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Interview with Valentin Aleksandrovich Govorun, Director of the Omskoye stand-alone subdivision
Interview with Valentin Aleksandrovich Govorun, Director of the Omskoye stand-alone subdivision
1. Your colleagues treat you with great respect. We'd love to know how you keep up with everything? What's your secret?

Answer: There is no secret here. I believe that every leader should be attentive to the issues and problems of the construction site or area entrusted to them, as well as to their colleagues who surround them. The key to productive teamwork is planning work activities with clear prioritization and monitoring their implementation.

2. Tell us about the main business of your life, your profession.

Answer: Choosing a profession is one of the most crucial moments in our lives. There are many professions in the world, but somewhere there exists one that is uniquely yours… I believe that those who go to work in the morning with pleasure and return home in the evening with joy are truly happy. That is why it is so important to choose the right profession. Earlier, when thinking about the future, I often imagined myself engaged in meaningful work, such as construction of buildings and various structures.

I find interesting both the process itself, starting with the foundation, laying utilities, brickwork, and so on, and the result of that work. I think it's always amazing to see how, within a few months, a whole engineering structure emerges from an empty lot. And sometimes the workers themselves can hardly believe that they have accomplished all this work with their own hands.

Typically, in construction, each team of workers is responsible for a specific type of activity, while the overall process is supervised by a construction engineer.

A construction engineer is a specialist responsible for planning and organizing construction and repair works. He is involved in designing the construction site and coordinates the work of builders, directing them and distributing the necessary workforce for the construction of various parts of the structure.  The construction engineer's tasks include developing construction projects, overseeing the performance of construction work, selecting building materials, managing the budget, and ensuring compliance with construction standards and safety regulations.

3. What did you dream about as a child? What did you dream of becoming when you were a child? How did you end up at the construction site?

Answer: Like any boy, in my childhood I wanted to become an astronaut. This dream partially came true—I served in the Space Forces under a contract, participating in reconnaissance and deployment of high-readiness radar complexes construction sites across Russia, up to placing them on combat duty in cities such as Armavir, Kaliningrad, Nakhodka, and Usolye-Sibirskoye. Upon completion of my service, I continued to work in civil engineering. In September 2022, I came to work for LLC InterRegionConstruction and stood, so to say, at the origins of the hydrosystem construction. Since April 2023, I have been actually in the construction area in Omsk. In less than a year, I rose from a lead project engineer to the director of a stand-alone division. I know firsthand the challenges of construction and always find ways to solve problems that arise.

4. Tell us please about your experiences here at the site. What did you encounter?

Answer: I have encountered many problems over the past year that cannot be resolved immediately. To date, excavation work has been completed at the site in the form of useful excavations to remove weed and unconsolidated soil and to form the profiles of the inspection roads and guide dams. We have completed excavation works in the form of quality embankments for site construction, backfilling of the main sluice structures, construction of slopes of inspection roads and guide dams. Work is underway to consolidate site slopes, roads, and dams with vegetative soil. In addition to the excavation work, we perform complexes of basic construction and installation operations, such as:

1. Installation and commissioning of a construction dewatering complex consisting of 40 dewatering devices with a discharge network;
2. Works on waterproofing of concrete surfaces;
3. The excavation of the lower head of the sluice was developed to the mark 56.10 at the current water level in the Irtysh River at the hydrosystem site 68.05. We performed crushed stone preparation of the excavation base, concrete preparation, and reinforcement of the left stand, and accepted the concrete of the 1st concreting tier in the volume of 969.5 m3. In total, more than 1,500 m3 of concrete was accepted at the hydrosystem facilities;
4. Concrete work has been completed on the guide pile blocks of the sluice upper approach channel and the retaining wall of the upper head;
5. Work is underway for preparing concreting blocks on the quay line of the sluice lower approach channel and upper approach channel;
6. We are proceeding with the installation of water drainage structures on inspection roads, and have constructed stone embankments and guide dams.

5. Tell us about the beginning of your journey. What difficulties did you have?

Answer: Omsk met us optimistically and cordially. We undertook not to mobilize human resources from other regions, but to utilize the accumulated experience and professionalism of the local residents. We succeeded. Currently, about 300 specialists from the region are engaged in the construction. They include qualified personnel of working specialties, experienced employees from the design institute, as well as administrative and management personnel.

During the site acceptance inspection in July 2022, we encountered the need to restore the functional characteristics of the geodetic layout base at the unfinished construction site starting from August 2022. This involved clearing forests and removing shrubs, as well as pumping out the sluice excavation pit and LBWP, and carrying out design, expertise approval, and installation of a new type of construction dewatering system in the excavation areas of the navigation sluice. The implementation of these activities from August to November 2022 significantly impacted the postponement of the start of the main construction work.

6. Tell us about your colleagues in the field?

Answer: I have a lot of companions. The entire team I work with are all my companions. The Deputy General Director of LLC InterRegionConstruction, Marat Midkhatovich Arslanov, is my senior companion and mentor, who gave me the necessary knowledge and skills needed for constructing such a specific structure as a hydrosystem.

The Chief Engineer of Omskoye stand-alone subdivision, Alexander Anatolievich Sinibok, is a treasure trove of engineering knowledge, a hydraulic engineer, and a person of great character who always provides the right solution in any situation.

The Deputy Director for General Affairs of the Omskoye stand-alone subdivision, Andrey Pavlovich Ladygin, is an excellent organizer, diligent, and responsible. He is the kind of person people describe as "Give him a task, and you can forget about it; it will be completed without question and on time."

I can talk long about each of my companions. Each one is unique in its own way.

7. What's your daily routine?

Answer: My work day begins at 08:00 a.m. with a tour of the construction area. Every Monday, I hold an extensive production meeting with department heads and service leaders, setting tasks and monitoring their fulfillment for the past week. Throughout the workday, I discuss problematic issues with the Chief Engineer and the Deputy Director for General Affairs to seek solutions, analyze the progress of construction and installation works, calculate project economics, coordinate the supply of materials and necessary equipment to ensure the production schedule is met without fail, and manage various types of documentation.

8. Tell us about your hobby. Do you do any sport?

Answer: In my spare time, I like reading. I really enjoy reading about travel and adventure. At such moments I imagine myself in the place of the main characters, experiencing their emotions and anxieties, and overcoming challenges alongside them. I also like to watch science movies and TV programs. For sport, I prefer walking. After a long workday, I enjoy strolling along the banks of the Irtysh River, breathing in the fresh air, and taking a break from the daily work routine.

9. Tell us about your family, who is waiting for you at home?

Answer: My family is waiting for me in Moscow, I have two beautiful children. My wife, Natalia, works in early childhood education. Our son is in the 10th grade of high school, and our daughter is in college studying Law. My family is close-knit and always ready to support me in any matters and endeavors. Of course, like anyone, when I am away from home, I miss my family very much and try to spend every free moment with them.

10. Philosophical questions:

What's the most important thing in life?
Do you consider yourself a happy person?

Answer: The most important thing in life is the ability to fulfill your wants, needs, and achieve your goals. Yes, I am a very happy person! Everyone achieves this on its own. Yes, of course, there are difficult moments, but they must be overcome through self-motivation, maintaining a positive attitude, and striving to be honest with yourself and others. It is important to set goals and strive to achieve them. Having achieved any goals, a person cannot be unhappy.

Thank you for answering the questions!
18.06.24 IRC's Team