Tom Murray

Relentless Ally

A Client’s Best Kept Secret

Tom Murray has never encountered infrastructure he doesn’t like to build.

And he would know. With over 40 years of industry experience, Tom has seen and built it all. From underground fuel tanks to groundwater extraction systems, fiber optic duct banks, pump stations, water treatment plants and much more, Tom’s expertise and industry roots quite literally run deep. Today, as area operations manager for Balfour Beatty’s west operations, Tom leverages the diverse skillsets he has cultivated working on the many different facets of infrastructure that connect and power our communities.  

Dedicated, decisive and dependable, Tom is widely esteemed as a builder of choice for Balfour Beatty’s preeminent infrastructure clients like the East Valley Water District in San Bernardino, California. But he didn’t earn that title overnight, having risen through the ranks the old-fashioned way—through the trades.

Tom’s humble beginnings as a masonry laborer soon beget greater estimating, project management, business development and even entrepreneurial opportunities as his career progressed. No matter the project type, Tom’s passion for infrastructure construction remained his guiding force and driving inspiration.

“I like to build stuff for people, I like to figure things out,” explains Tom, who can even be found on family vacations inspecting local water systems, enhancing his already encyclopedic knowledge of infrastructure. Indeed, Tom’s fascination with infrastructure never takes a day off.

The Stars Align in San Bernardino

As luck or perhaps destiny would have it, Tom was introduced to the East Valley Water District while working on a plant upgrade project with another contractor. Tom left a distinct impression on the client, and the client on Tom. After joining Balfour Beatty a few short years later in 2014, Tom was reunited with the East Valley Water District on what would become a signature, career-defining project for all stakeholders: the progressive design-build Sterling Natural Resource Center (SNRC).

The owner began the project with the intention of planning, designing, constructing and operating the water treatment plant to a standard-setting level of excellence. Tom’s leadership and vision were instrumental in realizing that goal at every stage of project delivery. Together, design-build manager Balfour Beatty, lead designer and engineer-of-record Arcadis and architect-of-record Ruhnau Clark Architects (collectively “Team Sterling”), delivered the net-zero project on time, on budget and with zero claims or litigation—a feat nearly unheard of in infrastructure construction.

An Infrastructure Icon

These achievements are even more impressive considering the challenges that arose during the five-year project. From a global pandemic and resulting supply chain shocks to a mega, $33 million change order executed at 60-80% design completion that upended the schedule, procurement, site design and major utilities, SNRC was a one-of-a-kind project for a one-of-a-kind team. In a testament to the power of Zero Harm, Team Sterling also navigated a gubernatorial stay-at-home order and distancing mandates while logging 800,745 total hours worked with only one lost-time incident.

Although any one of these challenges alone could have easily derailed the project, Team Sterling’s ultimate success was no surprise to Tom, who says they cultivated a strong foundation from the start through their formalized partnering process that culminated in a team Charter.

“I think trust is the biggest thing,” affirms Tom. “Developing trust amongst yourselves and having respect for one another are the best things you can do for a project to be successful.”

Today, SNRC stands as a living landmark to the realization of the East Valley Water District’s aspiration, a beacon of meaning and purpose for the local community and a signal to architecture, engineering and construction industry that the success of our work hinges not just on technical prowess but on the strength of partnerships forged. Having won over 20 industry awards to date, SNRC is one of the most highly decorated projects in Balfour Beatty history. It is also a project that echoes of Tom’s unwavering, Relentless Ally commitment to the clients and communities in his care.

“Tom’s leadership was instrumental in the construction of the Sterling Natural Resource Center. He embraced the District’s vision to make every source a resource and helped turn that dream into reality,” says Michael Moore P.E., general manager/CEO East Valley Water District. “Today, the facility is fully operational, recycling millions of gallons of water each day and generating clean energy, creating an award-winning, net-zero facility.”

A Tried-and-True Collaborator

AT SNRC and on his most recent project, the $60 million Bassett High School Stormwater Capture in La Puente, California, Tom leads our operations teams by example, modeling what it means live out Balfour Beatty’s Relentless Ally mindsets. In fact, Tom is usually the first one in the door and often the last one out. He wouldn’t have it any other way, because he takes pride in exemplifying the work ethic and commitment his parents instilled in him.

One of the reasons Tom has been an ardent proponent of collaborative contracting models is the relational foundation they cultivate that reaps decision-making efficiencies and a more enjoyable building experience for everyone. Tom’s experiences led him to pursue a formal certification through the Design Build Institute of America (DBIA) in 2017.

“Traditional bid-build work is always a fight,” reflects Tom. “I enjoy the process of coming together as a team under a common goal. You can disagree, but the client’s end goal and making it the best it can be is the ultimate prize that everyone is working towards.”

Although Tom has four decades under his toolbelt, he’s still excited to learn new aspects of the industry, especially as it relates to sustainability which is a core tenet of Balfour Beatty’s global build to last strategy.

“When I look back over my career, I didn’t really put it together, but water resources, environmental cleanup – it’s all sustainability,” reflects Tom. “I think if there’s one thing I’m most proud of, it’s the resources I have created through building for my fellow man.”

As Tom Murray has built infrastructure icons, he has become something of an infrastructure icon himself, evolving with the needs of his communities as both a steward and trail blazer for the systems that underpin our wellbeing, opportunity and prosperity.