Construction executive rises to meet challenge

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."