Fourth generation highway construction worker

Women in Construction Week takes place the first week in March every year. To celebrate this week, we are highlighting some of the women who are participating in MnDOT’s on-the-job training program. Today we spotlight Marley Sherbon, an apprentice equipment operator.

Marley Sherbon is a third-year apprentice with Local 49, International Union of Operating Engineers. She got started as a senior in high school when she participated in Local 49’s Pathways program in partnership with Minnesota Virtual Academy.

“I didn’t want to go to college,” Sherbon said. “I didn’t want to be at a desk. I wanted to be outside with people. I was curious what else was out there as options. I heard stories about my grandparents and from my stepdad. My great grandpa did dirt work with Ames, and my grandpas worked dozer, blade, anything with dirt. My stepdad is a directional driller with 49.”

“I was searching the web during the summer before my senior year, and I found information about Local 49’s Pathways program. I realized that I could complete the coursework during study halls. And that’s what I did,” Sherbon said.

The Pathways program also included field trips that offered the chance to try running skid steers through Local 49's sandbox and operating an excavator simulator at the Hinckley Training Center.

Sherbon’s connections with Pathways led to her second job as a roller operator, preparing road for asphalt. It involved learning slopes for road shoulders, culverts and using GPS Trimble systems. She learned everything from setting up project sites through completion of four full stretches of highway. When this project concluded, Sherbon joined Lunda Construction as a MnDOT on-the-job trainee.

“I’m fourth generation, some could say, but I grew into it not up with it,” Sherbon said. “On a typical day, I jump in wherever I’m needed, forklift, dozer, skid steer. Also, as a crane oiler. Excavator sometimes, spreading rock, sometimes laborer clean up.”

“I like everything, but I love crane best,” Sherbon said. “A lot of people say they love crane work because it’s top dollar, but for me it’s the capacities and capabilities. Cranes are relied on for so much and are used daily for lifting forms up, concrete, bucket, setting rebar. Also, I love how much control you have in a crane. I see myself in that. My goal is to get my certs.”

There are several certifications for crane operations, assessed by the National Commission for the Certification of Crane Operators. Local 49 members can use their training center to prepare for the written and practical exams, in addition to training on the job.

Lisa Ziebell is a certified crane operator with Lunda, who has taken Sherbon under her wing. “Lisa and I are from the same town, Caledonia; she knows my mom,” Sherbon said. “She’s taken me in as a daughter and teaches me a lot. Lisa gives me opportunities to get in the seat to try things I haven’t done before.”

Ziebell said, “Marley has a good head on her shoulders. She catches on quickly and isn’t afraid to ask questions. It’s hard starting out – there’s a ton of new stuff, weird terms that no one from the outside would know.”

“I’ve soaked in as much as possible,” Sherbon said. “And I have saved all my notes and handbooks from Pathways, cheat sheets from the training program. I study those, and the internet and YouTube. I’m always working to improve myself.”

Ziebell has been running crane for 10 years and has been working in the field 13 years overall. When she started in highway construction, there might have been one or two women on a site. Now there could be five or so.

“Women in this industry are 100% supported,” Sherbon said. “Everyone has your back all the time, whether being there as a spotter or if you need help. They go above and beyond to make sure you are comfortable and safe. We rely on each other 12 hours a day. The operators are great listeners and amazing communicators.”

Sherbon said, “At the end of the day, it’s always trust. I’ve grown in ways I didn’t expect.”