In the first years after her
husband started Pacific Cable
Construction Inc., Conni
Carson took care of their two
children and helped out when
she could in the office.
Little did she know she'd
soon have to take over the
company.
Nine years after he
launched the company, her
husband, Bill, died suddenly
of a heart attack in 1988, and
the company's future, as well
as the support of their two
kids, then 7 and 8, rested with
her.
Carson, who knew nothing
about the technical side of the
construction business,
nonetheless wanted the company
to continue. Like many
successful business people, her
story is about rising to a challenge.
After Bill died, she had 90
days to study for and pass
tests so the business's contracting
licenses could be listed
under her name. (Under
the usual rules, she had only
30 days, but the contractor's
board gave her an extension.)
One of the tests was on electrical
transmission lines, and
the other was on excavating,
grading and trenching.
"I was petrified," she
recalls.
But she studied hard, and,
she says, received a lot of support
from others in the local
construction industry and her
company's own crews, who
stuck by her. She passed the
tests and the business lived.
Today the firm continues
as a strong competitor in
underground utility contracting
in northern Nevada. The
company digs trenches, lays
conduit for installing power,
phone, gas, water and cable
television lines and then
back-fills and restores.
Ron Deal, Nevada chapter
president of the Associated
General Contractors, says
Carson's honesty and responsibility
make her a credit to
the construction industry.
"She deserves credit for taking
her business to where it is
today."
Carson is soft-spoken with
a gentle sense of humor and is
quick to acknowledge the
contributions of others.
"We are what we are
because everybody in the
company contributes. It's not
just one person running the
company," she says.
Among the keys to success,
she says, is providing a good
work environment for
employees. "You have to pay
attention to what their needs
are. You have to take a big
interest in their lives and their
futures."
That requires constantly
monitoring the big things
wages, benefits and bonuses
and minding the smaller
details, too, of what's happening
in people's lives. The
company celebrates victories
with parties, and makes language
classes available to
is up. Contractors from
California, hit especially hard
by a tough market there, have
been crossing
the border to
find work
here, often
offering
services at
dirt-cheap
prices. Her
company's
long-standing
reputation
remains
a valuable
asset.
"If you do
what you say
you're going
to do, and
you do a
good job, you
can hold
your footing,"
she
says. "You
have to stay
lean and
mean, bid
well and
complete
work within
timely
parameters,
all the while
maintaining a
happy team."
Carson says one of the
greatest rewards from running
the business is watching
employees
grow and
learn. The
other big
reward is personal
and
indirect
the ability to
be there for
her kids as
they grew up.
"You work
much harder
when you
own your
own business,
but you can
arrange your
own schedule.
I never
missed any
soccer
games," she
says. "I'm still
a mom first
and foremost."
Her son,
Tyler, 23, is a
fireman in
Sparks, and
her daughter,
Tamsen, 22, is
a student at
University of Nevada,
Reno, and plans to become a
physician's assistant.
Outside the office, Carson
is a member
of the
National
Association
of Women in
Construction
and serves on
the board of
directors for
the Associated General
Contractors.
She also is a volunteer firefighter
in Verdi, where she
lives. She was inspired to join
after watching firefighters battle
a blaze in Verdi in 1994.
They were able to save the
town, except for two homes,
one of them the Carson family
home.
"I remember seeing the
faces of the firefighters. They
had to get under the vehicles
while the fire went over them."
Carson had
the home
rebuilt on the
same site,
then signed
up to be a
volunteer
firefighter
after the construction
was completed.
"Life gives you opportunities
to learn and grow," she
says.
Best advice for women in
business?
"Listen to your heart, so
you're going in the right direction.
Pick something you dearly
love. Do what you say you're
going to do, and learn everything
you can."
