Cory Abston - Drafting for Success

If you saw Cory Abston's work at Robert Baumann and Associates, it's not difficult to see why he's successful in his field. Cory has been working in architecture, first as a Drafter and now as a Program Manager. Cory still gets to draft, but has a great deal of new responsibilities as well.
"I write a ton of e-mails." Cory explained, "I have to write for clients, contractors, construction workers, superintendents, and engineers."

If you were to meet Cory, you might mistake him for a college student. He tends to wear jeans and causal button down shirts. His youthful-looking face more at home in a college classroom, than a professional office, but you'd be wrong. He works for a professional firm, designing and drafting using a CAD program to complete drawings for million dollar homes, pool houses, and everything in between, in the beautiful hills of California. Cory enjoys seeing the finished projects, knowing that he plays a key role in putting everyone's ideas together.
Thirty-three year old Cory grew up in sleepy Riverbank, CA, a town with a population of only ten thousand people. After graduating high school, he attended American River College and earned his degree in Design Technology in 2011. Shortly afterward, Cory began working for Robert Baumann and  Associates and moved to beautiful Sonoma, CA, where he is today.

A home Cory assisted in designing.
From Robert Baumann and Associates website.

Before speaking with Cory, I had the opportunity to ask Cory's older brother, Logan, who is a nurse at a respected Utah hospital about how he feels about Cory's work. "I'm really proud of what my brother has accomplished." He stated, "He works hard and is really good at what he does."

Sitting down with Cory at his mothers humble yellow house in Utah, he opened up about the challenges and disappointments he faces in his current position. Writing proved to be a challenge for him, "I took writing classes in college, they helped remind me of the writing principals that I had forgotten from elementary and high school. I paid more attention in college than in High School, but I was not fully prepared."

When talking with Cory, his love of architecture is evident. He obviously enjoys his job, living in the gorgeous Sonoma Valley, yachting with his boss, and meeting the many great professionals in his field, but when speaking about the e-mails he writes at work, he lamented, "I have to be careful, because Robert is a really smart guy. He points out every grammar mistake I make. I'll read my emails two or three times before I send them, to make sure there are no mistakes. I've bought some books on grammar, but mistakes still slip through. He'll call me out when I make a mistake, so I try really hard not to."

When asked how he felt about that, he thought about it, while shifting on his mother's plush couch into a more comfortable position. After a brief pause he replied, "It's not my favorite. In a way it forces me to be a better writer, so I appreciate it."
Mr. Robert Baumann, or Robert Baumann and Associates, certainly seems pleased with the work Cory is able to accomplish. Baumann attended Rhode Island School of Design in Providence and has been an architect for twenty-two years. Baumann himself wrote about Cory, stating, "Cory's ability to learn quickly and stay on task makes him a valuable part of our team and shows his promise." 

A home Cory assisted in designing.
From Robert Baumann and Associates website.

Cory writes for other people involved in the various projects the firm leads. It seems everyone involved wants different pieces of information. He related, "Contractors and superintendents need concise information. While they care about the project as a whole, they don't need flowery language." He felt he was best understood when he could combine his writing with his drawings, "I have to be able to communicate with words and drawings to make sure the projects are fully understood."
An important writing project that Cory produces are narratives. When asked about narratives Cory explained that, "Narratives are detailed descriptions of the projects as a whole, or the task at hand." They are very important writings used to inform clients, building officials, and construction workers of proposed ideas.

Cory doesn't only write for others, sometimes he also has to write for himself. As a project manager, Cory holds meetings to explain project roles and give updates. " I like to have meeting agendas ready when I hold a meeting. I don't like trying to wing it, because we drift off topic."

Even though Cory does a lot of writing, his true love still lies in drawing. He said when he took the job, "I thought I'd be drawing all day," but reality is often not what we expect. In addition to normal grammar, architecture can be particularly tough. When asked what he finds the most difficult in his work writing, Cory explained, "Architecture has a specialized vocabulary that I strive to understand. My vocabulary is always growing and now there are plenty of specialized words that I have to look up and memorize."

Cory's dream is to become an architect himself one day and he is working toward that goal. Until then, he is happy drafting, writing, holding meetings, and going yachting with his boss. When asked if Cory got paid to go yachting with his boss, Cory said no and laughingly teased, "If only we had the guts to ask!"