Visiting Assistant Instructor

MS-Training & Development, Texas A&M University - Commerce
BS-Construction Science w/Honors, Texas A&M University - Commerce
Email: rwford@email.wcu.edu
Office: Belk 269
Telephone: 828-227-2177

Robert Ford brings a wealth of experience and knowledge to Western Carolina University’s, Kimmel School of Construction Management, Engineering, and Technology. His common sense approach to construction management increases the student’s retention rates of the subject matter.

Robert started life working during the summers as a laborer. During the years he learned several trades and relied on those skills after high school to get a job working the oil fields of East Texas in 1978. By 1980, the bottom fell out of the oil industry and he relocated to Marietta Ga. working for Guardian Industrial Services (GIS). GIS was a company that specialized in maintenance and service projects in the manufacturing and utility industries. Responsibilities included planning, development and implementation of projects, scheduling, estimating, training workforce and other necessary duties to successfully complete the project. In 1991, the company was sold and liquidated. Robert relocated to Hot Springs, AR., and went to work for Oneal Steel Inc. in Little Rock, AR in 1992 as an iron worker/fabricator until 1997. He accepted a dock supervisor position at a union plant in 1997 and was responsible for ten union dock workers until the plant was closed and liquidated in 1999. In 2005, Robert accepted a project engineer position with Harco Contractors Inc. and in six months had completed $3 million in contracts.

In 1999, Robert was given an opportunity to get a degree from the local two-year college and in May of 2002 received his AA degree from National Park Community College where he was offered a scholarship to complete his undergraduate studies at Texas A&M University in Commerce, TX. Robert participated in the Honors program on campus and was the first from his department in twelve years to be pinned on stage at graduation. Because of his dedication to the college the president offered him one-year in state tuition towards a graduate degree and he completed all 36 hours of graduate studies in twelve months with a 4.0 GPA.

Robert’s classroom experience includes working in a Learning Acceleration Center as a tutor for two years and three semesters at the University of Arkansas – Little Rock instructing estimating, scheduling, bid-process, contracts & law, and methods and materials.