From badge to hard hat, Herb Robinson finds second home at Next 150 Construction

For 32 years, Herb Robinson served on the police force in his hometown of Lafayette, Indiana.  

It was the career he always wanted. He studied criminology at Purdue University and wanted to use his degree to make a difference in his community. During his time with the Lafayette Police Department, he spent 10 years as a negotiator in the Crisis Negotiation Team and later retired as a detective.  

After more than three decades on the force, many of his peers were ready to retire. Others opted for part-time private security roles or jobs connected to law enforcement. 

But Herb was ready for an entirely new challenge. 

“I felt like I still had a few good years left in me,” he said. “I decided it was time to do something different—do something totally out of the box.” 

Now 59 years old, Herb connected with his local labor union in 2019 to explore possible opportunities in construction. He had done some minor home improvement projects over the years, but nothing too complex—just ask his wife, he says. His family was surprised, but his wife and four sons were all supportive, and his three grandchildren were impressed that their ‘Pop’ would be working on construction sites. 

Most importantly, Herb was willing to learn something new. He initially started flagging and directing traffic at construction sites, something that felt familiar from police details over the years.  

“My thought process was to just get into the game, see what it’s like, get a feel for it,” he said. 

Herb did more than get a feel for it. He’s a fast learner and hard worker, and he took advantage of several training and certification courses offered by the union. After getting some experience under his belt, he connected with Gilbane, and it has proven to be a perfect match for both.

“Herb is an all-star. We're grateful to have him,” said Mario Traficanti, a general foreman with Next 150 Construction, who works with Herb on the Indiana University Health New Downtown Indianapolis Hospital project, a sprawling, state-of-the-art new hospital construction project in downtown Indianapolis that is currently the largest health care project in the country.

Next 150 Construction, a wholly owned subsidiary of Gilbane Building Company, offers a skilled workforce, equipment rentals, temporary site facilities and services, and job site safety for Gilbane projects nationwide. With over 54% ethnically and racially diverse employees, Next 150 Construction is committed to creating career opportunities for those without traditional access to construction jobs. 

Herb has equally positive things to say about his employer and his colleagues. 

“I learned at a very young age that if you want to do good things, you’d better surround yourself with good people and that’s been a mainstay for me pretty much my entire adult life. I've always been fortunate to be around good people, including here,” he said. “Gilbane Cares. They care about their clients and their employees.” 

Now a labor foreman, Herb’s second career has already covered a lot of ground, including working on a project at his alma mater, Purdue University. He manages laborers, coordinates material deliveries, ensures the job site is clean and safe, directs traffic, and runs equipment as needed—every day may be a little bit different. He says the most important task and skill, though, is staying organized. Job sites are chaotic by nature, but if you have a strong system in place, you can manage the chaos and create a more efficient working environment for the entire team. 

Herb’s keen organizational skills also help him on project logistics, arguably his favorite part of the job. 

“I do find the project logistics interesting because it changes as the building grows. It's a challenge and I think it’s a fun aspect of the job,” he said.  

That willingness to tackle new challenges and solve problems sets an example that Traficanti says impacts the entire crew, especially the many young people who are early in their careers or, in some cases, working on their very first project. Herb enjoys that mentorship aspect of the job, too, and says he gets a lot of joy out of the team in return.  

“I truly believe that people will follow other peoples’ lead. If you have positive energy, maybe if they’re having a bad day or experiencing something in their life, it can assist them in having a good day,” he said. “But I also feed off them. Youth means energy and it’s good to be around the young peoples’ energy.” 

His advice for these younger colleagues—and for anyone considering a career in construction—is to approach the industry with the same kind of curiosity he did when launching his own second act five years ago. 

“The jobs are out there, as long as a person has a desire to learn. Be willing to learn and be willing to work hard,” he said. “If you’re going to come into this industry, come in with an open mind because everything doesn’t have to be slinging a hammer or doing concrete work. There are so many avenues that a person can pursue.”