Our Project Manager Sierra McGinnis brings a unique perspective to complex mechanical construction projects in the expanding Inland Northwest market. With roots in the construction industry, Sierra advanced from administrative roles into project management, embracing a self-motivated, direct approach to her work and passion for being in the field.

We sat down with her to discuss delivering essential capacity for major data center projects in Central Washington, where she’s managing the construction of multi-million gallon water tanks and underground piping systems to support the development of critical infrastructure.

Q: You’ve been at MacDonald-Miller for two years and in the mechanical construction industry for years prior to that. How did you get started and what was your path to becoming a project manager?

Construction is something I’ve been around my entire life. My dad is a local 66 sheet metal guy, and my mom works at an engineering firm in Seattle. I just kind of fell into it, working my way up. I started with the admin side, then moved to the PE (Project Engineer) side, and then into the PM role. I found that progression very useful because a lot of the necessary knowledge comes from on-the-job training, which is completely different from what is taught in college.

Q: Your previous construction experience focused heavily on piping. Did that experience influence your decision to work on the current project your on?

Yes. My previous role involved a lot of pipe work for companies like Boeing, SpaceX, and Blue Origin, as well as wastewater treatment plants. I like this current project I’m on with MacMiller because it feels a lot like that. It’s very out of the ordinary. A lot of underground ductile piping is not typical in Seattle, so I was glad to take on this project when it popped up.

Q: Can you provide a high-level description of the project?

We are working on two different sites where brand new process water and treated water tanks are being constructed to support data centers. The larger tank is 2.3 million gallons in size, and the smaller tank is about 0.45 million gallons. The project includes installing underground piping to extend to the tank and then underground from the tank to the pump house. Each pump house features a pump room, an electrical room, and two chemical rooms, and houses about three pumps per set.

Q: What unique opportunity does your region present for MacDonald-Miller and it’s customers, and what role are you playing in this expansion?

The opportunity we have out here is super cool. We’re currently about a two-hour drive from our closest office location and I’m excited to use my background in piping to help establish a bigger footprint serving data center, industrial, and other customers out here.

MacMiller is great because everyone is very helpful and wants you to succeed and the company treats its employees well.