Ben Schaefer is Building His Future, One Estimate at a Time
You might say that Ben Schaefer was destined to build a career at Castle Contracting.
“It kind of runs in the family,” he jokes, explaining that he followed in his grandpa’s and dad’s footsteps by completing a civil engineering degree at the Missouri University of Science & Technology (Missouri S&T).
Schaefer’s older sister, a traffic engineer, helped pave the way for him to secure his first college internship with the Missouri Department of Transportation. He gained additional practical experience while completing an engineering internship for the City of Kirkwood.
The summer of his senior year, Schaefer embarked on his favorite internship of the bunch: working alongside his brother, Dan, on the Castle estimating team. “I got a lot of exposure to real-life projects, and I just fell in love with it,” he recalls.
That enthusiasm, combined with a strong work ethic, earned Schaefer a full-time job at Castle as a project engineer immediately after graduation in December 2022.
During his first nine months, he assisted project managers in the field before landing a permanent position with Castle’s seven-person estimating team. “We had some people shift around, which left a void in the estimating department, so I slid over into that role and have been learning a lot ever since,” he explains.
As project estimator, Schaefer analyzes bid documents, calculates takeoffs and develops comprehensive project pricing for a range of commercial building jobs. The company’s collaborative estimating process typically engages a pair of estimators on each project opportunity, with one focusing on earthwork and the other on site utilities. The entire estimating team collectively reviews projects bids before submission.
He appreciates the opportunity to be exposed to such a broad range of jobs. “The large number of projects and drawings I get to review continues to enhance my overall experience,” he explains. “Chasing the pursuit is fun as well, and it’s pretty rewarding when you land a job.”
A Culture of Support
As the youngest member of the estimating team, Schaefer relies on the expertise and guidance of his more experienced teammates. “Every day, I ask lots of questions and rely on my peers quite a bit for their advice and expertise,” he admits.
In fact, it’s the supportive Castle culture that is his favorite part of the job. “It just feels like one big family here,” he says. “You can go up to any person and ask them a question about anything—and everyone's there to help you out.”
One of Schaefer's professional goals is to gain more field experience by witnessing projects during all phases of construction. “In my opinion, that's the fastest way to learn,” he notes.
Born and raised in the small town of Josephville, Missouri, about 40 miles west of St. Louis, Schaefer currently lives in Valley Park. A self-proclaimed outdoorsman, he enjoys hunting, fishing and watching sports.
