The newest addition to Sundt’s team of proposal writing specialists is Allison Rowland Eggert, a California native based out of our Sacramento office. Allison has 10 years of experience, a can-do attitude, and a love of writing, so we’re especially glad to have her on board. Want to know more about her? Read on:
How did you get started in the construction industry?
I came to the architecture/engineering/construction industry purely by accident. Early in my career I worked as an office administrator for a construction management firm. I knew nothing about construction, but I did know how to run an office. A few months after I started, one of the project managers was struggling with a proposal he was writing and I offered to help. Word got out that I could write, and I became the lead proposal writer for the company. Later, I moved to the engineering side of the industry when I joined a geotechnical engineering firm as its marketing director. Joining Sundt has brought me back to the construction side, and I am thankful for the broad perspective that my somewhat odd career path has given me.
What led you to Sundt?
Another happy accident! I was being recruited by another firm and I was researching what the market looked like for someone with my skills. When I saw that Sundt had an opening, I couldn’t pass it up; the Sundt reputation as both a builder and an employer is stellar.
What do you like best about the company so far?
I know it’s cliché, but my favorite part of Sundt is the people. I have been continually surprised and impressed by the friendliness of my fellow employees and their willingness to go out of their way to help each other out. I am also very aware that every element of the corporate structure – from our intranet resources to the ESOP to open forums to the employee suggestions process – has been carefully crafted by the people in management to serve the employee-owners while maintaining sound business practices. That alone sets Sundt above 95 percent of the companies out there!
What’s the most challenging part of your job?
Trying to gather very specific information about past projects from busy people who are on site at a new project when there’s a deadline looming is always a challenge.
If you weren’t a proposal writer, what might you be doing?
I’d be a high school English teacher.
Do you have a favorite movie, book or TV show?
As a working mom, my favorite movie, book, or TV show is whatever I’m enjoying with my 9- and 11-year-old daughters. I do love The Walking Dead and Breaking Bad, though, and I won’t let my kids anywhere near those shows!
Where would you most like to travel?
I spent six months in sub-Saharan Africa when I was 21, and I would love to go back there with my girls.
What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
It’s the same as the best life advice I’ve ever received: ‘Remember that you always get to choose how you behave.’ Both professionally and personally, I strive to behave with integrity, kindness, and humor no matter what is going on around me.