling.”
Jayda will be at Stresscon for a year starting in August. She has been learning the etching process, a surface preparation method for concrete that uses an acid solution. Chris is starting to see Jayda pick things up quickly like he did back when he started.
“Jayda took off in the position she’s in and opened everyone’s eyes, and it’s great to see her be successful,” Chris says. “The foremen in the patch area tell me how hard she works, and that makes me proud. I’m proud of Alyssa, too. She did great work here at Stresscon, and now she’s at EnCon in Colorado. It’s great to see both of my daughters doing well.”
On the patch crew, Jayda spends her days finding and fixing imperfections, whether it’s replacing a plate that’s out of tolerance or repairing damaged concrete. No two days look the same, and that’s exactly what appeals to both her and Chris.
“I love the challenge,” Chris says. “In architectural work, there can be pages and pages of details, and I love that. When you put all the pieces together, the outcome is the best.”
Chris believes every day should end knowing you’ve done everything possible to get the job right. It’s an approach he tries to pass along to his team—and one he already sees in Jayda.
“I worked with my sisters and brothers for a good part of my teens and twenties,” Chris says. “I know some families who can’t work together. It’s never been like that with us. Working together is another way of bonding with them.”
Chris picks Jayda up each morning before sunrise and they ride into work together, though they spend most of the day in different parts of the yard. She checks in to make sure he’s staying hydrated during the summer heat. He occasionally stops by the patch area to understand a repair and help prevent it from happening again.
“He knows a lot, and people like and respect him,” Jayda says of her father. “He cares about the work and what his guys are doing – making sure they understand what they are doing.”