August 3, 2026
From Dirt Work to Desk Work
Stacy Witbeck intern Grayson Harter is learning what it takes to keep an active construction project moving between the office and the field.
The alarm goes off early for construction intern, Grayson Harter. By 6:45 a.m., he’s on the job at a project site in Bluffdale, Utah, starting the day with coordination, stretching, and safety.
The foreman walks through the day’s work, giving him and the team a clear picture of what needs to happen and what could slow them down before work begins.
If Grayson had to pick a song for the rhythm of his internship, it would be "Stayin' Alive" by the Bee Gees, a fitting reminder of why the crew starts every day focused on getting home safely.
Grayson joined Stacy Witbeck in January 2026 as an estimating intern before moving into his current role as a field and office engineer in May, all while balancing his work with full-time school.
He is part of a joint venture team between Stacy Witbeck and Ralph L. Wadsworth (RLW), hired to perform civil work, utility relocations, and track coordination along a corridor that will expand a single-lane road into four lanes beneath active railroad tracks owned and utilized by Union Pacific and Utah Transit Authority.
Coming from a background of working solely in the field, Grayson's transition into his current position has also changed how he views the office side of field engineering. He has seen how much critical thinking happens behind a desk. Much of the work means looking weeks or months ahead, planning for what the project will need, and securing the right approvals so the project can keep moving when conditions change.
Being an intern on an active construction project teaches agility. His days shift between the office and the field, often split 60/40, with the balance changing based on what the project needs. In the office, Grayson tracks quantities, prepares material submittals, document control, and joins coordination meetings with subcontractors, giving him a closer look at the decisions behind the work. In the field, he aids the crews to solve problems as they come up: sourcing last-minute materials, coordinating deliveries, and taking field measurements to verify production quantities. He also supports environmental compliance with routine inspections and documentation for dewatering efforts and storm water pollution prevention.
The project has deepened his understanding of the complexity behind multiple stakeholders and the required coordination. Each owner, agency, and railroad has its own standards, and Grayson has learned how much the right-of-way shapes each decision.
Working near active rail has also shown him how safety guides each step, from planning access to coordinating around railroad requirements. Understanding how railroads operate behind the scenes has become one of the most valuable parts of his internship.
“I’ve learned how many perspectives shape a single decision and how much of the job is knowing what belongs on the checklist in the first place.”
If “intern” wasn’t his title, he says he would call himself an assistant coach: someone pulled into every part of the project to help and keep the work moving. He is trusted with real work, surrounded by people willing to teach, and given room to grow. For Grayson, that is what makes the internship worth it.
