Photo by Bruce Buckley for ENR Back To: ENR 2026 Top 20 Under 40 Sharon Alford 38, Project Field Engineering Manager Bechtel New Albany, Ohio Sharod Alford has built his career by solving civil construction challenges and transforming obstacles into innovations that move the industry forward. A first-generation college graduate and Gates Scholar from Griffin, Ga., Alford began his Bechtel career overseeing the installation of 2.2 million solar panels in the Mojave Desert. He went on to deliver 11 Google Fiber projects and led upgrades to more than 100 cell towers. At Plant Vogtle, the first new U.S. nuclear reactor in more than 30 years, he served as the civil, structural and architectural field engineer, overseeing a 20-person team through 24-hour concrete placements. Now, as area field engineer for Bechtel’s semiconductor fabrication center in Ohio, Alford is helping pioneer precast concrete methods that reduce schedules by months and save millions.…