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Woman Builds Her Own Path In Construction

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By CHERYL BENTLEY

The Suncoast News

Published: September 19, 2008

NEW PORT RICHEY - The only hint of Lynette Rauh's full life is a constantly buzzing PDA.

In her office at Rauh-Co Construction Services, she calmly details what keeps her busy: being president of her own construction company, overseeing building projects, dealing with mostly male site workers and being a wife and "very involved" mom of four children, ages 19 months to 20 years.

In her spare time, the 40-year-old Rauh is working on a bachelor's degree in interior design.

When she gets that, she wants to revive her interest in music by taking up the saxophone and clarinet, instruments she played in younger years.

Don't even hint that her life is too full. For the woman who as a seventh-grader growing up in Haines City became fascinated by how buildings on a block can fit together in a harmonious whole, life is a matter of getting the pieces to work together.

Rauh's interest in feng shui, the ancient Chinese practice of arranging objects in a home to achieve inner harmony, appears to have spilled into her office. Its calm aura and lack of clutter are no accident, she says.

"I like things behind the scene so you walk in and feel peaceful and ready to begin the day," she says.

Still, Rauh-Co's growth stretches the limits for even the meticulous Rauh. What started in 1996 as a mom-and-pop operation with her husband, Paul, who is vice president of the company, has expanded to an 18-person operation that specializes in commercial construction.

The economy might be down, Rauh said, but not for their company. This year has been better than the last. To make space for the new employees needed to keep up with the business's growth, she and Paul have moved their personal offices to the back of their building on Bridge Street in New Port Richey, making for far less room than they need.

To remedy that, the couple has bought a two-story building at Grand Boulevard and Missouri Avenue, the former location of the Downtown Lounge.

They expect to move their company to the building's top floor by mid-February. They plan to rent the main floor to a family-friendly operation such as a coffee shop or a smoothie business that will draw a constant stream of customers.

"We want to bring people downtown and use that beautiful park," Rauh said, referring to Sims Park.

As project manager, Rauh has overseen the gutting of the building and is now working on the design phase. It is a job she often takes on.

A project manager deals with everyone from the architect to subcontractors. Most are male, but that has never been a problem once the men see she knows her stuff, Rauh says.
Rauh recalls apprenticing with men in the contracting and construction business to get her building contractor's license in 1996. Many didn't think she could pass the test, she recalls, then adds with the hint of a triumphant smile, "I aced it."

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