Her Story
About April
April Rodriguez serves as controller for a general contractor in commercial construction, a position she has held for two years. In this role, she oversees all accounting functions for the company, ensures the accuracy of financial reports, and manages forecasting and cash flow. Prior to her current position, Rodriguez worked for five years as an accounting manager at another construction company. She entered the construction industry in 2015 after starting her career as an entry-level accountant and progressing through roles in accounts payable and data entry. Rodriguez earned her degree from California State University, Fresno in 2006. Her expertise lies primarily in accounting, though her controller responsibilities also include managing teams, departments, and non-accounting aspects of the business such as efficiencies and risk. She is an active member of the Construction Financial Management Association, where she values the webinars, conferences, and networking opportunities with other industry controllers and CFOs. Rodriguez attributes her professional success to her independent and self-driven nature, which was strengthened when she became the main source of income for her household following a divorce. She emphasizes the importance of accountability and ethics in her work, particularly given the confidential financial information she handles, and advises documenting everything while seeking guidance from a life coach to navigate workplace challenges.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with April
01What do you attribute your success to?
I've always been kind of independent and self-driven. I went through a divorce when I got into the construction industry, and so therefore I had to become the main source of income for the house. And so, that does kind of motivate you to keep climbing.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
Cover your butt, document everything. Having a life coach really does help because there's a lot of instances where I wasn't mature enough or didn't have the experience to handle certain situations, so I really benefited from having that outside source guiding me and helping me word certain things and manage the politics that every company has.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
There are hurdles with not only being a woman but also in the construction industry as an accountant. It's not as valued as the field. So just to keep that in mind, to manage expectations. The accounting aspect of construction is here to serve the construction industry. I highly suggest therapy. It's really difficult for me in my career.
04What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Accountability. If you're holding yourself accountable, you're the only one that you have control over that, so it definitely is very important. Especially in accounting, I would say ethics. My ethics are very important, especially because you're dealing with confidential information. You want the owners to trust you, and that's basically you need that as an accountant, because you do handle all of the money. And so, if you don't have that, if you don't have that trust that you're going to be ethical at work, then you really don't have a career.
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