Jason Michaud

Relentless Ally

Savannah’s Superintendent

Senior Superintendent Jason Michaud never expected to end up in construction. If anything, his pivot from retail management to project management seems, at least on the surface, a complete about-face.

Jason’s decade of retail management experience was actually preparing him all along, instilling in him an innate sense of people-centered service and relationships as a foundation for project success. In Balfour Beatty, he found a leadership and behavioral framework that already valued the same qualities and empowered leaders like him to grow, develop and serve clients with unwavering dedication

In his 11-year construction career since, Jason has become one of Balfour Beatty’s top builders in the Savannah, Georgia metropolitan area, cementing his status as a Relentless Ally for our clients and partners. Across diverse market sectors, from elementary schools to municipal facilities to landmark hotels, clients have come to know Jason and Balfour Beatty as culture-setters – where everyone is empowered to pursue excellence, serve clients well and create the safest possible jobsites.

Starting in Safety

Jason first encountered Balfour Beatty’s operations while he worked as a temporary laborer on the sprawling Buckhead Atlanta family of projects, a mixed-use development district where our teams have maintained a near-constant presence as a construction partner since its 2005 inception.

Jason initially reported to Ryan Little, now safety, health and environment (Southeast) director and Brian Whetstone, now a senior superintendent on the LAX Automated People Mover project. Ryan, Brian and other leaders took note of Jason’s enthusiasm for construction (a fact that surprised him as much as anyone) and soon brought him onto the team as a safety-focused understudy. Just a foot into the construction door, to be sure, but one that proved formative.

“I spent those four years working in safety asking constant questions, growing in my understanding of construction management, safety principles and the day-to-day responsibilities of project superintendents,” Jason recalls. “Eventually, I was acting enough like a superintendent that I set on the path to becoming one.”

In the years since, rising from assistant to now senior superintendent, Jason’s SHE foundations have given him a keen understanding of the Zero Harm principles that underpin Balfour Beatty’s Georgia operations. In fact, Jason sees a strict adherence to our Zero Harm ethic as a cornerstone of our service to clients, a core value never more evident than when building a K-12 campus like his current project, the Pulaski K-8 School Conversion for Savannah-Chatham County Public School System (SCCPSS).

“Especially with students on an active campus, our team must create a service-minded, Zero Harm jobsite culture among all trade partners, laborers and visitors,” Jason says. “We base that on our relationships with administration and staff. They know our safety plan because they’re an integral part of it. They know us by name and know exactly where our fences are. As servants and partners, we could do no less.”

Leading in Excellence

 Jason is quick to add that relationships don’t just matter in the dynamic between contractor and client, but also between contractor and trade partner, superintendent and day laborer. By creating a healthy jobsite culture, where open communication is encouraged and mental health and wellness are prioritized, Jason and Balfour Beatty superintendents like him empower everyone to seek excellence, ask for help when it’s needed and ultimately continue our reputation as a top builder in Savannah.

Ultimately, relationships are not one-time events. Just as our client relationships require cultivation and maintenance over time, so do the most fruitful trade partner relationships. And with project leaders like Jason at the helm and Balfour Beatty’s people-first values on- and off-site, those trade partners seem to come back again and again.

“Especially in a market with specific safety needs like K-12 education, it’s important that we build trust and camaraderie with trade partners who really understand those needs and can meet our standards of excellent service,” Jason says. “We build those relationships to last, and as much as one half of our partners on the Pulaski K-8 project will be joining us on two future SCCPSS projects.”

Still, in a fast-paced market with a diverse range of project types, Balfour Beatty is always looking to expand our network of trusted trade partners and build lasting relationships. But that can sometimes lead to trade partners taking on new or more advanced scopes of work. For Jason, centering people, relationships and servant leadership is key to helping everyone succeed.

“Everybody on a jobsite wants to succeed, and as a leader I want to do everything I can to empower success as a standard of service to our clients,” Jason says. “If I’ve built a strong relational foundation with a trade partner, it’s easy to see when they’re struggling, address the issue head-on and find out how we can work together to improve together.”

Culture Creators

Culture. Servant leadership. Relationships. While these are certainly the foundations for client service and project success, Balfour Beatty teams and leaders like Jason also know how to leverage these principles into community fun.

On the Pulaski project, Jason and the team took time out of their busy schedules to have the 2024-2025 class of fifth graders sign a steel beam destined for the entry vestibule – a mark that will hopefully last in the students’ memories for as many years as the campus serves students.

Jason’s marks on his projects, clients and partners are just as lasting: projects built right and with pride and excellence, clients that know their values are understood and shared and partners that know we care about their development and success.