Robert Kudenchak, 32
MBA finance ’16
Superintendent, Turner Construction Co.
Over his more than 12-year career at New York-based Turner Construction Co., Robert Kudenchak has risen from intern to superintendent and worked on nearly $1 billion worth of noteworthy projects in Philadelphia and beyond. Currently, he is helping to oversee, along with partner Wexford Science + Technology, the construction of the Drexel Academic Tower at 36th and Filbert streets in West Philadelphia. When finished, the tower will be the largest fixture within a new innovation district to be known as uCity Square. The College of Nursing and Health Professions and parts of the College of Medicine will occupy the new building, alongside a recently built public middle school. The tower is only the latest in a number of high-profile projects Kudenchak has completed over the past decade. He also helped oversee the University Medical Center of Princeton, a seven-story, 636,000-square-foot replacement hospital in Plainsboro, New Jersey; the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia’s Buerger Center for Advanced Pediatric Care, a 12-story, 700,000-square-foot ambulatory care center with an adjacent underground parking garage and expanded central utility plant; and the renovation and expansion of Cedarbrook Middle School in Wyncote, Pennsylvania. In 2018, Engineering News-Record named Kudenchak to its list of 20 Top Young Professionals for the Mid-Atlantic Region in recognition of his impact on the industry. Outside of work, he has mentored Cheltenham School District students, introducing them to architecture, construction and engineering through an after-school program sponsored by the ACE Mentor Program of Greater Philadelphia.
In his own words…
My Greatest Accomplishment: To date, it was working full time while getting my MBA at Drexel through the accelerated MBA Program. Accomplishing this took a tremendous amount of time management and sacrifices on my part. I must hand it to my wife (girlfriend at the time), Lindsey, for helping me accomplish this goal.
How Drexel Helped Me: Drexel provided me the ability to think outside the box, push to overcome obstacles on large-scale projects, and generate my community involvement within my personal occupational industry. The Drexel MBA combines real-world case studies, guest lectures from industry leaders, and weekend-long residencies to reinforce business administration knowledge. My time at Drexel was spent using the campus resources such as Lebow Hall Computer Lab, study lounges, and when I needed to blow off some steam I would run over to the Drexel Recreation Center to get a good workout in.
What Success Looks Like to Me: Professionally, in my line of work (general contractor/construction management), one of my main goals and priorities is helping to lead a collective group of trade subcontractors. So for me professionally, success looks like helping others overcome their own obstacles and accomplishing their goals. Personally, success is understanding that you control your own destiny and when you take responsibility for your actions you will naturally become more successful.
How the Past Year Has Influenced Me: First I would like to recognize the mental, physical, and emotional hardships this year has put on everyone and hopefully we will all come out of this stronger than ever. This past year I welcomed a beautiful baby girl named Kylie and it was a hard change not to share that joy with all of my family and friends.
My Top Post-Pandemic Plan: On a personal note, just before the pandemic my wife and I moved into a new area, so my top post pandemic plan is to visit some local wineries and breweries. My work-related post-pandemic plan is to substantially complete the new Drexel Academic Tower.