Robert Mullen
Job Title: Project Manager
Company: Rosendin
Location: Pflugerville, Texas
Age: 25
Years on the Job: 3
Interests: Golfing on the weekends and making furniture
Robert Mullen’s embraced his first opportunity to work in the construction field for his uncle’s HVAC/refrigeration company in Cincinnati. In this job, he hung ductwork and set up walk-in coolers, enjoying the work and the people.
“My uncle convinced me there was more to life than hanging ductwork, and encouraged me to pursue a college education,” Mullen says. “One of my friends from high school convinced me I would be the perfect fit for the construction management program at the University of Cincinnati, so I enrolled.”
The college has a co-op program for all College of Engineering degrees, which allows students to take on five internships before graduation. He spent four of his internships working for an electrical contractor in the Bay Area of California. Another outside learning experience that helped him during college was the Associated Schools of Construction’s estimating and project management competitions. Right before he graduated, his team won first place in the national competition, which was hosted by Rosendin, his current employer.
“It was my first introduction to the company, and without going to that competition, I would never have had a chance to work for Rosendin,” he says.
At Rosendin, he has been given the opportunity to get involved with the Lean Construction Institute and teach a yearly Pull Planning Class, which has helped him to develop both his soft and technical skills. Since he started, he is handling more projects and has two assistant project managers and a year-round intern to help him complete the responsibilities, which include coordinating scopes of work, updating contract drawings, and ordering materials.
“Every day is different, and that is why I love my job,” he says. “I can be in the office reviewing an estimate in the morning and doing a completion walk-down on a job site in the afternoon.”
