Sara Kelly has been part of the construction world since before she could even legally drive a car. Her father, grand-father, and great-grandfather were all drywall business owners, so she grew up in a household where working hard during the day and managing business accounts late into the evening were as common as daily rain in a Pacific Northwest winter.  

Her first job was as a scrapper — the “new kid” they pay to clean up job sites. It was demanding, physical work, but it was also all in the family, and Sara couldn’t wait to learn to be a taper. Throughout high school and college, she worked, learning the trade of drywall contracting and providing job-site labor. After earning a degree in Business Management at University of Portland, she saw two paths before her. She took the one less traveled (by her family), and joined an investment consulting company. She successfully climbed the corporate ladder at R.V. Kuhn’s & Associates, rising from Data Entry Clerk to Client Service Manager to Senior Investment Manager. 

Hard work and wallboard gypsum are in her DNA, so after about a decade in the finance world, she rejoined her father’s company as Office Manager and worked to bring RRD into the digital age. In that role, Sara managed everything from answering phones to AP/AR, from insurance compliance to workers comp, from bonding and licensure in two states to tax audits. In short, over those 15 years, she learned the business top to bottom, inside and out.

As her father pondered retirement, Sara contemplated continuing the family business. She knew she’d have the support of her family and the drywall crews and suppliers with whom she’d established solid relationships, but she also knew it was a challenge that would ultimately rest on her shoulders. Women often leave the construction industry shortly after entering it, but Sara bucked that trend and doubled down. After so many years learning the business, she was confident that continuing her family’s legacy was the way to go.

And she couldn’t be prouder or happier that she embraced the challenge.

From tackling the daunting licensure test to getting Wallboard Applicators to profitable status, her list of accomplishments continues to grow, as does her enthusiasm for being part of the increasing number of women in the construction trades. On job sites, she notes that there are a lot more female superintendents and women in leadership roles on the job. She’s proud that she’s joined the ranks of role-models for women in the trades, and hopes that through their work with apprenticeship programs like Portland Youth Builders, even more young women and men will see the benefits of working in construction.

Sara also couldn’t be prouder of Wallboard Applicators employees, and thinks of them as an extension of her family. She says, “Our ‘new’ employees are actually people we’ve worked with for decades. We want them to stay and know we appreciate them. They took a leap of faith to join us, and we make sure we take care of them.” Paid time off, healthcare coverage, and being treated as valuable professionals is central to making sure that Wallboard Applicator’s crews stay part of their team.

For Sara, the most important thing on the job is to meet the commitments she and her team make. “In the construction world,” she says, “you’ve got to be as good as your word.” And she is.