Corbett Stewart Celebrates Four Years at Essex

How did you decide to become an Estimator, and why join Essex?

I grew up in construction, and studied Construction Engineering Management and earned my bachelor’s degree from Oregon State University. While attending school, I worked both full and part time as a Project Engineer for a large Portland-based general contractor and as a laborer for an excavation contractor. I also competed in estimating competitions at Oregon State for heavy civil projects. These competitions were great experiences that involved interviews and presentations in front of at least 300 people. It was stressful, but fun too.

My years of internships for a large impersonal company had me yearning for a more personal, local company, with a healthier company culture. One week after graduating I saw that Essex was looking for an Estimator. I knew they were a well-respected local firm. I checked out their website and could see that they worked with a lot of local non-profits and were very community minded. That’s what I was looking for.

Once I joined Essex, I knew I had made the right decision. I really like the people here and the culture. Now four years later, I’m happy about the path I’ve followed. The people really make the difference.

What are your long-term plans?

While I still ponder the idea of being a Project Engineer on nice sunny days, I’m happy to be indoors as an Estimator during most of the year. Fortunately, I still get lots of hands on construction experience in my spare time. I’m currently building a house and doing a lot of the work myself. My long-term goal is to keep building houses on the side, and one day to be a developer.