From Summer Job to Career: How TERO Helped Shape One Superintendent’s Path to Construction

Sometimes a Career Starts With One Opportunity

Adam Pardun, a Superintendent II at AP and a descendant of the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe, has built a career in construction that spans decades. At 15 years old, Adam wasn’t necessarily setting out to build a career in construction. He was looking for a summer job.

That first opportunity, however, introduced him to construction through the Tribal Employment Rights Ordinance (TERO) program and ultimately put him on a career path that has lasted decades.

There were only so many opportunities available to me at the time, I had to make the most of them.

What TERO Made Possible

The TERO program is a legally mandated program enacted by federally recognized Native American tribal governments under their inherent sovereign authority.

The primary purpose of a TERO program is to enforce Indian Preference laws. These laws mandate that all covered employers and contractors operating businesses on or near tribal lands must give preference to qualified Native Americans in all aspects of employment, training, contracting, and subcontracting. The program creates a connection between tribal members and construction opportunities.

Specifically, for Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe projects, there was a requirement for 50% Native American participation on construction projects. The program prioritized Mille Lacs Band members before opening opportunities to members of other tribes. For Adam, this meant access to real construction jobs at a young age. These opportunities led to experience prior to him joining the union and continuing his career. Without the TERO program, the opportunities that led to a successful career would not have been possible.

From Summer Work To a Construction Career

Workforce programs like TERO do more than satisfy participation requirements. When they are connected to meaningful work, training, mentorship, and career opportunities, they can become pathways into long-term careers.

After high school, Adam decided not to attend college right away and instead continued pursuing construction opportunities. Through the TERO program he was able to work on nearly 20 projects in central Minnesota, where he eventually joined the team of a large general contractor working on the Hinckley Hotel and Event Center.

After I graduated high school, I started working on every project that I could in both Mille Lacs and Hinckley as part of the TERO program until I got hired by a General Contractor on the Hinckley Hotel and Event Center.

Looking Ahead: Creating More Pathways

Adam spent much of his career working on tribal projects and is currently working on a tribal project with AP. He now has a desire to return to his roots and contribute from the other side of the experience. His goal is to help AP become more involved in the Tribal Market Sector.

The TERO program taught Adam that being involved in Tribal takes a few key considerations:

• Understanding tribe-specific requirements: Success in tribal construction isn’t simply about bringing traditional construction practices into a tribal market. It requires understanding the community, the governance structure, and the relationships that make each tribal project unique.

• Building relationships before a project begins: Being a partner and advocate starts before the first construction related task begins. This means understanding the wants and needs of our clients and working as a team to ensure a successful project from the start.
• Connecting with TERO representatives: Like Adam, there are individuals looking to start their career in construction. AP’s hope is that by connecting with TERO representatives, we can create opportunities for people who may not otherwise have an entry point into construction.
• Looking beyond compliance and toward long-term workforce development: The TERO program is about more than checking a box. It is about developing meaningful careers for tribal members who are looking for opportunities.

AP’s renewed commitment to Tribal work has created opportunities to build a team dedicated to understanding the unique requirements of Tribal projects, both culturally and from a construction perspective. By leveraging the experience of team members like Adam, AP is working to build meaningful partnerships with Tribal Nations, demonstrating that we are invested in understanding their communities, respecting their priorities, and delivering value that goes beyond our responsibilities as a construction manager.

Closing

What started as an opportunity for a summer job as a teenager became so much more. For Adam, TERO wasn’t simply a program he participated in. It was an entry point into an industry that became his career. His story is a reminder that creating access to construction careers can have an impact that lasts far beyond a single project.