Consultant Don L. Short II, 60, Stressed Estimating Fundamentals
Don L. Short II, a nationally known cost estimating expert and a prolific crusader for fundamentals in the practice, died June 8 in Omaha. He was 60 years old and had been diagnosed with liver cancer several weeks earlier.
Short was president and founder of The Tempest Co., an Omaha estimating firm and consultant. He also was a two-term past president and Fellow of the American Society of Professional Estimators.
Known for his bluntness, Short authored numerous articles and opinions that appeared regularly on ENR.com and in ENR, inspiring comment and controversy. He was often quoted in ENR’s quarterly Cost Reports. He signed off all his blogs with an afterthought starting with the words, "Oh, by the way."
In one notable viewpoint commentary, Short counted up the number of re-charging stations that would be needed for widespread use of electric cars on a major interstate highway as a way to show that the vehicles were more of a way to create profit for builders of the needed car infrastructure than a realistic means of saving energy.
Short was an inconoclast, a curmudgeon and a conservative by nature, but he also was a fierce advocate for the project as a collective venture to be held above any stakeholder’s narrow interest.
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“Many owners wanted him on their side when dealing with contractors, but contractors also wanted him on their side,” said his son, Justin, who succeeds Short as president of the firm. “He didn’t care about anything but the project, or anyone else’s agenda. He was there to get the right answer for the project.” Justin’s wife, Jaime, serves as Tempest Co.’s marketing director.
Born in Richland, Wash., Short went into estimating because he did not care for outdoor work. He came to Omaha with Kiewit Co. as an estimator and later launched Tempest Co. in the basement of his home in 1981.
In one last phone call, Short told ENR that he was ill and that his popular blog would be ending when he expected to die in about a month. Until then, he expected to carry on as usual. Short's final estimate was uncharacteristically and understandably optimistic, missing the prediction by several weeks.
Very sad news. I never met the man but I enjoyed his blog tremendously. He obviously loved his job and the industry. Godspeed.
I agree; it was very sad to hear this. I never met or communicated with Don. But as someone who also blogs about the construction industry, he was one blogger I always made a point read...
Don's posts would not-infrequently elicit criticism--though certainly not always, as readers often agreed with him, too. Either way, though, he never shied away from offering his opinion. I can attest that willingly and repeatedly opening yourself up to criticism is not an easy thing to do as a blogger. But it's part of the job, and he obviously understood that and embraced it wholeheartedly. That he continued to write as he saw things despite potential criticism--and there's always somebody--was a testament to Don's obvious passion for the industry, and the power of communication.
It is therefore somewhat ironic that Don never shared with his readers that he was dying. Apparently he thought he had more time, and perhaps he had planned to tell us. Because it would've been nice for his many readers and colleagues to thank him one last time for his obvious contributions to the industry.
So, thanks, Don. We'll miss you.
His blogs was interesting and strraightforward with his opinions. I may not agreed with all of them, but there are many good points he freely gave away to improve the construction proce...
I always enjoyed Don's post even if I did not agree with him. Don will be missed!
Don Short actively participated in the American Society of Professional Estimators. He was dedicated to the education, ethics, professionalism, certification, fellowship and standards o...
Kevin Fennimore CPE
I will remember Don for several reasons - he was never shy about sharing his POV (in his ENR blog and in person!), he was an old school estimator's estimator, and he always treated me k...
Would like to include a comment from one of these outside ENR posts for Don's print obituary in our June 25 issue if the person posting would allow use and identify him/herself to me by...
Thanks, Debra Rubin/ENR Editor at Large
