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Sharon Novak, CEO of S&B USA - One of 20 People to Know in Construction and Architecture
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20 People to Know in Construction and Architecture: Sharon Novak, CEO, S&B USA
By Ethan Lott – Research Director, Pittsburgh Business Times
Dec 1, 2022
Sharon Novak heads S&B USA, the Pittsburgh-based U.S. operations of Israeli- headquartered Shikun & Binui. S&B includes subsidiary Joseph B. Fay Co., which S&B purchased in 2019. The company was recently awarded two contracts totaling $425 million, landing a $270 million contract from the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission for the Beaver River Bridge project and a $154 million contract to build the roads and bridges for the Terminal Modernization Program at Pittsburgh International Airport. In his role, Novak is responsible for overseeing all construction and development activity.
On a scale of 1-5, how optimistic are you (5 being highest) about the construction market in Pittsburgh?
4. There is great need in the market for maintenance and repair as well as new infrastructure. With more federal and state funding, alongside a strong push by the city government and agencies such as PennDOT and the Turnpike Commission, I expect to see significant growth in the coming years.
What is the most interesting aspect of working on a huge project like the new airport terminal?
It’s most interesting to develop and build large, complex infrastructure projects, which involve great challenges around the delivery of the project and finding solutions that benefit the client and our company. In addition, it is rewarding to have the opportunity to create something that has immediate impact on the community.
The region has known Joseph B. Fay over the years. How did the integration go, and what led to the decision to bring S&B USA’s headquarters to Pittsburgh with the Fay acquisition?
After eight years in the U.S. market, focusing on P3 project development and construction management, S&B USA, as part of its expansion strategy, was looking to acquire an experienced construction company with self- performance capabilities and that follows similar values to S&B USA. Fay was identified and chosen to be added to the S&B USA family based on its culture and values, safety record and its experience of 75 years in the market. Following the acquisition, we decided to reorganize our U.S. activity and establish Pittsburgh as the headquarters for all our U.S. operations.
What do you consider your biggest accomplishment in the field?
We put a lot of emphasis on safety at our sites. Fay has (recently) had three periods (of) over two million man- hours without a lost time injury. Operationally, over the last three years, we have shifted our focus from more local, smaller construction projects to pursuing larger, more complex work. This allows us to utilize our expertise and capabilities in developing and delivering such projects. Now, most of our backlog will be on larger, multi-year projects and will create significant change to the region.
Pittsburgh Business Times