What does it take to forge a career in construction? Senior Director of Corporate Communications Autumn Casadonte interviews Foreman Cheryl B., Assistant Project Manager Sarah G. and Purchasing Agent Daisy V. to get their perspectives on the challenges and opportunities associated with a career in the construction industry.
Autumn Casadonte (AC): What drew you to the construction industry. Cheryl, let’s start with you.
Cheryl B. (CB): I come from a construction family, so I’ve been on jobsites since I was a kid. My dad and my brother are both operating engineers, and my uncle is a carpenter. I’m the only electrician.
AC: Did you always know that you’d grow up to be in construction?
CB: I actually went to school to be a physical therapist. [laughs] It felt unnatural when I got into that field, so I moved into construction.
Sarah G. (SG): Nothing in particular drew me to the industry. At 17, I was fresh out of high school and needed a job. And here we are, almost 15-1/2 years later. My very first job was learning how to use a fax machine. I started in Accounts Payable, then I went to Purchasing, then Estimating, then Project Controls. Now I’m on the project management path.
AC: What about you, Daisy?
Daisy V. (DV): When I was in college, a friend reached out to me about being a part-time receptionist for a construction distribution center. I eventually became a purchasing agent, and three years ago I started at CEI in Purchasing.
AC: Sarah, what do you love about construction?
SG: I love that every single day is a new challenge. As an APM (assistant project manager), you’re in the field dealing with safety issues, schedule issues, materials issues…you’re touching everything. It’s taught me how to be a critical thinker—how to peel the layers back and see more than just what’s in front of me. You get to really dive into a problem to see how to solve it.
CB: For me, it’s the people. I love that the people in the field are all normal, real people. And, I love turning stuff on. When you’re building the project and you’re looking at it, and you’re like, “This is never going to work. We’re never going to make it.” And then you do finish and turn it on—it’s a good feeling.
DV: I agree with Cheryl—it’s the people. My team is great. Also, it’s fun driving around town and seeing the buildings being built and knowing I was a part of them. It is very satisfying.
AC: Some people might think that being a woman in this industry could be a disadvantage, but seeing things differently has its benefits. It brings a unique perspective. What do you say to that?
SG: I 100% agree. There have been times when field guys at my jobsite have called me over when they’re writing an email, and they wanted my two-cents to adjust how it’s written. I don’t feel like being a woman is a disadvantage. In fact, my field team appreciates it.
AC: Cheryl, how does this affect your role as a foreman? Do you feel like you’re able to pivot and make being a woman an advantage?
CB: I know that the guys who don’t know me often dismiss me, and I get overlooked. But the guys who do know me respect me, and find me easier to work with, because I’m better at communicating than they are a lot of times. In my experience, guys often compartmentalize information. One part of the crew will have information for what they’re doing, and another part of the crew has information that pertains to what they’re doing. Often, I’m going back and forth between them pulling that information together.
AC: Daisy, is there something in your career that you’re most proud of that you’ve achieved?
DV: Being Latina, my household growing up didn’t encourage a career in construction. It’s not a common thing in Latino households. I feel like I’ve achieved something important by becoming a part of the industry.
AC: What about you, Cheryl? What have you achieved in your career that you’re most proud of?
CB: Mentoring the apprentices. Over the last couple of decades, I’ve watched them come into the industry—and turn into really good electricians. Three of them are running work for CEI right now. I’m really proud of them.
AC: It’s awesome how our field leaders mentor the apprentices.
CB: I had great mentors when I came through. I’m trying to follow in their footsteps by bringing up the next generation. When I retire, they’re the ones who will have to step in and do this.
AC: That’s a big responsibility! What about you, Sarah?
SG: I think my biggest accomplishment is becoming a project manager. There was a long stretch of time during my 15 years here [at CEI] when I wasn’t even interested in becoming a project manager—didn’t even think I could become one without having an educational background in construction. So, coming into the company in an entry-level position and having the opportunity to follow the PM path has been a great accomplishment for me.
AC: What advice would you give to other women thinking about a career in construction? How would you prepare them for the industry?
SG: When people ask me what it’s like, I say, “You have to be OK with being told ‘no’ and comfortable enough to ask ‘Why?’” Being a woman in this industry, that’s going to happen. You also might be told that you’re not capable of doing something. So, you have to be OK with being told “No” and not letting that discourage you. You also have to have the confidence in yourself to ask, “Why?”
DV: I love what Sarah just said, because being a woman, you might feel like you can’t do something. If you are passionate about the industry, you might have what we need. Speak up. Don’t be intimidated.
AC: Has there ever been a situation where you were discounted by somebody because of gender or been told that a role wasn’t for you?
CB: It’s the opposite in the field. I don’t think they hold back with spreading out the work.
SG: I was fortunate to have worked with my solar team as their buyer before I became an APM, so I had established a relationship with them over the course of 10 years before I joined the project side. I will say that in the last year, I’ve been in multiple situations with a vendor, inspector or visitor at the jobsite who blatantly told me they didn’t want to speak to the “admin” and that they’d like to speak with the project manager. I had to tell him, “While I adore and appreciate the hard work that admins do, I am the project manager, and the person you need to speak to right now is me.”
AC: I sense that part of it is bringing people out of old-school thinking and showing them that it’s going to be easier working together. And what about you, Daisy?
DV: I’m proud of how I succeeded when I received [purchasing responsibility for] the Southern California territory. I didn’t know the vendors or the people down there, but my team had the confidence in me and pushed me to challenge myself. Recently, I’ve picked up some projects in Northern California, like SFO (San Francisco International Airport) and the BART project in San Francisco, which will be a great challenge. Everything will have to be certified American-made, which will be a huge challenge that I’ll need to tackle.
AC: But it sounds like there’s a level of confidence they have in you, because they wouldn’t be giving you some of these hard tasks if they didn’t think you could do it. What unique skills have you learned in the industry that have benefited you in general?
SG: How to read the fine print of contracts—all the sections that get hidden in the verbiage. It’s important to know exactly what you’re signing up for. There are often scopes of work hidden in the language that you might not understand the first time reading it. There are some cases where you have to red-line the contract and renegotiate the terms. This is what CEI trains us to do as project managers and project coordinators.
CB: For me it’s compromise. [Laughs] Just because I always think I can get my way doesn’t mean that I will always get my way. There’s always some middle ground that we can find to get stuff done.
DV: Negotiating. I use this every day at CEI. We’re always trying to get the best deal. Also, learning the material. Coming into CEI, I had no idea what EMT (electrical metallic tubing) is or a bushing or a bell box. My first day of work with Gerald [Sul], he told me, “Ask the foreman if he wants one gang or two gang.” I thought to myself, “What the heck does that even mean?” So, I think learning the material, the lingo and negotiating were big.
CB: Daisy, sometimes the people ordering the materials aren’t even sure what they’re ordering!
SG: Sometimes navigating through the drawings can be difficult when ordering material in the field, especially if it’s not something you’ve never installed or ordered.
AC: While working in purchasing, you probably gained a perspective that helps as a project manager and with knowing how things might play out on a jobsite. That insight probably helps with planning ahead.
SG: It’s a huge benefit. We’re able to look at the drawings at the beginning of a job and sit down with our Production team to identify the long-lead items that need to be ordered upfront, versus waiting to order them right before we go to install. Those skills Daisy uses in Purchasing go a long way toward helping the field and managing the materials, especially on the project side.
DV: We love working with the field to accommodate materials or equipment that have longer lead-times. It makes things go a lot smoother.
AC: Cheryl, earlier you talked about how you mentor the apprentices in the field. Do you each have a mentor of your own who’s helped you at some point in your career?
CB: I’ve had quite a few people help me over the course of my career. One of my sayings is, “I’m not that bright, but I know a lot of smart people, and they’re only a phone call away!” That’s the beauty of Cupertino. I can call anybody at any jobsite and ask, “Have you seen this before, and what do I do with it?” We’ll walk through it. They’ll call me sometimes. It’s like a family out here in the field.
AC: What about you, Sarah? Did somebody ask you, “Have you considered becoming a PM?”
SG: Chief Operating Officer Brett Boncher was my deciding factor in becoming a PM. I remember talking with him when I was considering leaving my position at the time to become a project manager. I could have gone either way, and I didn’t feel very confident. Brett told me, “At Cupertino, we don’t want the smartest people. We want fair people who are going to show up every day. You don’t need to be the smartest person. We’ll teach you.” Ever since then, whenever I have a moment when I feel like I can’t do it, I remember what Brett told me: “You don’t have to be the smartest. You just need to be a good person and a good worker.”
AC: That’s great advice. Daisy, do you have anybody who’s mentored you?
DV: I think the whole Purchasing team has mentored me, because everyone has something to offer. Recently, we started doing aggregates (materials for concrete), so I’ll go to Shawn [Clayton] for help with that. At the start of my career here, Jennette Juarez was always available to help me. Or if I have a question about SFO, I’ll go to Gerald, since he was there. Everyone has something to offer, and we help each other as a whole. If I ever feel stuck, there’s always somebody to reach out to.
AC: In what ways has CEI allowed you to grow your career and invest in yourself?
CB: For me, it’s the people. The people here are so helpful.
DV: I have to agree.
SG: CEI has not only given me the tools to invest in my career, but it’s given me the confidence to pursue a career in construction. Working here has made that attainable. I’ve heard stories about women who work for other electrical contractors and their experience wasn’t the same. I think CEI has made it easier for women to work in this construction.
AC: Is there something you are each excited about tackling in your career or in the industry?
DV: Seeing women come in leadership positions. It’s exciting to see women become leaders in the field and become project executives, vice presidents and leaders at the C-level. I’m excited to see that continue.
CB: Two more years, and I’m eligible for retirement! [laughs] Seriously, though, I’m excited about turning this project on! After four years, we’re about to do it! That’s exciting to me.
SG: I’m excited, because right now in my career, I feel like I’m in the right place at the right time and there are great opportunities ahead. Renewables and energy storage projects are booming, and it’s opening up a lot of opportunities for CEI and its employees.
