 In
a recently conducted US election by the membership of the American
Society of Professional Estimators, Paulette R. Rutlen CPE CEP, was
voted in as ASPE President. Her term is for 2008-2009.
Paulette holds the distinction of being the first woman president of
this 52-yearold, male-dominated organization. She first joined ASPE
in 1982, as one of very few female members.
Paulette recalls how she got started in estimating: “Most people,
when told I’m a construction estimator, ask how I got into this
business, because most people still do not think of construction as
a field in which women would want to work. So, here is my story.
I’m from Minnesota, a wonderful place to grow up. I briefly attended
the University of Minnesota after high school. I had a couple of
jobs before I went to work at a hardware store that sold builders’
hardware and finish hardware to contractors. We had two full time
estimators, one of these estimators bid the large commercial
projects, and the other one bid the large government work. I started
out bookkeeping, typing hardware schedules, and helping to package
hardware sets for delivery to projects. This is when I started
taking an interest in the construction business.
Eventually, I decided to go back to school. I attended Dunwoody
Industrial Institute, a private vocational school that came highly
recommended by the people I had met in the industry. This was a two
year program, eight hours a day, five days a week. We studied
engineering, construction materials, design, drafting, surveying,
business classes, and estimating. The emphasis
was on engineering and estimating. When I left Dunwoody, I knew how
to do an estimate.
I went to work for a large general contractor in Minnesota,
Kraus-Anderson Construction. The first project I was given was a
complex 25,000 CY concrete project. It took me a month to do the
concrete take-off, but I did it and it was right. That was the start
of a career that has lasted over 27 years…so far.”
Over the years, Paulette worked in Minneapolis, Washington, D.C.,
and later Los Angeles, for various construction and
construction-related companies. Her work varied from general
estimating, to conceptual and program estimating, to a short stint
in forensic estimating.
In 2000, she went to work for The Austin Company, a design/build A/E
firm in Irvine, CA, and has been there ever since. Paulette is the
resident chief estimator for The Austin Company’s Irvine, CA office,
where she develops, oversees, and presents cost estimates for all
phases of design and design/build projects, conceptual through
construction documents, establishing budgets, performing value
analysis studies, constructability
reviews, change order and claims analysis. Her varied experience in
estimating and project management as a consultant, design build
contractor, claims consultant, construction manager, general
contractor, concrete subcontractor and builder’s hardware material
supplier has given her a broad range of experience and knowledge
from which to draw.
Paulette first joined ASPE (American Society of Professional
Estimators) in 1982, in Minnesota, and received her certification in
1990. She has served on the board of directors for ASPE Los Angeles
and Orange County Chapters and served as second vice president of
the Orange County Chapter. Paulette served on the national
Certification Board for 10 years and served as its chair for five
years. She was ASPE’s national 3rd vice president for 2004-2005 and 2005-2006, 2nd vice president for 2006-2007, 1st vice
president for 2007-20008, and now elected President of ASPE for
2008-2009.
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Ms. Rutlen successfully participated in the beta testing of AACE
International’s Certified Estimating Professional exam this past
spring, giving her yet another credential. She became a member of
AACE International in January of this year. She was a panel member
at the Groundbreaking Women in Construction 2007 conference. She
received ASPE’s 2004 President’s Award, in recognition of her years
of service on the National Certification Board, along with the 2008
President’s Award for her service to the President of the Society,
and the Total Quality Management
Award, while working for Sverdrup Facilities, in recognition of her
efforts on projects for which clients recognized and singled out her
contributions.
She served as an instructor for ASPE’s online estimating classes,
and also taught an introductory estimating class in a classroom
setting. Paulette’s technical paper on Design Phase Estimating was
published in ASPE’s national monthly magazine Estimating Today. She
served as a panel member of the American Arbitration Association for
14 years.
Paulette adds that she would like to see more women get involved in
estimating as a profession. “I don’t think that women realize the
opportunities that are there for them—especially the financial
reward,” she says. There is a shortage of young people going into
estimating as a career path in general. As a result, estimators with
a few years of experience under their belts can command high
salaries, she says. “I think there are opportunities out there for
women and I think girls coming out of school should seriously
consider estimating as a career.”
Paulette loves what she does and loves the fact that there is always
something new and different to learn about. She is currently
involved in conceptual estimating where she is allowed to take
everything she has learned and put it to use envisioning projects
that are not even on paper yet. Most of all, she loves passing on
what she has learned to others.
Being active in any professional organization is beneficial to both
parties. The organization gets valuable work accomplished and the
member learns leadership skills that they may not otherwise have the
opportunity to learn in their jobs. These skills are then easily
transferable to one’s career, which ultimately translates into
promotions and more money.
Women should not be intimidated by working in construction, often
thought to be the last bastion of the men. You don’t have to be able
to swing a hammer, or push a wheelbarrow of concrete, to be a good
estimator, field engineer, or project manager. I have always been
treated with respect and as a professional. Women still have to work
hard to achieve what the men have, but it is doable. The salary gap
is closing between men and women.
We can make a good living and perform interesting work, what more do
we need?
Article by Valerie Venters, CCC
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