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spotlight on natalie saylor
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 How
does a career in project controls and business development mix?
Quite well, it appears. Read on…
A principal at Leland Saylor
Associates, Natalie Saylor is currently the principal-in-charge for
public sector clients, including numerous school districts,
community college districts, and municipal and state agencies. I
recently had the opportunity to catch up with Natalie, and ask her
some questions about her career, her family, and her perspective on
women in project controls.
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| What Career Path Led You to Project Controls? |
My father started Lee Saylor Inc., in 1960, as an
estimator. When he saw that the Means books did not have the mechanical and
electrical detail that he needed, Lee seized the opportunity and began
publishing his own cost books in 1963. From the original manual back in 1963,
Saylor Publications now publishes four construction cost manuals, as well as
database driven computer estimating programs. The manuals are used by numerous
state and local agencies, architects, engineers, and contractors.
It never
occurred to me to pursue a career in construction estimating—it appeared to
me, at that time, to be less people oriented than I believe the industry is
now. There was no construction management major at that time—the industry
hadn't really been invented. My brother, Brad, was the one who had an interest
in construction and development. I was the typical liberal arts major, with a
background in English and Psychology. I worked in organizational psychology,
and eventually sales and marketing for several nationally known firms.
Since
I’d had some success in my sales and marketing career, I was recruited to join
the family firm in the role of business development manager. At that time, the
company garnered a lot of work through our technical reputation, but was
looking to update its marketing approach into a more client-focused business
development model. We were looking to increase our focus on long term
relationships, and ironically, marketing costs drop with such an approach, as
the model increases repeat and referral business.
While my initial expertise
was on the business side, it soon became apparent to me that marketing and
operations are inextricably related, as it is virtually impossible to market
successfully if you cannot deliver what you promise. At this point, I really
became interested in developing my estimating skills, and having Lee and Brad
as mentors really jump-started the learning curve. To be able to work hand in
hand with two of the best estimators in the business was an extremely
accelerated “boot camp.” Because they have such a broad knowledge of the
industry, they are able to communicate very complex issues in a very short
time frame. I think if you ask anyone at our firm, they would say that Lee is
one of the best teachers they have ever had. He instills a thirst for
knowledge in all our staff. As my skills developed, I eventually took on more
responsibility for operations and eventually became principal in 1997.
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| 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.
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| What is it Like to Work With Family? |
Family firms either work well or they don’t. We are lucky
that this one works very well. Lee is especially fortunate to have family
members who want to work with him, which is enabling him to build management
capability and ensure continuation of the family business. It is fantastic to
work together. Each of us has different strengths—I am stronger on the
business development side, Lee has the unmatched technical expertise, and Brad
has some of both—we complement each other and are, as a result, able to create
a well-rounded and whole enterprise.
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| Can You Give Us Your Perspective on Professional
Societies? |
My primary motivation in joining professional societies
was to network with our peers. It can be lonely being a cost estimator, and
the profession sometimes seems to lend itself to a solo mentality. Over time,
as I interacted with other companies, I was able to stop looking at them as
competition and start treating them as colleagues. Through AACE International,
I have had the opportunity to attend a number of events and expand my
education —I have learned a lot about large projects, whereas my early
personal experience was primarily with single-building projects. This was
instrumental to us, as our practice has grown to include large-scale
construction programs.
Developing strategic partnerships and networking makes
the industry stronger as a whole. Research regarding cost trends can’t be
conducted in a vacuum, it requires input from many different sources including
the owners. We can help each other to do a better job, and improve accuracy
for our clients, by sharing knowledge and best practices.
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| Where is the Industry Headed? |
To a certain extent, there are concerns because advances
in computer modeling mean that construction documents level takeoffs will be
computerized within five years. Experienced estimators will always be needed,
but the industry needs to be prepared for automation.
I believe that proactive
value engineering is becoming a necessity, and that estimators need to be cost
advocates. In today’s environment, it is all about collaboration, working with
the owners and the construction managers, bidding the project at the right
time. We need to work together as a team, instead of just providing a service.
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| How Do You Perceive That the Working Environment Has
Changed Over Time for Women in the Industry? |
More people want to have a balance between family and
career, and it is hard for both women and men to find a flexible work
environment. I have been fortunate to have that flexibility. As the working
mom becomes a reality, the industry will need to recognize that, validate it,
and take steps to keep the employee. Companies who are able to deliver that
balance will discover that women who have dropped out of the workforce will be
happy to come back in. With today’s shortage of qualified construction
professionals, we need these women!
Women in the industry were nonexistent
when I was growing up, and that has changed drastically. It seems like many of
the architects are women, whereas construction management firms are still
male-dominated. Recently, we have seen more female construction management
graduates, which may be an indication that in 15 to 20 years there will be
more balance. We intend to continue recruiting at the college level, with the
goal of convincing more women to start in the industry. This is a fantastic
career for women.
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| What Does the Future Hold for You? |
Keeping up with business growth is a focal point for us
right now. Any project controls person who is competent is highly in demand
these days. However, we need to encourage more people to go into the industry.
It is challenging to recruit because recent graduates are sometimes unfamiliar
with what someone in project controls really does. We are discovering that we
need to recruit at the college level and make this career path more appealing
by developing personal contacts and showing students what we do. We are
developing an internship program, to get college graduates more interested in
the project controls arena. With the current scarcity of qualified personnel,
firms will need to recruit at all times even if they don’t have space for
them. We develop continuous relationships with potential employees—ads aren’t
enough in this business climate.
On a personal note, I have recently started
running and I am really enjoying it. My husband, a screenwriter, has been
helping me to train for my first 10K run. My ultimate goal is to run a
marathon. We have two small children, and our favorite activity is to spend
time with them…only time will tell if they will enjoy running as much as we
do.
Article by Alexia Nalewaik, CCE
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