Teresa Farnell, owner of Farnell Equipment Company, set the goal of mastering the big picture when she began her position. As the estimator, as well as the president, she is able to experience projects from floor plan to fruition. While remaining keenly aware of the financials, Teresa knows that there are always surprises that hit the bottom line in any job. From there, she treats every job as a learning experience.
Farnell Equipment Company serves the small niche of building scientific laboratories. Teresa explained, “My mom once said that our business is a building block of modern science – and it’s true! We give scientists a place to make their discoveries. This is where the future is being researched, and we try to give our customers both an aesthetic and efficient environment. Doesn’t everyone want to work in a nice place?’
On a typical day, Teresa tends to her emails first and spends about half of her day dealing with ‘construction drama’. “We have a lot of repeat customers that call us for new projects, and some terrific salespeople that follow up on new business leads. The second half of my day is concentrating on finding and snagging new work.”
When asked about the advice she would give to other women who are looking to go into the same career field, Teresa said, “Come on in! The water’s fine. Women solve problems in a different way and the men need us. The construction workplace has come a long way. Also, the industry can be very conducive to family life. No weekends and the trailers usually close up by 5:00 PM.”
While Teresa Farnell receives many emails from women at construction companies, those women are usually assistants following up on bids or seeing if Farnell Equipment is interested in a project. She believes that members of the construction community can encourage women to participate in the industry by giving these women a chance to move up and handle the next level.
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