Cost estimator Joanna Trago recently received our “Best Supporting Actor” award. And no wonder! Since 2010, she’s advised dozens of storeowners on five commercial corridors about how to renovate their façades on a tight budget and mapped out budget strategies for a neighborhood playground. Now she’s volunteering to rejuvenate a city high school.
Joanna says, “Construction runs in my family. My granddad was a carpenter, furniture maker and teacher. My dad, who was also a carpenter, is chief estimator at Gardner/Fox Associates.” Her own path to the construction industry took a significant detour. Joanna had just begun her freshman year at Temple University when the World Trade Center was attacked. “I walked into the Marine Corps Recruitment office on September 12, 2001,” she recalls. When she finished her military service in 2005, her father suggested that she join the Gardner/Fox cost estimating team. “The work is very diverse. There are lots of different things to delve into.”
“My experience in the military has refined my attention to detail, and taught me how to work effectively under pressure. I also learned how to be a team player, how to be a leader, and the appropriate time to step into either role.”