Ryan Hutchins, CMT ’96, CMC ’98, represents a classic case of a Wentworth student whose co-op led to a full-time position after graduation. But it’s what he did at Gilbane Building Company that landed Hutchins on “40 Under 40” lists in both the Boston Business Journal and Building Design + Construction magazine. In two words: work hard.
“I always wanted to be the first one in the office and the last one out,” Hutchins says of joining Gilbane. “I wanted to show that what I lacked in experience, I made up for in hard work.”
In 19 years, Hutchins has worked his way up from project manager to senior vice president and regional manager. He is in charge of the company’s operation in New England, overseeing projects, financial results, new sales, and client satisfaction.
Impressive, but his desire to hard work hasn’t always produced those kinds of results. In fact, Hutchins admits that he didn’t truly know how to channel his work ethic into positive means until college.
“I wasn’t the best student in high school, but when I got to Wentworth, learning was fun and it made me want to work harder. I excelled at classes like structures and strengths of materials.”
He followed suit during his co-op at Gilbane.
“I asked tons of questions, I did more than the task required, and I tried to learn at every step,” he recalls. “People recognized that I wasn’t just there to do the job, I really wanted to get something out of it. I learned about the business and the players.”
That same level of commitment has carried over to civic engagement. Hutchins started by volunteering for Wentworth’s Centennial Committee, which led to the Golf Committee and eventually appointment as a Wentworth corporator and now trustee.
“Being on the Wentworth corporation taught me a lot about governance of a nonprofit, and that got me interested in other organizations in Boston. I knew I needed to give back and support others who didn’t have the opportunities I had in life.”
Things have come full circle for Hutchins. “There are hundreds of kids out there who are just like me. They have the talent, and I want to help give them the means.”
-KRISTEN L. WALSH
