Employee Spotlight: Jean-Jacques Mvom Ondoua

2024 marks C3M’s 10th anniversary! To celebrate this milestone, we are highlighting some of the talented individuals who make up our team. Meet Jean-Jacques Mvom Ondoua, a project manager currently working on the WMATA Fiber Optic Cable Metro Box Enclosure Installation project.

1. Tell us about your background.
   I am a first-generation immigrant from Cameroon. I earned my first college degree in environmental science at the University of Dschang, Cameroon, and a second degree in civil engineering at the University of Maryland, College Park. I worked for two years as a pipeline construction inspector before joining Clark Construction and C3M in 2020.

2. Describe your role at C3M and your core responsibilities.
   As a project manager for C3M, I oversee trades, contribute to the project development and bid processes, and manage and lead small teams of engineers.

3. What do you like most about your current role?
   In my current role, I enjoy leading a team and mentoring summer associates. Each day, I am refining my leadership skills and learning through my opportunity to oversee the overall growth of many talented young team members who are essential for the success of our company.

4. What brought you to C3M, and what do you like most about the company?
   After joining the Clark team in 2020, Chuck Tomasco encouraged me to utilize my construction utility background to contribute to the C3M team. Chuck highlighted the value of each C3M project and the growth opportunities the company offers for young leaders. Mass transit projects are specialized and unique, and C3M remains one of the leading companies in this and many specific industries.
   
   At C3M, I quickly realized how much the leaders genuinely care for their team members. They care not only about their team members’ personal well-being but also about their career growth. I am a 9-year ongoing army reservist service member, and C3M has supported my military commitments from the day I started.

5. What has been your favorite project you have worked on and why?
   The LA Division 20 TPSS and EBPS project in Los Angeles, California. As a project engineer, the job offered the perfect space for me to learn about the Clark project management processes while also providing an opportunity to learn about the complexity of construction on the West Coast. It was my first time on the West Coast, and I was thrilled to visit a new city and immerse myself in a new culture.

6. What do you find most gratifying about working in the construction industry?
   The construction industry produces complex situations that require complex solutions, from project design to build-out phases. To me, the most gratifying aspect of working in the construction industry is finding solutions to these complex problems alongside my teams.

7. Why are you a builder?
   In my opinion, fortitude and resilience are two of the required traits needed to be a successful builder. I believe these two traits are key to who I am and are part of why I have enjoyed being a builder these past few years.

8. What are you most proud of accomplishing, either personally or professionally?
   I am most proud of becoming a Commissioned Officer in the Army Corps of Engineers with the United States Army Reserve. Military education introduced me to leadership and was a 6-year journey that taught me many lessons to cherish and values to uphold for the rest of my life.