A Chat With the 2021 Perlo Summer Interns

Nate was exposed to construction in his youth, with both his Dad and Step-Dad involved in the industry – one on the residential side and one on the commercial side.  Additionally, he knows that the Construction Engineering Management program at Oregon State University is the best on the West Coast for construction education. He says his interest in construction ‘was natural’, and his time here at Perlo has confirmed that to be true.

Working both in our office on the preconstruction side, as well as in the field, Nate says he’s looking forward to finishing his degree program and wants to pursue a position that will have him working onsite. He enjoys the more hands-on supervisory roles that let him see the literal brick and mortar building process.

When we asked Nate what he has learned so far, he says:

“I’ve been in the office and learned about setting up the jobs before people are onsite.  Then I went onsite and learned about what goes into scheduling subcontractors, making sure work is overlapping to get as much done as possible in the least amount of time. I’ve also learned how to problem solve when issues come up.  I think I’ve gotten a little bit of it all this summer. Seeing the different stages of work and how things go together as a whole has helped me visualize the projects and process that Perlo uses.”

His advice and lessons learned? “Have an open mind. Approach everything ready to learn and experience every aspect that construction has to offer. Come ready to learn and work. Be adaptable. If you must change tasks or go to another location, be willing to learn.”

Nate reports that he’s had a great time this summer and isn’t really looking forward to leaving Perlo for school, but he’s excited to keep learning, and hopefully return to in-person classes, as he spent his freshman year of school learning remotely.

In Shaylee’s second summer with Perlo, she’s working with our estimating teams to round out our subcontractor procurement teams, as well as bolster our historical cost databases. Keeping it in the family, Shaylee came to know Perlo through her brother, who worked on the labor side with Perlo.

Though Shaylee isn’t planning to make construction her future career and is following the path into healthcare, she says her time at Perlo has provided her with many life lessons, especially regarding being a professional, and what great company culture looks like. “I feel like Perlo is better than most companies in terms of culture.”

For important lessons, she says, “Don’t be afraid: ask questions! I was so scared my first year, but people are so nice and willing to answer questions and explain processes to me. I like to figure things out for myself, but I’ve really learned that it’s ok to ask questions. Everyone needs to be willing to speak up.”

Shaylee speaks highly of the culture here at Perlo and how much she enjoys the many get-togethers and events. “It’s really helpful for getting people to come together, be closer and get to know each other, and break out of the monotony of working at an office every day.”

We’re still trying to convince Shaylee that maybe construction should be her path, but so far, she’s determined to follow her heart into radiology. Whatever she pursues, she’ll be set up for success!  

Drew began in construction as a laborer when he was 17. He saw that there’s rarely a shortage of construction work, and liked the hands-on elements mixed with the office side of the industry.

Of his time this summer, he says he’s learning a lot about the procurement side of construction, as well as processing RFI’s, submittals, and change orders. Additionally, he’s learning about technical writing and sounding professional. Drew says, “I didn’t know much about commercial construction before this summer. It’s nice to see and learn about concrete.

Drew says he’s undecided about exactly what path he wants to follow into construction. He isn’t ruling out concrete tilt-up structures but knows there’s still so much to learn. He’s even considering seeking out a mechanical engineering internship to see what that’s like. Of Perlo, he says, “it’s shown me how awesome the industry is and the concrete side, but I want to explore more, too.”

As for future intern advice, he says, “Be a sponge. Learn as much as you can.  It’s been awesome here, and if you have something you want to do, just ask and they’ll probably let you.  Don’t be afraid to mess up. It’s an awesome company to work for. The internship program is the best internship I’ve had, so far.  The way people treat you here makes you feel like you’re an employee and not just an intern.” 

When Jakob started school, he wasn’t headed towards the construction side of things, but he realized about halfway through that construction was the path for him. With family members in the industry, he’s had an interest in building for many years. If he had a do-over, he would enroll in the CEM program instead. His internship with Perlo has confirmed that construction is his preferred career.

In addition to his academic pursuits, Jakob is a full-time fire fighter in Corvallis, Oregon. To be able to complete his full-time internship this summer with Perlo and not lose his position at the fire house, Jakob covered shifts for the other firefighters over the course of the last school year so that his own shifts would be covered this summer while he’s away, and he doesn’t regret a thing about putting in those extra hours.  

Jakob reports that he’s learning a ton: “Without having a CEM background, I feel like I had a bigger learning curve compared to the others.” He’s been learning to read blueprints, utilize Bluebeam software, and take in the whole process.“ It’s been awesome because I don’t just learn one new thing every day, I learn 5 – 10 things every day.”

With so many lessons to learn, Jakob says that the greatest has been how important organization is. “The project manager I’m working with has four projects and is bidding other work, and the volume of information he has to track daily is eye-opening to me.” Jakob has seen firsthand how to be organized, track documentation, and always close the loop on communication.

His advice for future interns is to come eager to learn each day.  There’s always something you can be doing and learning about. “I found out really quick that there’s always something I can be doing each day to be better at my job.  Whether it’s Bluebeam, or acronyms, or construction technology, there’s always something you can be doing to make yourself better every day.”

Of his internship in general, Jakob says, “It’s been awesome. The people at Perlo are great and so fun to work with. It’s the most fun summer I’ve had.”

Joey has a family friend with a general contracting firm in Sacramento, California, and spent several high school summers as a laborer on their workforce. This experience helped him fall in love with building something from scratch. Friends with a previous Perlo intern, Joey heard great things about working here and was grateful for the opportunity to be here for a summer internship this year.  

Joey’s opportunities this summer have included jumping into a few active projects, as well as some shorter work with our estimating teams to bid projects. He reports that all of these experiences have only solidified his passion for the industry.

Of construction management, he says he likes having the ability to come to the office but also to go into the field and see what we’re actually building. “Sitting at a desk for five days a week isn’t necessarily what I want. It’s nice to be able to go into the field.  I like the GC side because you get a taste of all the pieces of a building. I love organizing things and that’s really what we’re doing each day. I’d like to stay on the GC side of construction. It’s a different day every day and you get to work with a lot of different people.”

Big lessons learned have included improving on his communication skills and time management. “With COVID I felt like my structure of my day was lacking, and now it can’t be.” He’s also been taking a lot of notes and soaking up everything there is to learn.   

To future interns, he says, “Be hungry to learn and seek out opportunities. If you aren’t seeing one piece of the puzzle, ask to see it. Ask superintendents or other project managers if you can stop in to see their sites. Take it all in – there’s a lot to learn!”

Tahnna reports that her road to construction was a bit complicated.  In high school she enjoyed math and science and thought some kind of engineering career would be great but didn’t know exactly what. As a college freshman she was introduced to the architectural engineering program. “It’s kind of like a cross between civil and construction engineering management, so I take a lot of classes that only CEM students take and are beyond what the civil engineering students would take.”

Of her time as an intern this summer, she reports that she has learned an incredible amount, from industry ‘lingo’, to how to work in a professional environment and how the construction process operates in general. She’s been involved in client and subcontractor communications, working with Bluebeam, and even reviewing outgoing proposals. “I’ve gone to a ton of meetings, and I feel that’s where I’ve learned the most. It’s like a language immersion program except for construction.” 

Tahnna is still exploring all the options that construction has to offer before she decides on her long-term career goals. “Before my internship I didn’t know what I could even do with my degree.  Now I do know what I can do, but there are a lot of options!”

Tahnna’s most important lesson? “Trust the process. I really came in here blind, and I’ve been doing a lot of work without knowing how to do it, so you have to just start. That seems scary, but now that I’ve done it, I know how to do so many things. It’s made me more comfortable asking questions – even when I think I’m asking too many.  Luckily, I’ve been encouraged to ask a lot of questions and clarify expectations.”  

Her advice to future interns is to simply ask as many questions as possible. Her project engineer advised her early on to ask two questions after every discussion, no matter what.  “It’s hard at first, but there’s endless things to learn.” She’s discovered that the list of learning opportunities are endless, but the people here will help her find good answers.

Finally, she says, “Perlo’s awesome. Everyone should work here.” We can’t disagree with that!  

As the son of an architect in California, Jonathan grew up around jobsites. He came to OSU because of their grants for renewable energy research but shifted away from that focus once he got started.  

Following a project manager working on two active projects this summer, Jonathan reports that he’s been learning a lot about initial job setup and owner communication. In addition to projects that are underway, he’s been exposed to the preconstruction side and has worked on budgeting, creating schedules and putting formal pricing together, as well as talking to subs.

Of the industry, though, he says he’s not yet sure where his final focus will be.  He’s enjoying concrete tilt-up construction, which pairs well with his civil engineering degree. That said, he also knows that there’s a lot of the industry left to learn and explore.

Jonathan’s important lesson from this summer is to “Slow down and take my time completing tasks. Also, make sure I’m asking lots of questions.  It’s ok to be wrong and it’s also ok to ask for clarification when you’re confused.” Unlike during the school year when it can feel like knowing information simply to pass a test is the end of the knowledge you need, the real work requires true learning and retaining of new information.

His biggest lesson and advice for future interns is that it’s ok to be wrong. “This is a learning experience. There’s a lot that school doesn’t teach you, so you have to learn it on the job. This is a good chance to get your foot in the door and learn about what markets excite you.”  

As for his time at Perlo, he says, “it’s been a really good summer. It’s been fun having the experience of being in the field and in the office.”  

Micah is a second-year intern with Perlo and, while he’s always had an interest in building things like Lego structures, he didn’t realize construction was his forte until he was picking my major for college. With two summers nearly under his belt, he does think that project management is in his future. “This job requires staying organized amongst a lot of moving parts, and problem solving under tight deadlines, and I do well with both of those things”, he says.

The learning opportunities have been endless. This summer Micah has been focusing more on the project completion phase of work, as he’s been onsite at the McKinney Elementary School remodel in Hillsboro. The looming deadline of school age children returning to campus combined with extremely challenging supply chain constraints has shown him the high-pressure situations that can be involved in our industry. “It’s fast paced, especially on this project”.

His most important lesson this summer, in fact, has revolved around the importance of deadlines. “We remind subcontractors constantly about deadlines.  We need to be in the front of subcontractor’s minds so they’re very clear about what and when they need to perform. They have to do a good job for us and do it quickly.”

If he had any advice for future interns, it would be to ask the question ‘why’ more often. “Those around you will teach you many things, but it’s important to ask why we do things in certain ways.  It’s really helped me gain a bigger understand of many concepts.” 

Micah reports that he’s had a great experience with his internship, that it’s going well even with the pressure of deadlines and problem solving that a fast-paced education project brings. “It’s been a really good experience for me.”

Spencer reports that his investigation into careers as he was contemplating college led him to consider engineering as a degree. “I’m a big fan of heavy industry and machinery, as my Mom worked at a mill when I was growing up.”  Construction, he says, “fell in my lap as I toured a project in 2019” while on a jobsite with his Father, who was an engineer for a Perlo project. That tour led to exploring construction management further, and a lucky landing at Perlo with a summer internship this year.  

His lessons learned this year have included a lot of communication skills. “I have communicated client needs to subcontractors and back.  I’ve helped communicate new safety procedures, too”. And of course, he’s watched the process of going through design, review and then implementation of those designs.

Of his future career plans, Spencer says he’s still trying to decide. “This is my first internship and experience in construction…and I’ve been located onsite on a high-tech facility, so there’s a lot of process piping and mechanical systems but not a lot of architectural construction.” While he isn’t sure what type of construction he wants to work on in the future, he says he isn’t ruling out high-tech.

The advice he has for future interns is to ask questions.  “There is no bad question.  No one looks down at you for asking the ‘stupid’ question.  Even when they seem super obvious, you have to ask it to make sure everyone is on the same page.” He also encourages future interns to get to know the subcontractors and be open to everything there is to learn. Be a team player, ask why, and then work hard.”