 Employee
Spotlight
"Making a project happen in the field is what makes my job exciting,"
says Robert Ferrouge. When he talked to an HBG recruiter at UC Berkeley
where he graduated with a B.S. in Civil and Environmental Engineering
in December 2000, Robert was very impressed with the possibilities inherent
in field work. He remembers thinking "Oh, wow! This is what I want
to do." During college, Robert had worked summers for a water resources
design firm. Much of his job entailed inspecting the contractor's work,
and he missed a sense of participation in building the job.
When he went to work for HBG Constructors in January 2001, he quickly
found that participation was the name of the game. "I've been
learning fast since day one," says Robert, who was first assigned
as a field engineer on the I-80 project in San Francisco. "I got
my hands dirty and learned all about the equipment first thing,"
Robert recalls enthusiastically. He is also very positive about how
his first supervisor mentored him. "I learned how to prioritize
and be fluid in the field," recalls Robert. "There can always
be adjustments to the schedule."
Through the help of other mentors, this capable young man has also learned
how to handle quantity takeoffs, document control, scheduling, and other
basic engineering tasks. When he went to San Francisco, the project
was almost half completed. Now he's working in Sacramento on the
new 7th Street Extension Project and is learning a whole new set of
start-up skills like permitting, making submittals, creating plans,
and hiring subcontractors. The energetic young engineer is thriving
on his many new responsibilities.
Reports Robert, " I love the ability to be allowed to take on
whatever I can handle. This company makes me feel like there is no limit
to what I can do when I show I have the ability to do it." When
he first joined HBG, Robert assumed that this "Go-for-it!"attitude
was strictly related to the personality of his first supervisor. Not
so. As he has met new people and moved on to another project, he sees
that the attitude is company wide. "It's great to be working with
so many high-powered people," comments Robert, who sees great potential
at HBG for diverse career opportunities. He feels drawn toward project
management, but is not in a hurry. "I want to become seasoned with
field experience first," he explains. "I want to fully experience
the many steps in the life of an engineer." It's that participation
thing again and he's getting plenty of it!
Robert's enthusiasm and skills have brought him many new experiences
in a short time, making him a perfect fit for the kind of work we do
at HBG Constructors. He's a hard worker who's willing to learn
fast and adapt to change. If this sounds like a career you would enjoy,
take a look at the many job opportunities listed elsewhere on this web
site.
HBG Constructors, Inc. is an Equal Opportunity
Employer.
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