Jeff Perala: Academy of Distinguished Engineers - 2017

Co-owner, Perlo Construction, Portland, Oregon

As an Oregon State junior, Jeff Perala landed an internship as a field engineer with McCormack Pacific in Portland. By the time he finished the internship, he had been offered a job after graduation. He has spent his entire career at the same firm. Today, the company is called Perlo Construction, and Perala co-owns the company alongside his Oregon State classmate, Gayland Looney (’85 Construction Engineering Management). Soon after Perala went to work at McCormack as a project manager, he discovered that his strength was in estimating. As chief estimator for the company, he refined its methods to produce exceptionally accurate budgets. His system helped make the firm an industry leader in the Pacific Northwest. The company builds facilities for Oregon and Washington’s "meat and potatoes” industries, said Perala, and brings in more than $250 million in revenue. "One of our claims to fame is that we have more warehouses and distribution centers in Oregon than all competitors combined," he said. Perala is proud of the fact that most of his company’s business comes from repeat clients or direct referrals. "You couldn’t do that in a competitive industry if you didn’t treat everybody right and do an excellent job at communication," he said. "We want everybody on our projects to be successful. "Perala credits his Oregon State education for giving him a firm professional foundation. "The construction engineering management program is phenomenal — there’s a reason it’s ranked one of the highest," he said. "We want everybody on our projects to be successful."