Venegas finishes construction management degree, marches into career

As kid growing up in Grand Island, Nebraska, Rodrigo Venegas watched his dad work hard running his own roofing business, and it sparked an interest in construction.

"I started working for my dad when I was about 13, running around, picking up the trash, because I was still little," Venegas said. "I'd watch him run his crews, and he's someone you look up to because he knows his stuff, and I knew I wanted to be like that as a boss or superintendent."

Venegas is leading his own crew now as a superintendent for Chief Construction, a subsidiary of Chief Industries. He's working full-time while he prepares to graduate May 14 with a degree in construction management from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln.