Four Times the Advantage: Celebrating Our 2026 Four-Time Interns!

Bailey Bruner, Thomas Crossley, Gus Duda, Ricardo Echanove, Bradley Jacobson and Nate Wright are all back for their fourth summer in the McCarthy Intern Advantage® program — a milestone that says as much as anything they could put into words. 

Four summers. Different projects, different cities, different roles. And still, every one of them came back. 

We asked them to reflect on their journey through four questions. What they shared is a strong reflection of the experience and opportunity these interns have fully embraced. 

Let’s meet the interns!

Bailey Bruner | Northern Arizona University | Renewable Energy Preconstruction

Thomas Crossley | Southern Illinois University Edwardsville | Renewable Energy Project 

August "Gus" Duda | University of Missouri | Data Center Project

Ricardo Echanove | University of Arizona | Hospitality & Entertainment Project

Bradley Jacobson | Northern Arizona University | Healthcare Project

Nate Wright | Arizona State University | Education Project

What first brought you to McCarthy? Why did you keep coming back? 

Gus Duda: “My path to McCarthy started unexpectedly. As a freshman I was studying accounting, but an opportunity as a carpenter's apprentice at NGA West caught my eye. Working on a carpenter's crew showed me the skill, pride and problem-solving that go into the work — and sparked my passion for construction, leading me to switch my major to mechanical engineering. What kept bringing me back was the people. The culture here is unbeatable. Whether you're helping build a hospital, wastewater treatment plant or data center, there's a lot of pride in being able to say, 'I helped build that.’” 

Ricardo Echanove: “McCarthy captured my heart right from the beginning. My interviewer, Colleen Bartle, was incredibly welcoming and made me feel like I already had a history with the company before I even stepped foot on site. Over these four summers, that feeling has only grown. I truly feel like I have found my place here.” 

Bradley Jacobson: “The people. It felt like the teams I was with were committed to developing me like I was already a partner at the company.” 

Nate Wright: “A professor at Arizona State always spoke very highly of the company, and that really stayed with me. After my first experience, I knew I wanted to come back. The values, work environment and focus on promoting within made it feel like the ideal place to begin and grow my career.” 

What’s the moment you stopped feeling like an intern? 

Gus Duda: “That moment came at the Nelson Wastewater Treatment project when I was given the opportunity to manage an underground chemical pipe run from start to finish — takeoff, work planning, vendor coordination, installation and tracking progress in coordination meetings. That was one of the first times I was responsible for driving a scope of work all the way through. That experience made me feel like a true part of the team, not just an intern observing from the outside.” 

Ricardo Echanove: “’Intern' has been nothing more than a title during my four summers. From the first week on, I've been treated just like any other Project Engineer. My favorite responsibility was creating a comprehensive presentation about my scope of work for a Self-Perform Mechanical Forum. I was also trusted with material delivery coordination my first summer — guiding and tracking deliveries around a busy project required constant communication and set an invaluable precedent for the professionalism needed to succeed in this industry.” 

Thomas Crossley: “Ever since my first internship as a Carpenter's Apprentice, I was welcomed by the craft and felt like part of the team. McCarthy does a great job of giving interns meaningful responsibilities and setting them up for future success.” 

Bradley Jacobson: “I stopped feeling like an intern when I was challenged to manage my own scopes independently — while always being supported by my team when I needed direction.” 

Bailey Bruner: “In my third internship, within Renewables. I started feeling like a Preconstruction Engineer when assigned my own project and was able to take on the responsibilities I would have if I had been a full-time employee. It really enhanced my learning and leadership abilities.” 

How has your internship experience changed the way you see your future career? 

Ricardo Echanove: “I've had the opportunity to intern across three markets: Renewable Energy, Mission Critical and Commercial. Originally, I was adamant about becoming a superintendent. Lately, the role of project manager has caught my attention. After working closely with many APMs and PMs, I've found that their day-to-day work aligns perfectly with my current skill set and where I want to grow.” 

Bailey Bruner: “I was able to explore Commercial Estimating, Project Engineering and Preconstruction in Renewables — and that helped me figure out what job suited me. I loved the organization and planning of preconstruction, and that will be my future career path.” 

Nate Wright: “During my first internship, the industry felt overwhelming. Over the last few years, I've gained valuable experience and confidence. I now feel capable of working more independently — and even when I don't know the answer, I'm confident in my ability to find it.” 

Thomas Crossley: “Spending a summer working alongside our craft gave me a greater appreciation for how hard they work each day. I believe that experience will help me be more effective in my future career.” 

What would surprise people — even other interns — about what you’ve actually gotten to do here? 

Thomas Crossley: “The most surprising thing was spending a summer on BJC in St. Louis as a Carpenter Apprentice — putting on a toolbelt, working alongside the craft building concrete formwork systems. It gave me a great deal of perspective and respect for craft professionals.” 

Ricardo Echanove: “I worked directly alongside craft crews on two separate internships — and they were incredibly open to helping me understand how things actually get built. I've also gotten all-terrain forklift certified. But one of my proudest moments was independently organizing and leading a tablet training session for our foremen to help streamline our digital field operations.” 

Bradley Jacobson: “I've gotten experience at a healthcare project where surgeries were happening every day right on the other side of the walls. It takes a ton of communication, but is an extremely rewarding experience.” 

Bailey Bruner: “I'll be on the panel at the Southwest Professional Development Day led by our Partnership for Women — talking about my internship experience and bringing a different perspective to our industry.” 

Nate Wright: “Something that may surprise people is the variety of opportunities outside of traditional project work. I helped design Safety Week shirts and managed the full procurement process to get them produced and delivered. I also delivered nearly 1,000 doughnuts to a local school district in recognition of students performing well on state testing. Experiences like these showed me that construction is about much more than building projects — it's about relationships, community and supporting the people around you.” 

Gus Duda: “Last summer at Nelson Wastewater Treatment, I had the opportunity to spend the day working on a yard pipe crew. I got to pick up the shovel and help lay pipe. This was an awesome experience because it gave me a better understanding of the work from the field perspective.” 

Four summers in, Bailey, Thomas, Gus, Ricardo, Bradley and Nate aren't waiting to find out what a career in construction looks like. They're already living it. 

That's the Intern Advantage. And for this remarkable group — it's working exactly as designed.