| | | | Spotlight on Karen J. Mask In March 2003, KJM became the first woman-owned business in over a decade to be awarded a nationwide project management oversight contract for the US Federal Transit Administration as a prime contractor. In September 2006, Karen J. Mask celebrated 20 years in business as president and CEO of KJM & Associates. Her company has grown from a successful DBE (disadvantaged business enterprise) to provide the full spectrum of program and construction management services, along the way earning the US Department of Transportation’s award for Outstanding Woman-Owned Business of the Year (1997).  I recently had the opportunity to catch up with Karen, and ask her some questions about the challenges of starting her own business and the future of project controls.   What Career Path Led You to Project Controls? I started my career as an economist for the State of Washington, Department of Natural Resources. The goal was to maximize revenue from Washington State lands for the purpose of education. I was part of a team that determined how much timber to put on the market at any point in time, and determined the price of agriculture for leasing. In this effort, I used software by GEISCO, a subsidiary of General Electric. Soon, I had an opportunity to work for General Electric and got involved on the computer side and software sales. From a business development position, I moved into planning, and then worked in acquisitions, investing in companies and acquiring software programs. One of the firms that we invested in was Xebek, a company that was developing project management and scheduling software. I joined the marketing department at Xebek, and then became the vice president and general manager. We developed scheduling software, known as the Project Visibility System, and also provided project management services. I had an understanding of project management, and recognized the need for project controls and software in the market. During that time, I was also teaching classes at community colleges and the university in project management and scheduling. I have been involved in project controls ever since. How Has Project Controls Evolved During Your Career? I was lucky to be trained by a master. You can become a good estimator, by studying alone and gaining the technical aspects. However, estimating is an art, and you do need a mentor in order to become a great estimator and gain the skill-set. There are so many non-quantifiable aspects, risk factors, dynamic variables—Lee taught me to look at it from a holistic perspective, starting from a broad picture first, then getting down to the details. While technical expertise is a vital necessity, at our firm we find that it is only part of the puzzle. To be truly successful and be the best cost advocates for our clients, we must build a culture of collaboration both within our firm and with our clients. In today’s market, for us to live up to our goals of outstanding accuracy, we have to get to know each owner and each project individually, understand the risk factors, and offer solutions to offset that risk. So whether we are working for the architect, the project manager, or the owner, accurate cost estimating requires more and more collaboration in today’s construction environment. In this vein, project controls will continue to evolve. How did you come to the decision to start your own firm? After about 10 years of progressive experience in project management and project controls, I was working for an engineering firm that decided not to upgrade their scheduling software from VAX/VMS to a personal computer (PC) platform. This was at a time when Primavera software was just taking off. It seemed that the time was right for me to go out on my own. I purchased the equipment and software and went into business. From the beginning, I offered project management services specializing in project controls. I worked for anyone that had a project that I could schedule and monitor: architects, owners, engineers, and contractors. Three months later, I started to hire staff. In 1987, KJM was certified as a Women-Owned Business Enterprise (WBE), which enabled us to pursue teaming opportunities on major public works capital projects. Over time, we were able to increase services to provide all project controls aspects (such as cost engineering, scheduling, estimating, and document controls), added project management and construction management, and finally information services. In 1989, we opened a second office, then a third in 1991. We have been expanding personnel and offices ever since—now we have 10 offices. Most of our projects focus on transportation (rail and airports) and education. Twenty years later, as president of KJM, my responsibilities include developing initial project plans and schedules, strategic planning and overall management. I oversee budgeting, operations, marketing, personnel, and forecasting growth expansions. It’s really all about building the business, increasing the number of projects that we work on, and growing the firm profitably. What recent challenges have you overcome? In 2000/2001, we continued to expand as a company, and our growth and revenues were such that we graduated from the US federal M/W/DBE status. In that magic moment, the firms that we teamed with in the past still needed the DBE participation, but we couldn’t be that DBE. We needed to re-position ourselves in the market. At that turning point, it is no longer enough to provide just plain-vanilla project controls—you have to bring something unique to the table. In that situation, you have to use all of your marketing and technical skills. You need to know the owner well, bring some political clout, or develop a system/package that the owners want and can bring value. Tell us about your family. I have two grown children. Both work for KJM. Sandy Mask manages the Southern region, and Duane Mask manages the Northwest region. It’s very enjoyable to have them working together; there’s a strong bond. They each tried other things first, working at other companies, and ended up in the family business. It has been good to have them as part of growing the company, and part of the excitement. I also have two grandchildren, but they’re too young to think about entering the business. How Do You Perceive That the Working Environment Has Changed Over Time for Women in the Industry? Construction is still very male-oriented; however, women are gaining employment and important positions. Women are detail oriented, and that is required in project controls—I think that women have an advantage there. We are definitely working in a men’s world, but we have to remember to be tough and fair at the same time. It has been challenging over the years in this environment, but has been a lot of fun. What do you value about AACE International? A number of our staff members are certified, and I definitely see a difference. It’s easier to place certified people on projects and there is a level of competence and confidence that comes along with it. There are a number of benefits of membership in AACE International—networking, opportunities to find where the next projects are (before they reach the street), and a lot of friendships. Despite all of the evolving technology, business is still based on friendships. Those come out of professional associations. What trends do you see in project management and project controls? Project delivery methods for public projects are continuing to evolve away from the traditional low-bid design/bid/build method. We are seeing more GC/CM, design-build (DB), public private partnerships (P3) in the US after several years of successful implementation in Europe. Another increasingly popular delivery method is design-build-operate-maintain and other hybrid delivery methods. P3 is a contractual agreement between a public agency and a private sector entity, which combines risks and rewards to provide greater efficiency, better access to capital, and improved compliance with government regulations. Project controls as a whole is the most important aspect of a project: managing time, quality, and budget. You can’t make decisions on any project without the relevant data and timely information. I don’t see how a project can be successful without it. Another trend in the industry is automating information management, using online project collaboration tools to enable enterprise, document and record management. In the future, the demand for program management services will increase in the market, as owners of public projects require total representation. I believe that this area will continue to grow and evolve. Article by Alexia Nalewaik, CCE About Us |  Officers |  Brochure |  Surveys |  Home |  aace Home