PBN 2021 Business Women Awards
Achievement Honoree: Stephanie Robat, FR Engineering Group Inc.
AS FAR BACK as she can remember, Stephanie Robat wanted to be an engineer, a la her father, Robert Fairbanks, who owns Fairbanks Engineering Corp. in Exeter.
Now, Robat is president and owner of FR Engineering Group Inc. of Warwick, a geotechnical, geostructural and waterfront engineering firm. Her husband, Shane – like her, a University of Rhode Island graduate – is the company’s vice president. The “FR” in the company name represents Stephanie’s maiden name, Fairbanks, and Shane’s last name, Robat.
Robat launched the firm in 2019 and began slowly building a client list, only to have COVID-19 hit not long afterward. From a marketing standpoint, she remembers planning to attend networking events to promote the new company, events that were all canceled. But Robat said construction was luckily not an industry as drastically affected by the virus. There was a hiccup in activity but overall, businesses in the sector forged ahead.
“Some municipalities put future projects on hold to figure out budgets, or there was a lull in public bids for design phases. But we have not seen too much of a downturn in the amount of work,” Robat said.
The firm continues to stay the course and steadily build its client list. Robat said that geotechnical, geostructural and waterfront engineering delivers a sense of satisfaction that keeps motivation high and reinforces her career choice.
The type of work a client requires dictates when FR Engineering is involved, Robat said, and can vary greatly. The firm is more of an upfront consultant for geotechnical work, for example, when a project is in planning phases. For oversight work, they can be involved on the tail end. Waterfront design – which Robat likes best due to its creative nature – can require FR Engineering to be part of the team from start to finish. “It all depends on how long planning and construction take,” Robat said.
Robat said being a woman in construction calls for thick skin. Though she’s seen more female representation in the male-dominated field, she has still witnessed sexist comments and hostile attitudes. Her father taught her to never take anything personally, as contractors and engineers just don’t always get along anyway, no matter the gender, especially as project complications develop and deadlines loom.
“It’s business,” Robat said. “My father has always been big on the fact that you just can’t take too many things to heart. There can be tension, and you can’t take it personally.”
