Ones to Watch 2019: Krista Evans, Acella Construction

Year you entered your current field? 2006

What do you consider to be your greatest professional accomplishment in the past 12 months? When I was promoted to project manager would have to be my greatest accomplishment and being respected in a male dominated general contracting industry.

Who or what do you attribute to your success? The person who attributed to my success in life would be my mom. She was the perfect role model growing up as being a career women, wife and mother of three. She showed me what it was like to work hard and be successful. 

What advice can you offer to someone who is interested in a career in your industry? That you can succeed at anything you put your mind to. I started at Acella Construction almost 8 years ago with no prior construction background as an administrative assistant. Acella provided me the opportunity to learn, grow and work my way up the ladder to where I am today. 

If you have a mentor, who is it and how have they influenced your personal & professional growth? My mentor hands down would be Saul Schrader, Project Executive for Acella Construction. Saul has taught me everything about construction that I know today. He has taught me how to run successful projects while maintaining project schedules and to be confident when I have questioned project decisions. I wouldn’t be where I am today if I wasn’t given the opportunity to have such a strong and influential mentor over the past 7 years.

How have your life experiences impacted who you are professionally? I have recently become a mom of two children which has taught me all about life and work balance. I work extremely hard to be successful and take pride in my everyday work while providing for my family with my hard working husband.