Steve Ruelas grew up in a family of medical practitioners, so it was truly the road less taken when he graduated high school and chose to pursue a degree in economics. While he didn’t intend to enter construction, he ended up there shortly after graduating college and came to appreciate the industry's value to society.
“I enjoy the nature of building something lasting rather than just dealing with financial transactions,” Steve said. “You’re building stuff that can better people’s lives.”
Later in his career, Steve joined CFMA Orange County but had yet to take full advantage of the chapter’s benefits. “I was what they call a mail-in member—really just one that signed up and doesn’t participate in chapter events,” he explained. But down the road, Steve attended chapter lunches and took a CCIP training course through CFMA while preparing for the exam.
Taking a Leap of Faith
“I’m a pretty introverted person,” Steve said. “So it forced me to get out of my comfort zone and start getting involved in activities.” As Steve became more involved with the chapter, he gained immeasurable value from connecting with other industry professionals and learning alongside them.
“Getting more involved at CFMA reaffirmed some of the best practices that the company I was working for was utilizing, but it also opened up the door to other best practices that we weren't utilizing,” Steve explained. “Exchanging ideas, bouncing ideas off of peers, and learning things from other professionals on certain topics in which I wasn’t as well-versed.”
Although he started as a chapter member who wasn’t very involved, Steve admits that the in-person events change the level of value you get from the organization. While CFMA has many virtual resources, such as informational articles and live webinars, the networking element you receive from in-person events is missing in an online environment.
Get Comfortable With Being Uncomfortable
“My advice is to get comfortable with being uncomfortable,” Steve said. “Look beyond the short-term feeling of being uncomfortable and look at the long-term benefits of the relationships you'll develop.” As a self-proclaimed introvert, he recognizes that growth often comes from stepping outside his usual bubble. By pushing himself to get more involved despite his lack of a natural propensity for it, he forged a path to grow in his career, as well as his involvement with CFMA Orange County.
“I got an invitation from one of the chapter directors, asking me to sit in and listen and learn a little bit—and I was very happy to get the opportunity just to sit in and participate,” Steve explained. But it wasn’t long before that opportunity grew even further, and he was offered the option to sit on the board.
“Really caring about how the chapter did as a whole kept me coming back and helped me just be a little more engaged,” he expressed. Steve was initially brought onto the board as a director, but he later worked his way through many positions, gaining experience in multiple roles and speaking in various areas.
“It was a good learning process for leadership development skills, overall. Learning how to operate with groups of people that have different ideas and different thought processes and learning to navigate those discussions—it was certainly a very valuable experience to go through,” he said.
Having been involved with CFMA for more than ten years, Steve expressed that they often hear from members that they don’t have the time to attend events or be involved. But as he can attest, the investment of getting involved and developing relationships with others in the industry is well worth it.
Full Circle
Today, Steve is the Chief Financial Officer at Griffith Company. Through his involvement in CFMA Orange County, he initially connected with professionals from the company. This alone is a testament to the invaluable nature of building relationships with other professionals and, as Steve said, stepping outside of one’s comfort zone.
“I find that when I push myself beyond my comfort zone, usually good things happen,” he said. It's not easy, but it's one of the things that I urge people around me to do. If you're reluctant to do something because you're uncomfortable, you should push forward and do it because you'll most likely come out better.”
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