A Unique Approach to Pre-Construction: Meet Eric Clara

Tell me about your career arc leading up to your time at Gray?  

My background is not construction related whatsoever. I attended California State University, Fullerton, studying psychology with an emphasis in research and statistics. I did an internship for nearly two years in research, where I worked long hours and eventually got burned out. I needed a change of scenery, so a friend told me a small general contracting company was hiring someone to perform estimating assistant responsibilities, so I took that position. When I was ready to move on, a colleague mentioned that Gray was hiring, and that he had worked with Abdul El Baba on a previous project. I interviewed with Abdul and felt this was a great place to be. I began as a bid coordinator in the Fullerton office in 2017. 

Describe your normal workday or your “day in the life.”    

 My pre-construction manager role is not a typical role. I have a strong estimating focus in my role, and even though I function as a manager, my main objective is to find where I can be useful and how I can best help my team. Being available for my people and solving problems is a huge part of my role.

What do you enjoy most about working at Gray?  

The culture here is very unique. I don’t think there’s another company like Gray, who cares about their team members on a personal level and encourages a healthy work-life balance. When you have that type of support, it makes you want to work harder and help the company succeed—it just fosters a positive environment.

What’s been your most memorable experience since joining Gray?  

We had a very interesting project with the Catholic organization, the Diocese of Orange, here in Southern California. We bid and were awarded the project of building a shrine for Our Lady of La Vang, a Vietnamese figure within Catholicism. In our bid meeting, the room was filled with priests and clergy, which was quite unique. For the actual project, the statue was shipped to us from Italy and was 16,000 pounds. We had to rig it up with three columns holding the entire structure, which was an homage to the three symbolic trees in the story of how the Lady of La Vang appeared to the Vietnamese people. It was completed and stands near the Christ Cathedral in Garden Grove, CA. The Los Angeles Times even covered the unveiling. 

What do you think sets Gray apart from other service providers in the industry?  

Historically, the construction industry has not been as inclusive and diverse as other industries. However, Gray is just built differently. Here in the Fullerton office, the majority of us are minorities, from extremely diverse backgrounds. Gray prides itself on being accepting—and with that acceptance, it creates a more comfortable work environment, which leads to better quality work and collaboration. That’s what I love about Gray. 

What is the best advice you have ever received?   

Be dangerous and take chances. This advice was given to me by the owner of a previous company I worked for, who was a great leader with a strong personality. What he meant by this is to simply get out of your comfort zone whenever you see an opportunity to push yourself to the next level. 

What is one word or phrase you would use to describe Gray?  

Accepting. 

If someone was visiting your city, what is a must-do activity?  

I think you have to spend a day at Disneyland. We had team members come to visit from the Lexington office, and they took a day to visit Disneyland. It was so fun hearing them tell us about their first time inside the park.