Chris Jarrett joined Ames last fall after working at another civil construction firm for seven years. And that wasn’t even the biggest life change he made at the time.

“I took the entire month of October off between jobs because my wife, Cassidy, and I had our wedding and went on a little honeymoon. It was a nice way to start a new job.”

As an estimator, Chris works with his direct supervisor or with a team (depending on the size of the job) to construct an accurate estimate with the information provided by the client. This includes conducting take-offs, planning how to complete the work, assigning crews and production rates to tasks, reviewing specifications and reports, and comparing vendor and subcontractor quotes.

“It’s nice to work as a team and it is great working with a company like Ames that has a wealth of knowledge in this industry and a strong history along the Front Range.”

Chris attended Colorado State University in Fort Collins for environmental sciences, but switched to environmental engineering because he enjoyed the engineering and math aspects and also believed he could accomplish more with an engineering degree upon graduation. At his previous company, he worked his way up from field engineer to project manager.

“Through my years in the field, I learned a lot about myself and what aspects of this work I enjoyed and wanted to learn more about. That is what led me to wanting to work as an estimator.”

When Chris isn’t working, he’s spending time with Cassidy and his dog, an energetic 3-year-old Belgian Malinois. “He demands a lot of my free time to play and roughhouse, which I happily oblige.”

Chris also enjoys hanging out with friends, pickleball, volleyball, hiking, and cooking. “I spend a lot of time researching recipes, types of cuisines, and cooking styles to make myself a better home cook, and I just enjoy spending time in the kitchen and making something I can be proud of.”

RAPID FIRE QUESTIONS

If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go?

It’s a toss-up between going to northern Europe to tour old castle ruins and the fjords or to Japan and just eating everything I can find.

What is your favorite book?

I listen to a lot of audio books and my current favorite series is Defiance of the Fall.

What is a family tradition you look forward to each year?

Honestly, I’m more excited about building new traditions with my wife.

What is your favorite meal or dessert?

Definitely depends on the season but even still, picking a favorite meal is too difficult. My favorite dessert, especially since we’re going into the spring/summer, is Key lime pie. We’ve really been enjoying brownie sundaes as of late. I found a really solid microwave brownie recipe that I changed to fit our tastes better, and it’s way too easy to make.