>> My name is David Brian [phonetic] I'm in Birmingham,
Alabama with a general contractor; Core Construction.
Our company has been in business since 1940.
And I've been with them now 25 years.
Since 19 -- I believe the arithmetic is 1988.
And I moved into a position as Chief Estimator about 15 years ago.
And my job entails looking after all the estimating that is required
as a support function for all the various divisions in the company.
We are a major building contractor, for the most part, with various divisions.
But generally speaking, our projects range from probably $10 million to $150 million.
We like the bigger jobs, but we have to go after what the market provides us.
It's hard to really say what a typical day is, because we go through so many --
or my job entails many different functions.
But in bidding projects, and budgeting projects, we have a team of estimators
that will be assigned to the particular project, and one of my roles is to oversee this bid team,
if you will, and make sure that they are covering all the bases.
We also inter-react -- interact, I guess I should say, with subcontractors.
Most of our work is subcontracted out.
Probably 90% of the value of a contract is actually subcontractors.
So our role is to secure the best, most qualified subcontractors and to receive bids
from them -- quotations from them -- and encourage them to do so.
And so a lot of our time is spent visiting and calling and emailing subcontractors
to secure their proposals and their services.
If we're bidding projects in an area that we're not very well known, or you know,
have a very limited presence, then our role is to go out and really knock on doors
and visit the subcontractors -- major subcontractors.
Mechanical -- the major trades.
Mechanical, electrical, dry wall, the bigger trades that would be more influential
in determining the outcome of the bid.
And in doing so you go visit and leave your business card.
You talk to them and try to encourage them to bid a project
and to give you their very best price.
And in order to do that, you're in essence a salesman for the company.
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