LIVE Magazine TV June 2018

LIVE Magazine
by Juli Ragsdale
Paving Her Way!
Charissa Farley is an remarkable executive, parent,
entrepreneur, mentor, and nutrition enthusiast.
Her independent spirit and sense of determination
radiates through all she does. As president of Farley
Interlocking Pavingstones, she has lead the design
and installation of custom paving solutions for developers,
builders, HOA’s, contractors, landscapers,
pool companies and homeowners. Her attention to
detail is appreciated by all. She is a brilliant team
leader and puts her heart and soul into the team
and the projects. Charissa’s journeys have forged
her into a woman of resolve. Charissa has lost the
element of fear, an attainment that is driving her to
pave the way into a stronger future! Unafraid of the
process and willing to practice, Charissa shares her
enlightening thoughts with us.
Juli: Charissa, where do you reside during your busy work
week?
Charissa: It’s not at all normal. In theory, I live in Newport
but it never works out that way. Right after I moved, we got
a contract in the central coast and I was several months up
there most of the time. We have a lot of work on the coast so
I use Newport as a base and roll in and out of Los Angeles
and San Diego. My heart and a substantial part of our
operation though, is still here in the desert, so I end up here
a lot, and the cabin at Lake Hemet is a great way to hunker
down with fewer interruptions and do the work that requires
uninterrupted concentration.
Juli: Tell us about your family life.
Charissa: It’s not at all normal (lol). I had hoped these
kids would grow up and be doctors or lawyers or something
with more stability than construction…...but I so love working
with this family, and the rest of the team has been around so
long, they feel like family. My ex-husband and I have worked
together every day and have spent every holiday together
even though we have been divorced for many years. My
daughter, Tieshia is close to the business, just down the street
as an equity manager at Indian Wells Coffee. And my mom
and step-mom are close to the office as well. My daughter,
Jennifer, runs our estimating department. My daughter (from
another mother), Farrah, runs sales. And my youngest, Patrick,
is learning everything else. Kimberly, our residential estimator,
grew up just down road…..a six mile dirt road in Pinyon. And
our Vice President, Hector, and my dearest friend Maria, our
controller, have been with the team so long I feel like they are
a wing of the Farley tribe. With Capi and Michelle in the office,
our foremen who have been with us for years, our field support
guys, and our newly promoted crews, I feel like the company is
evolving into a well-oiled machine. Well, most of the time! We
are spread out throughout Southern California but in a strange
way the work keeps us close.
Juli: You have been extremely busy lately, how do you
balance your time between family and the multiple business
projects going on all at the same time?
Charissa: Balance? We planned to expand the company
from the desert to throughout Southern California and to be
one of the larger commercial contractors emphasizing technical
expertise. Then all of sudden last year, every strategy we
invested in responded…. All at once! A job at the billion dollar
property next to the Del Coronado, Coronado Shores, came in.
Irvine Spectrum, a multi-family project in Los Angeles came in.
Plus, a public school in Covina, a shopping center in Highland,
a Marriott in Goleta, a downtown project in Pismo Beach. Then
there was Downtown Palm Springs, Indian Wells Tennis Gardens,
and Bighorn Country Club….all at once! But we got them
done. And we are extremely proud of our work. And grateful.
And we learned a lot, and pushed to the next level.
Balance is always something that is evolving. It’s more like a
rhythm. I strive to keep a flow that continually pushes hard, but
is joyful in the process. The key word is strive. It isn’t always