Pete Tuffo has clear ideas on promoting the right people.
An executive at Boston-based Suffolk Construction, Tuffo is president of the builder’s Florida Gulf Coast region, Las Vegas office and National Gaming segment. In his 14 years with Suffolk, he’s not only overseen diverse segments but has had a hand in the promotion and hiring of five executives to help grow the company’s presence in the Gulf Coast.
Here, Tuffo talks with Construction Dive about current conditions on the Gulf Coast, the alleged decline of Sin City and the types of people who make good candidates for promotion.
Editor’s Note: This interview has been edited for brevity and clarity.
CONSTRUCTION DIVE: You’re Suffolk’s president of the Florida Gulf Coast region, but also Las Vegas and Gaming. What are you seeing in those areas?
PETE TUFFO: It’s interesting, they’re all separate and distinct.
The Gulf Coast region is interesting. We’ve seen quite a boom over the past four to five years in population. With that increased population, we’ve seen the average project size grow substantially with some very high-end condominiums, as the luxury market on the Gulf Coast of Florida has taken off anywhere from Naples all the way up through Tampa-St. Petersburg.
But now, with that initial population growth that we've seen — it's kind of steadied — we're seeing it shift back a little bit to the municipalities.
We're seeing government projects. We're currently doing a $1.1 billion expansion at the Fort Myers airport, which was driven by the population growth that was coming here.
The school work is coming. The healthcare systems have to catch up to that population growth. So we're really seeing, I would say, the maturation of the Gulf Coast of Florida, both from a product type and from a population standpoint.
And then in Las Vegas — which is technically a new market for us, we’ve been out there about 18 months — we're also seeing gaming and hospitality projects come out of size and scale.
We're excited about the market, the opportunities both on the Strip and off the Strip, as we're currently working with some of the largest gaming operators in Las Vegas.
How are the two areas different?
Where they differ is largely in operational complexity and environmental context.
Gaming projects are uniquely complex because they’re highly technical and often built within or adjacent to active facilities. You’re coordinating sophisticated security systems, advanced MEP infrastructure, immersive design elements and, in many cases, phased construction that allows operations to continue uninterrupted. There’s also intense regulatory oversight and a strong focus on delivering a seamless guest experience from day one.
On the Florida Gulf Coast, the challenges are more environmental- and market-driven. Building in a coastal region means designing and constructing for resilience, from hurricane-force winds to flooding and evolving building codes. The labor market, supply chain logistics and seasonal population swings also add layers of complexity.
There have been reports that Las Vegas is on the decline. What are your thoughts on the matter?
I don't believe that sentiment at all, actually.
I'm out in Las Vegas every other week, and the amount of cranes in the air and the growth there appears to be a shift from the entertainment value being in the gaming and going to the hockey arena, football team out there, or the baseball stadium that's being built.
We're very bullish on the Las Vegas market. I know the population growth still continues, as are people coming in from other states.
In your experience as a leader, what do you think is an overlooked trait when it comes to promoting team members?
I know this is the construction business, but I tell every person in our company at the end of the day, this is a relationship business.
I believe an overlooked trait is the ability to foster long-standing, mutually beneficial relationships that are rooted in the trust that you've developed over that time. That, to me, shows your character, it shows your work product.
Because the technical solutions typically won't solve most issues that come up on our project. Relationships, and an ability to have a mutual respect to solve things are really what sets people apart.
What advice would you give someone looking to promote the right person?
First and foremost, I think you have to find people that are looking for a career and not a job.
This market, for a long time now, has been a pretty aggressive market where people have options, and they can go down the street and get another job, maybe for a little bit more money, but that's short-term.
But I think as you're looking to promote people from within, or to hire people from outside, make sure that they're in it for the right reasons, for the long haul, and in it for a career and not just a job opportunity, because turnover in our industry is one of the biggest challenges.
If you don't have consistency, you can't build consistency if you're constantly turning over people. So you have to get people that are there for the long haul, and that usually lands with better results.
