When Michael Raby was choosing his college major at the University of Tennessee, he knew one thing for sure—he wanted to be a builder. However, the school lacked a formal program in construction sciences, and the closest route was engineering. He asked his counselor for advice and learned that electrical engineering was the most rigorous.
Always inspired by a challenge, Michael took that route, ultimately becoming a licensed Professional Engineer (PE). Today, as President and licensed General Contractor (GC) at Raby Construction, Michael can lead his company with an incredibly unique perspective.
“One of the fundamental construction components is architectural or engineering design plans,” Michael explains. “That’s what we start every job with—it’s the foundation for our scope of work, permitting, and the final product.” Michael’s engineering background and training enable him to understand the plans well beyond the scale of an average general contractor.
The result? Implementation is faster and more accurate.
The journey to this dual expertise wasn’t quick or easy. After earning his electrical engineering degree, Michael worked for eight years at an architectural and engineering firm before diving deeper into construction.
Becoming a licensed GC also required additional examinations and direct engineering experience. Michael had to present construction experience to the Labor Licensing and Registration board, pass a business test, and complete technical exams covering multiple subjects, from OSHA field safety to Regulatory and Building Codes to various types of construction means and methods.
Today, Michael maintains both licenses through continuing education—20 hours every two years for his PE license and eight hours for his GC license. While he now contracts out engineering services (Raby Construction doesn’t handle design services), his engineering background proves invaluable in project execution.
“Having experience on both sides gives you a greater insight into how things are done,” Michael notes. He particularly emphasizes the importance of structural integrity, personally walking every project during critical phases. “I like to walk the structure in the foundation and framing stages. If you get the structure erected properly, the rest is easily managed.”
This hands-on approach extends to roughly 20 projects annually, all in different phases. And while his team has grown to handle the day-to-day work, Michael still dresses in his boots every day, ready to head out to a job site at a moment’s notice.
Michael doesn’t lose sight of the rarity of this dual qualification. The real value lies in understanding the entire construction process from both the engineering and building perspectives. This comprehensive knowledge allows him to ensure that fieldwork maintains the integrity of the original plans, ultimately delivering smoother a construcion phase and delivering better results for his clients.
This unique combination of technical expertise and practical building experience has become a key factor in Raby Construction’s success, proving that sometimes the hardest path can lead to the best results.