2026 Ones to Watch - Rising Stars: Matt Kramich, CM&B

“Matt exemplifies calm, people-focused leadership and consistent results. His ability to navigate complex projects with composure, technical expertise, and trust-building collaboration sets him apart. Known for his steady confidence and problem-solving mindset, Matt earns the respect of clients, partners, and teams while mentoring others and living CM&B’s People.Building. philosophy every day.”

What accomplishment or project so far in your career are you most proud of? The accomplishment I am most proud of so far in my career is completing The Shops at Stone Bridge development in Cheshire, CT. The scale and complexity of the sitework made it both exciting and challenging, particularly managing daily logistics. The project pushed me to grow as a project manager, and seeing the planned vision come to life was rewarding. Carrying the Shake Shack and Whole Foods fit-outs through completion made it even more meaningful.

Who has been a mentor or influential figure in your career, and what is the most valuable advice they have shared with you? I’ve had several great mentors at CM&B, but one piece of advice that stuck came from Jeff Anderson. As we wrapped up a busy morning check-in, he said something like, “Just cross something off the list.” In construction, there are endless tasks each day, some take hours, others just minutes. Making steady progress by completing even small tasks is essential. If a meeting starts in five minutes, tackle a three-minute task. It’s simple, but critical to success.

What inspired you to pursue a career in your industry, and what path brought you to your current role? As a second-semester senior in college, I was coming off my second internship in the sustainability industry and starting to feel pressure about what I wanted to do after college. While I was passionate about sustainability, I felt the day-to-day work was missing something. So, I called two older friends of mine who were working at large construction companies in Boston at the time. I picked their brains on their day-to-day. They used words like “never boring”, “rewarding”, and “team”. I was sold. That sounded great to me.