In the Flathead Valley of Montana, you’ll find Heather Piland. She might be wearing a pink hard hat covered in certification stickers, or perhaps she’s behind the wheel of a “Big 210” forklift, expertly navigating the yard at Glacier Precast in Kalispell. To a casual observer, she looks like a seasoned veteran of the concrete world.
But just a few years ago, Piland was in a completely different world, one of shift schedules, inventory rotations and the high-stress environment of convenience store management. Today, at 51, she is not just a career-changer; she is a Master Precaster, one of fewer than 700 people nationwide to hold that title.
A Career Change Born from Burnout
The transition to the precast industry wasn’t born out of a lifelong dream of working in construction, but rather a need for a fresh start.
“I was really tired of the retail side, particularly after COVID,” Piland recalled.
Seeking a challenge that would engage her mind without the burnout of retail management, she took a leap of faith. At the suggestion of a friend’s husband, she applied for a receptionist role at Glacier Precast, one of only two precast companies in the Kalispell area. Instead, she was hired as an assistant estimator, initially tasked with selling electrical vaults and other stock products.
What Piland found, she said, was the best job she’s ever had, but that initial jump was daunting.
“I was terrified. I had no idea what I was walking into,” she said.
Coming from a background focused on customer service and retail logistics, the technical world of electrical vaults, manholes, and precast engineering felt like a foreign language.
“Even though I’m a Master Precaster now, there was so much to learn,” Piland said. “I’ve had to learn to read plans from the basics.”