Megan Muller
From her nomination:
She has an infectious CAN-DO personality which is inviting for our crew members to approach Barbara to resolve issues. Barbara has also taken a leadership role in reviewing the financial statements for accuracy at month-end close. Whenever someone has an unanswered question, it is not uncommon to get the response, “I am not sure. Go ask Barbara”.
Barbara has recently taken on the challenge of improving our purchasing procedures as she saw an opportunity to decrease our spending while supporting our foreman. Barbara has transformed a traditional clerical role into a fundamental leadership position making her an essential member of the management team.
Barbara Sandoval Ramirez is the Office Manager at United Rock Products, located in Irwindale, California. United Rock Products is a part of Sully-Miller Contracting Co., the Colas USA subsidiary that operates in Southern California. Barbara was hired in 2019 as an Administrative Assistant and was promoted to her current position in 2020.
Read more about Barbara Sandoval Ramirez through the following spotlight.
Describe your role to someone who is not familiar with the construction industry or Colas USA.
My role at United Rock Products is to process weekly payroll, invoices due through our accounts payable system, check payments, and purchase orders for plant operations.
I also utilize the drone as a licensed drone pilot to capture the developments of our mining, reclamation, and dredging sites developments, as well as our monthly inventory volumes of sand and aggregate materials on ground.
Additionally, I oversee, troubleshoot, and operate the automated scaling system at our mining site to set-up haulers. When there is a gap in personnel, I assist with generating sales quotes and creating job orders for our reclamation site and aggregate sales.
Finally, as an Office Manager, I help in coordinating events, meetings, and workshops for our operations.
What has been your favorite project so far?
My favorite project thus far has been taking part in our monthly Profit & Loss (P&L) meetings. I enjoy this process because I am pursuing my Master’s in Accounting. Taking part in the P&L meetings helps management and I to review all expenses that have been incurred, and I can see how I am doing in capturing operation costs in our multiple business units. During these meetings we also review revenue sources and the multiple cost pools that impact our bottom-line.
What drew you to working within the construction industry?
The opportunity to work for a global company. The opportunities are endless.
What motivates you to wake up and go to work every day?
What motivates me to wake up and go to work every day is knowing that my role helps laborers, management, and overall operations. I also enjoy the fact that I learn about technical and mechanical components daily.
What’s something most people don’t know about you?
What most people don’t know about me is that I’ve worked since I was in elementary school because my parents are business owners. Our business was our livelihood so hard work and dedication is a way-of-life. My mentality and faith in God have shaped me to persevere despite any hardships.
What is one recommendation you could make to help Colas USA operate better?
One recommendation I would make to Colas USA to help operations is focus on promoting from within. If we prioritize existing employees who would like to expand their skill set, I know our retention rate and figures of females within Colas would reach our objective.