January 2017 Vol. 72 No. 1
Features
Vanessa Moreno Makes Unlikely Switch From Banking To Construction
Contractor Profile
by Jeff Griffin Senior Editor
Vanessa Moreno parks her car inside a blocked-off construction area adjacent to a Bellaire, TX, street and makes her way past a large, deep pit flanked by construction equipment. She wears her regular go-to-work attire: jeans, hard-toed safety boots, bright green safety vest and hard hat.
It’s a little before 7 a.m. when she sits down at her desk and begins preparing for the day.
Moreno is a project manager for BRH-Garver Construction LP, and for the past several months her job has been on a project that is part of the city of Houston’s ongoing efforts to upgrade its sanitary sewer system.
But construction hasn’t always been Moreno’s job. Not that long ago, her work day started at 9 a.m., and she arrived at work wearing a tailored business suit. She served customers as a personal banker at a large branch bank in a Houston suburb, working her way up to that position after starting out as a teller.
However, in 2013, she was ready for something different.
“I reached the point that I decided retail customer service was not for me, and I began looking to see what was available in the job market,” said Moreno. “I leaned about BRH-Garver from friends.”
The Houston-based company specializes in heavy underground utility construction, microtunneling, tunneling/pipe jacking, and specialty concrete construction. Although she had no construction experience, Moreno scheduled an interview.
“I was very impressed with the company,” she said. “It has an excellent reputation. But the type of construction they did I knew nothing about, and the work obviously was very complex.”
Unlikely change
Nothing in Moreno’s education or work history would seem to lead to a career in public works construction. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics with an emphasis on business from the University of Texas in Austin. Before that she studied psychology at San Jacinto College. Prior to banking, Moreno was employed by two large hotels in foodservice and banquet coordination.
The more Moreno thought about the construction job, the more attractive it became. Her previous jobs required careful attention to detail, and she considered her organizational skills to be excellent, which she believed would serve her well in construction work.
“I was in ROTC (Reserve Officers Training Corps) in high school,” she said. “That helped me learn to be disciplined and self-motivated.”
Training began as soon as Moreno joined BRH-Garver. “I was sent to Galveston where a microtunneling project was under way,” she said. “I learned the names of the procedures and equipment, and experienced first-hand everything involved in their use. I was in Galveston for six months.”
Then more training, on the job as a project coordinator, then project manager.
Her first major project was a microtunneling job to install 14,720 feet of 54-inch diameter centrifugally cast fiberglass reinforced polymer mortar (CCFRPM) pipe, replacing a smaller diameter force main. The pipe route was adjacent and parallel to existing and abandoned sanitary sewers and existing force mains. The pipe was installed by microtunneling.
In addition to installation of new pipe, the project included one junction box to connect to two existing 26-inch force mains, a CIP manhole on an existing 72-inch MRC sewer for the downstream tie in, 25 manholes and abandoning 21,066 linear feet of existing force main. (This project was covered in the September issue of Underground Construction magazine).
“There literally were thousands of details to coordinate on this project,” she continued. “No two days are exactly the same, often with unexpected issues to resolve.
“Usually, I get in a few minutes before seven, and I like to meet with the foremen first thing and run through what’s going to be done each day. When a project gets started, there is a lot to do – moving in and setting up equipment. Once work is under way, a routine does develop – ordering materials and supplies, confirming orders are received, turning in invoices to be paid, documenting project progress and completing reports to submit to the city. Monitoring progress helps me anticipate needs. I always try to work ahead,” Moreno emphasized
Out and about
Moreno’s work doesn’t confine her to the office. “I’m out on the site quite a bit, coordinating with each foreman. I love getting out and being around the work,” she pointed out. “You continue to learn so much by being out and seeing it happen.”
Do company workers accept a young woman in a management position? “I believe the men respect me and my abilities and position,” Moreno said.
Fluency in Spanish helps. “From my side, I am able to speak directly about what needs to be done,” she observed. “No miscommunication in translating from English to Spanish.”
The 54-inch pipe microtunneling project was scheduled to be completed in two years. BRH-Garver completed installation of the pipe and related work eight months early.
Since then, Moreno has worked a microtunneling project making a water crossing to install 320 feet of 48-inch storm sewer pipe beneath Main Channel in Mercedes, TX, and worked on a drainage and paving project to install 3,200 linear feet of sewer line in Houston.
Currently, Moreno is assigned to a project that involves the demolition of three existing lift stations and installing 14,700 feet of 10-, 12-, 15- and 24-inch sewer pipe to serve a new lift station. The project is scheduled to be completed in 495 days.
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
BRH-Garver Construction L.P., (713) 921-2929, www.brhgarver.com
Comments