Michelle Sauceda

I've been in my field for a little over 6 years. My career started when I landed an entry-level office assistant role at Epoxy Design Systems around the time COVID started. I had actually been in purchasing before that and left Epoxy after 10 months to find another purchasing position in oil and gas, but then COVID happened and I got laid off. I reached out to my friends at Epoxy Design Systems and came back in a different role in operations. I wanted to learn more and earn more, so I began shadowing the vice president, going to job sites and pre-bid walkthroughs, helping him gather information, and started learning how to estimate and project manage on my own. I decided construction was for me about 4 or 5 years ago and went back to school online for my bachelor's degree in business and construction management, which I'll graduate this year. I worked in concrete restoration for many years, and about 2 months ago I got my current position at an interiors company doing acoustical specialties and ceiling tiles. I got this job on a referral because I'm really active in the ABC and Women in Construction groups. I sent my resume in and got a job offer like 3 days later. As a project manager, I currently manage about 9 to 10 jobs in different phases, troubleshooting issues in the field, handling deliveries, completing RFIs in systems like Procore or Autodesk, submitting material samples, requesting quotes from suppliers, and coordinating with superintendents and project managers on-site to complete jobs on time. My most notable achievement was taking over a $1.5 million project when the project manager quit our company and completing it seamlessly, on time, and within our profit margin when I had no experience in jobs that large.