administrative assistant

senior superintendent

project manager

shift leader

superintendent

Lithko Contracting

Terrible Management

Project Engineer | Denver, CO

If you are a salaried employee, be prepared for long hours. In my experience, 55-70 hour work weeks were common.

The biggest issue during my time with the company was a disconnect between management and field operations. I frequently saw decisions made by leadership that did not align with actual jobsite conditions.

On one occasion, an entire crew was sent to a project despite extremely cold temperatures and snow-covered conditions. After arriving on site, very little productive work could be completed, and the project was eventually called off later that morning. The situation resulted in unnecessary travel and lost time.

I also worked on projects where muddy and slippery conditions created challenges for crews who were expected to continue working around forms and ladders. In my opinion, some decisions prioritized schedule advancement over practical field conditions.

The company places a strong emphasis on safety in its messaging, but there were times when the decisions I observed did not seem consistent with that message.

Another concern was employee support. Night pours are a normal part of concrete construction, but I worked multiple 8-10 hour pours without breaks and with little to no food or water provided. Compared to other contractors I have worked for, there appeared to be less effort made to support field personnel during demanding work conditions.

I also felt there was a significant gap between some members of management and the employees performing the work. Too many decisions appeared to be made without a full understanding of what was happening in the field.

That said, there were some excellent leaders within the company. The best supervisors I worked with were individuals who had extensive hands-on trade experience and understood the realities of field operations. Unfortunately, I found those leaders to be the exception rather than the norm.







It was challenging to work with Lithko due to the initial field lead's lack of motivation and direction. Lithko promised consistent hours throughout the winter months for those who were willing to travel, however, the work was inconsistent and left many weeks without hours. The promise of advancement opportunities was also stressed during the hiring process, unfortunately, the management team was not willing to allow new individuals to show initiative toward leadership. 
There is only one, un-paid, 30 minute lunch break, and a lunch/break area with a microwave may or may not be provided. During inclement weather, minimal provisions are provided from management and employees are expected to provide extreme weather PPE with no exceptions to miss work days. You are allowed to schedule days off, but, if more than a couple days are scheduled off, the management team will stress you will be replaced if you schedule more.
The experience traveling on the road was chaotic and unorganized, resulting in less compensation than those who did not travel. The Lead sent on both trips was unprofessional and jeopardized the company image. Also, the per diem offered was inconsistent throughout the company, as some received drastically more compensation, while others had to resort to bunk four people to a two person motel room. There is abuse of the company's out-of-town compensation by the management team, and the hourly workers convinced to travel out of town may be taken advantage of.
I do not recommend working with this company in the Omaha area.

This is a very good paying job for the skills they require you to have when you factor in overtime.  Make sure you take an hourly position and not salary because most if not all of the overtime is required.  The guys there are great.  I always had fun while I was at work and liked everyone around me.  You will always work 40hrs a week but an average week you can expect to work 55-60hrs.  Days are usually 7am-5pm in winter. 6am-5pm during the summer.  

Schedule is a little hectic.  You never know when they will call you in to work a 12am-2pm shift or 3am-5pm shift for a night pour  They usually let you know after lunch the day before.  Its hard to have a life outside of work because the schedule is whenever they want you to work. You could be working 7am-5pm and then have to be back by 11-12pm that night for another shift.  It all depends on the project lead you are with
  
Compensation is great if you want the hours and the money and have no family to go home to at night.  You can expect your life to revolve around work which is not a bad thing if you desire that.

Leadership in the Raleigh office does a great job of creating a family oriented culture.  Almost everyone there is in it to "win" it.  Meaning they work hard and care about what they do.  They also realize that people have families and personal lives that sometimes may conflict with work.  If there is something unexpected that pops up in someone's life, management steps in to help out where they can.  I believe they are invested in peoples careers and make a great effort in placing co-workers in the right opportunities and situations to succeed.  You also get out what you put in.  If you work hard and pay attention to the details, you will be rewarded.  Effort does not go overlooked.

What is the best part of working at the company?
Growth and development of new hires and clear path to progress in your career. 

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
Dealing with the disconnect between the office and field. 

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
Lithko likes to build camaraderie between its employees and has a lot of get togethers and trips so you can meet people from other locations. 

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
Either in the office or on site, begin with planning the day and taking care of anything left over from the previous day. The field mobilized and begins work. Typically there is daily communication with the GC in order to get ahead of problems that may arise.

Co-workers are all a part of the team and you won't ever be limited to your job title. You'll gain skills on the job and they'll give lots of hours to you. It's a lot of hard work but it pays off. You'll get checks weekly delivered by hand or direct deposit. General background using power tools, hand tools, and light machinery isn't required but will help and the more past experience you have the more likely you'll get a raise or promotion. They also offer on the job certifications for a lot of different things you could work with in the construction industry and helps build your construction portfolio. Overtime pays a time and a half and holidays are double and a lot of weeks you'll get over 42 hours.

Lithko will draw you in with its talks about "great job opportunity" and how they have a "culture of inclusion" and tons of talk about how they will value your work. However, their culture is restricted to a few in management who have "Big Mike" ear. They will open up doors for "opportunities" if it serves them in saving in production cost and MHs, however, when the time is up they will throw every mistake they have on you in your face. Unfortunately, they are the only concrete company worth anything in the region so you're kind of out of luck and have to suck it up if it's the field you've chosen. Best advice "beware of the big carpenter".

What is the best part of working at the company?
The diversity leadership craftsmanship and the ability to use your experience and knowledge to make the job successful.

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
Stressful in are profession it always mayhem and somehow we always are successful by putting on knowledge and experience to work by saying that stressful no there was none.

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
Multiculture work environment as long as you respect another individual they would respect you.

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
A typical day starts in the morning with exercising or toolbox talk that consists of assignment safety awareness.

What is the best part of working at the company?
Big company and industry leading! They do a lot of prevailing wage jobs. 

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
If you're a family man. Traveling. However you can work locally most times. You can make more money traveling though. 

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
The work environment is safety oriented. Laid back but serious. Very helpful when in need. 

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
Show up, have a small safety meeting with the crew. Everyone's assigned a task usually with another employee or 2 and a supervisor. Hard days work and of to home.

I would have to be up and ready to work with a few hours notice. My days were never the same. It would be FedEx one day and Riverside the next. We could be doing 15 panels one day and the next would be 1000 square feet of concrete. I have learned from Lithko that employees should be treated better with more respect and fair treatment. I enjoyed those days where I needed to be outside to breathe the fresh air. I hated the fact that we would have to be up at 11 p.m. to work a 15 hour day and only have four hours between each shift.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Administrative assistant 5 salaries reported	$25.50 per hour
Senior superintendent 11 salaries reported	$125,455 per year
Project manager 4 salaries reported	$118,750 per year
Shift leader 5 salaries reported	$93,500 per year
Superintendent 4 salaries reported	$137,500 per year

Working at Lithko Contracting: Company Overview and Reviews

Lithko Contracting

Lithko Contracting Ratings

Popular jobs at Lithko Contracting

Salary Satisfaction

Job Seeker Tools

Employer Tools

Browse

Stay Connected