Fresno? More like FresYES!

“I see so much potential in Fresno,” she said, describing a housing market on the upswing and new businesses popping up. “There is this misconception that there’s nothing to do here but it’s the fifth largest city in the state and its right in the middle of everything. It’s blooming!” She added that it has been exciting to be part of the team re-establishing Turner’s local presence. “We’ve had an office in Fresno for a long time, but it’s been a few years since we’ve had active projects here.”

She was working out of the San Francisco office as an estimator when the COVID-19 pandemic sent everyone home. “I worked from my place in the Bay Area for seven months but then, when my lease ended, I said ‘we’re still remote, I’m going home to Fresno.’” Shortly thereafter, the company won a big industrial project for a utility company. “They asked me if I wanted to join the Fresno team and I said of course, yes. It’s great to see Turner signs up in Fresno.”
Part of what has made the transition back to Fresno -- and back to the office -- so meaningful, is the chance to give back to Fresno State, the school, and the program, where Adriana herself got her start in the industry. Together with Clint Williams, business manager, and fellow Fresno State grad, she has helped organize and deliver a grant and tuition assistance and program to the school. “Fresno State has a great construction management program, and it’s grown so much since I was student,” said Adriana. “The grant includes scholarship funding for six students, money program support for the college of engineering, and some money specifically for their Reno ASC competition, which I participated in when I was a student.”

She added that it was through the competition, which includes mock presentation and RFP exercises, that she first connected with Turner. “The folks I interviewed with as part of the competition remembered me when I eventually came to work full time,” she said. “I think that really speaks to the culture. I’m glad to be in a position to keep that relationship between the school and the company going, and to be able to be that connection point for someone else.”