Photography by Shelby Tauber
No one else in Shella Chainaranont’s family are builders, let alone working in construction. It’s been interesting for the Chainaranont family to see Shella continue on the path less traveled by.
“There’s a stigma in Asian culture that you have to be a doctor or you’re not successful. I chose something almost entirely opposite,” Chainaranont says.
She’s not a healthcare worker, but she does build hospitals.
Chainaranont, a Dallas-based project manager for Beck, grew up in North Dallas before relocating to her home on Lower Greenville. The 33-year-old has 11 years of experience managing and working on major healthcare construction projects throughout the DFW Metroplex.
There have been many inspiring individuals in her life, however, much of her inspiration comes from her grandfather, a former pilot in the Vietnam War who migrated to America to start a new life in the ’80s.
“Who I look up to the most is my grandfather because he was incredibly supportive and he does so much for his family. He passed away in 2016,” she says.
While Chainaranont may appear as the odd one out of her family that isn’t a doctor or engineer, she’s established a successful career following her passion.
Some of her work includes a 110,000-square-foot expansion of the University of Texas at Dallas Naveen Jindal School of Management building, enhancing the Methodist Charlton Medical Center Emergency Department along with several hospitals and labs in Mansfield.
In addition to her projects, Chainaranont is a part of the American Institute of Constructors, American Society for Healthcare Engineering, Lean Construction Institute and TEXO Young Constructors Council.
What in your life has led you to choose this career path?
I graduated from Texas A&M with a Bachelor of Science degree in construction science, but I actually started as an architecture major because I thought I enjoyed the art of it. A few weeks into my freshman year I quickly realized I didn’t know how to draw and it was very subjective. I was required to take a course called Materials and Methods which was focused on construction, and I enjoyed it. I really enjoyed learning how things are put together in that class and that’s how I’ve been since I was young, always playing with toys and building things like legos or woodworking around the house with my grandpa. I have a knack for picking up hobbies that require me to put something together, so I switched to construction and have enjoyed this meaningful work since. My job working with healthcare always keeps me on my toes.
Can you tell us about the work you do and your role as a project manager?
I’ve been in construction for about 11 years. I primarily specialize in healthcare projects, both renovations, ground-up work and expansions. I oversee and manage the entire process from the second we receive the drawings, coordinating with the design team and doing pricing, putting proposals together for it to be scheduled, then contracting subcontractors to implement the project until it’s complete and delivered to the client.
Most of your projects are in Dallas. Can you share some of the work you’ve done in DFW and what is your biggest achievement?
My most recent project, Methodist Charlton Medical Center, was pretty challenging as we had to expand its emergency department. Their existing emergency department is the second busiest in DFW, next to Parkland hospital. We built 64 exam rooms, two radiology rooms, six psychiatric rooms, five trauma/critical rooms, eight triage rooms and one CT room. We also added a new underground parking garage, a new helipad and constructed a new remote plant to supply the entire campus for power and cooling. That was definitely the most challenging, however, the project received a Merit Award for our ability to find the correct solution for the building and our commitment to minority contractors.
How do you manage being a female project manager in a predominantly male-oriented field?
Before I started working at Beck, I had a couple of internships with other companies where I was always the only woman in construction, but I don’t know if that is a reflection of the field. At the time, we were definitely the minority, but it has and will continue to grow with more women gravitating towards the industry because of the opportunities. Sure it’s male dominated and it can be intimidating at first, but over time it becomes easier and you feel less alone because there are many women who have excelled in this career path.
Outside of being a project manager, what do you like to do in your free time?
I enjoy going to White Rock Lake pretty often. I used to only walk my dog there and now I visit for fun and visit the parks. I also volunteer often with Dallas ISD through P-Tech but I’m also involved in TEXO Young Constructors Council, which gives back to students and volunteers with various school districts. Additionally, I am on the steering committee for TEXO YCC, the Texas region of Associated General Contractors of America while also being on the construction leadership council for the national level of AGC.
What would you tell your younger self and what would you tell other young women going into construction?
Don’t be intimated. You’d be surprised at how much you already know and how much you can learn. All of the women that I’ve mentored or worked with have always been incredibly stellar, overly detailed and always know their facts and projects. It’s really easy to be successful in this career path as long as you don’t get too intimidated and be confident in yourself and the understanding you have on construction.
This interview has been edited for clarity and brevity.
