Matthew Johnson

North Dakota State University

September 12, 2015

Subject: Compare and Contrast Letter

Dear Instructor Kaser:
I have recently completed two company profiles, one on Mortenson and the other on
Kiewit. When I first started profiling these two companies, I thought they were going to be very
similar due to the fact that they are both construction companies. After looking into each
company more, I found that the people at each company and the styles used throughout the
respective company were very different.
First of all, these two companies are both large commercial construction companies based
in the Midwest. I chose to profile these two companies since my past experience is mainly
construction related. These two companies work on mainly the same style and size of projects.
This leads me to believe that they are probably competitors in the construction field. Both
companies display a great deal of community involvement through volunteering and serving on
local boards. This shows me that each company is part of the local community and is not just
some large cooperation.
These two companies also differ in various areas. The first difference is the location of
the headquarters. Although in both jobs I would be working in Minnesota, the headquarters of
Kiewit is located in Omaha, Nebraska whereas Mortenson is located in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
I looked into this, and Kiewit doesnt even have an office where I would be working. It would
only be a temporary job site. This causes an obvious problem since there is no guarantee for job
security in this location after the current project is completed. A second big difference is the
communication patterns in the two companies. Kiewit shows a more down to earth persona
where Mortenson seems to be very business professional.
Based on my research of Mortenson, I will focus my application letter on family-based
qualities as well as events and organizations I have participated in in the community. This is
because when I spoke with individuals from Mortenson, each person focused on community
involvement and how Mortensons employees give back to the community. In writing to Kiewit,
I would focus on my job related experience as well as my education and how it would benefit
their company. Both companies view hard work as an important attribute in a future employee.
This would be something I would try to focus on in both application letters.
Sincerely,

Matthew Johnson
Enclosures (2)

Mortenson Profile
Company Profiled: Mortenson
Company Website: http://www.mortenson.com/
Position applying for: Engineering Intern
Type of Business: Commercial construction projects
History: On April fools Day, 1954 Mortenson construction was founded by M. A. Mortenson.
The company originally started as a husband and wife seeking new opportunity in the
Minneapolis area. Many thought it was crazy, his father included, but after the conclusion to
WWll the area was booming. The company was founded by a man with 30 years of construction
experience and using this experience the company thrived. According to Forbes, the companys
revenue for the 2014 fiscal year was estimated at $2.25 billion.
Who does the company do business with: Mortenson works on commercial construction
projects. This in mind the majority of the business done in this company would be done with the
richer class Americans. Some examples of this would be professional sports arenas, airport
terminals, hospitals, wind farms, and solar power plants.
Demographics: Headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The company is a nationwide
construction company with the number of employees changing based on the season of the year.
According to Forbes, this company is estimated to have somewhere around 2500 full-time
employees. Although Mortenson claims to be extremely involved in the community and
extending community services to all people, looking at the senior leadership of the company
shows a different view. This shows a difference between the companys public face and private
face.
Description of position: A mechanical engineering intern would interact with various levels of
employees throughout the company. In doing so learn all aspects of the company in order to
potentially move to a project manager position. The intern position would also be responsible
for things such as: preconstruction meetings, organizing subcontractor meetings, monitoring
subcontractors, as well as continually changing orders and contract agreements with an everchanging market.
Introductory Narrative: I have two years of further education and am currently pursuing a
degree in mechanical engineering with an emphasis in construction and HVAC systems. In the
past, I have a total of five years working in the residential construction field. Three of these
years were focused on learning the trade and finding cliental and connections in the area. In the
following two years, I co-founded and managed a residential contracting company. Using my
experience in the residential field, I will be able to make the transition into commercial
construction. I want to work for Mortenson because the company strives towards community
involvement. I believe that community involvement is one of the best things a company can do
to benefit itself as well as the community supporting it.

Whos Who:
President: Dan Johnson. Dan has been working for the company for almost 30 years. He is
responsible for the startup of new branches throughout the country. He portrays a very business
man type of persona. Everything I found on him he was trying to stay professional in order to
display to the public and potential clients that he is a respectable individual. His social media
profiles were focused on work and community involvement.
Vice President and General Manager: Bob Solfelt. Bob provides management and direction
with business and strategies in marketing. He also portrays himself in a very serious and
professional manner. He would be someone who would potentially make the decision on who
gets hired and if it is financially feasible to hire anyone in the company at a certain point in time.
Bob serves on many boards in the Minneapolis area. This shows he wants the community to
succeed and not only the company he is working for.
Construction Executive: Travis Noble. Travis has 20 years experience in the field of managing
construction projects. He leads the design stage on large construction projects and provides
insights on the project as well as solutions to customer needs. He prides himself on community
involvement and seems to have a more laid back personality. He still shows professionalism but
he seems more approachable. In reading reviews on his work, he is recommended by everyone
and seems to go the extra mile for clients.
Core Values: The mission at Mortenson is building structures and facilities for the
advancement of modern society, and to create an exceptional customer experience. The
company prides itself on having six main values: trust, teamwork, responsibility, safety, service,
and stewardship. First of all they focus on the relations between their employees and customer
relations. This is first and foremost. Next they focus on the quality of work they do. Last but
not least they focus on supporting the community in which the company is located in. This helps
out in relations with clients and it also pays it forward in order to help future generations of the
company succeed.
Public vs. Actual Persona: In viewing the company and its employees, the company founds
itself on being very professional and very business-like attitude. In my experience with talking
to recruiters from this company, professionalism was a common trait. After talking to one of the
project managers working for Mortenson here in Fargo, I got a more real down to earth take on
the company. Having this conversation showed me the company was approachable and the
company provided a good place to work. He said in his experience with working for the
company it has been an overall positive experience and would recommend working here. He
also described his position and the potential for growth from engineering intern, the position I am
applying for, to project manager.
Communication Styles: Throughout this company the communication style is very
professional. From the CEO/President down to the project managers and general managers.
Overall the company tries to show to the public the willingness to support the community and
serve on local community boards. This in returns helps Mortenson maintain a high level of
respect. Sometimes the professionalism is taken as the company is unapproachable and is too

uptight to the middle class American. As I researched the company my view started at
unapproachable to it moved more towards the idea where the company wants to keep a high level
of respect with the business owners in the community, who are the main source of income for a
commercial contracting company such as Mortenson.

Kiewit Profile
Company Profiled: Kiewit
Company Website: http://www.kiewit.com/
Position applying for: Entry Level Field/Office Engineer
Type of Business: Commercial construction projects in six main categories; building, mining,
oil and gas, power, transportation, and water/waste water treatment.
History: Kiewit Corporation traces its history to 1884, when Peter and Andrew Kiewit formed
Kiewit Brothers, an Omaha, Nebraska masonry contracting partnership. In the early years of this
company they struggled to make enough for the two of them so partner Andrew left the
company. The company continued to struggle until the WWll era where they received multiple
contracts from the United States government. In 2013 the companys revenue reached over
$11.8 billion and it ranks in the top five for contractors according to Engineering News-Record.
Who does the company do business with: Kiewit undertakes commercial construction
projects. In doing so they work with business owners and the richer class Americans. Also
Kiewit has obtained contracts from the government to complete large construction projects.
Projects include bridges, hotels, power plants, the keystone pipeline, as well as many other
projects. Although the company started with residential masonry, they now pride themselves on
working mainly in the commercial construction field.
Demographics: I would be working in Eden Prairie, MN. The district office for this area is in
Minneapolis, MN; however, Kiewit has offices spread out across the country. The corporate
office is centrally located in Omaha, Nebraska, and there are international branches located
throughout Australia and Canada. The company employs over 33,200 employees and is
continually growing. Kiewit prides itself on having a diverse group of employees. This is shown
when a person looks at the leadership of the company. Some companies try to claim that they
have a diverse group of employees, but it does not show in the employees. When looking at the
group of employees at Kiewit though, the company definitely has a diverse group. This shows
that the companys public face and private face are the same in this case.
Description of position: As a field/office engineer I would work on a diverse team to build,
estimate, and schedule construction projects. In doing so I would learn to supervise
subcontractors, review proposals and specifications, prepare cost estimates, and preform quality
and safety tests as needed. This position will also include attending pre-bid and investigation

meetings as well as administering safety programs and maintaining exceptional customer

relations.
Introductory Narrative: I have two years of further education and am currently pursuing a
degree in mechanical engineering with an emphasis in construction and HVAC systems. In the
past, I have a total of five years working in the residential construction field. Three of these
years were focused on learning the trade and finding cliental and connections in the area. In the
following two years, I co-founded and managed a residential contracting company. Using my
experience in the residential field, I will be able to make the transition into the commercial
construction field. I want to work for Kiewit because I want to be part of a company that strives
for state of the art structures and focuses on customer relations.
Whos Who:
CEO, President and member of the executive committee: Bruce E. Grewcock. Mr. Grewcock is
active in community affairs, serving as a director of the Nebraska Medical Center, Teammates
Mentoring Program and Creighton University. He is a Governor of the Knights of Ak-Sar-Ben, a
100-year old local philanthropic organization. He displays a high level of professionalism will
still focuses on family and community. For being a CEO he seems to be a down to earth person
who dedicates most of his time to work and community involvement.
University Recruiting Manager at Kiewit: Julie Link. Julie is in charge of filling intern and entry
level positions for Kiewit. She seems to be an outdoors enthusiast and also someone with high
morals. Based on her social media accounts, she seems like a very down to earth person. She
seems to take work as a top priority in life with her faith and community involvement right up
there as well. Julie is someone I plan on talking to more in the future when potentially applying
for this position.
Project Manager: Nora Eweis. Nora would be the person I would work under. With the
opportunity to potentially work up to project manager. Nora keeps work and home life very
separate. In viewing her profiles, she seems to focus on animals and family. She does not have
the same professionalism as some of the higher up people in this company, but definitely does
not show any reason to damage her reputation.
Core Values: Kiewits culture has thrived on strong principals since being founded. Their core
values remain as the companys cornerstone. Conducting work based on good business ethics is
one way Kiewit has become one of the largest contracting companies in North America. They
believe in four main values; People, Integrity, Excellence and Stewardship. The company says it
thrives because it has provided a safe and friendly work environment for all employees. Next
they focus on the quality of the work they do, as well as the customer relations. Without either
of these two, the companys reputation would be tarnished. Last but not least they focus on
giving back to the community.
Public vs. Actual Persona: In viewing the company and its employees, the company founds
itself on being professional and still maintaining a very down to earth attitude. In my experience
with talking to recruiters from this company the professionalism was a common trait. These

recruiters said several times that working for Kiewit was an exciting and beneficial experience.
Based on my research for this company, the employees seem to separate work and home life.
This is the way in which I like to conduct my business as well. I like to enjoy my personal time
and not focus on work at all outside of the workplace. This seems to be a common trend all the
way up to the CEO, Bruce Grewcock.
Communication Styles: Kiewit seems to be a semi laid back company while still maintaining a
professional persona to the public eye. They seem to keep everything formal but also keep the
content simple in order to meet all of their customers needs. Kiewit is a very customer based
company that prides itself on customer relations. The website focuses on the employees and the
customer. The pictures on the homepage show that the company is focused on customer
relations. The companys website focuses on trying to convince future customers of the quality
of work Kiewit does as well as the customer based approach that they take when working on
projects.

References
Mortenson and Kiewit
www.kiewit.com
www.mortenson.com
www.forbes.com
www.facebook.com
www.twitter.com
www.ndsu.edu/career
www.linkedin.com
www.enr.construction.com
Representatives from both Kiewit and Mortenson