Karina Eshilian
Senior Business Development Specialist, Performance Contracting Inc.

Karina Eshilian didn’t enter the wall and ceiling industry through a traditional route, she entered through storytelling. Early in her career, she stepped into a public relations role that introduced her to the specialty trades, and what she found there wasn’t just an industry. It was a world built on craftsmanship, precision, and the kind of coordination most people never see unless they’ve lived it. 

More than 18 years later, Karina has become one of the industry’s most consistent and influential forces, not by being the loudest voice in the room but by being the person who connects the right people, the right strategy, and the right execution at exactly the right time. 

Over the years, her career has steadily evolved from communications and marketing into elevated sales and business development leadership. In roles, such as sales representative and now senior business development specialist at Performance Contracting Inc., Karina has supported drywall, framing, exterior systems, and interior finishes across commercial and industrial projects. Her work sits at the intersection of operations, estimating, client engagement, and executive leadership; a space where clarity, trust, and strategy matter as much as technical expertise. 

Within her organization, Karina is widely recognized as a go-to partner for high-value pursuits. She has helped shape proposal strategies, refine messaging, and deliver presentations that translate complex wall and ceiling scopes into clear value for owners, developers, architects, and general contractors. Her strength lies in her ability to take operational realities and turn them into client confidence, building trust before a project is even awarded. 

But Karina’s influence extends beyond the pursuit process. One of her most defining achievements has been her leadership in creating high-impact client engagement initiatives that strengthened long-term partnerships across key markets. She launched an annual national client event that has become part of her company’s culture for more than 15 years, a rare accomplishment that reflects not only creativity, but consistency and long-term relationship building. 

She has also helped elevate wall and ceiling work through awards, media recognition, and industry exposure, securing placements in publications, such as Walls & Ceilings, ENR, and regional business journals. In doing so, she has reinforced something the industry has long deserved: visibility for the trade professionals whose work forms the backbone of safe, high-performing buildings. 

Most recently, Karina was selected as a 2026 honoree for the Los Angeles Business Journal’s “Women of Influence: Construction, Engineering, and Architecture” program (recognition that reflects her leadership, her credibility, and her lasting impact). 

Karina believes the wall and ceiling industry is entering a pivotal period, one shaped by increased project complexity, tighter schedules, and a growing need for early collaboration. She sees specialty contractors becoming more integrated into design and preconstruction, valued not as downstream trades but as strategic partners. She also sees workforce development as both the greatest challenge and the greatest opportunity, especially when it comes to building pathways for women and underrepresented groups. 

Throughout her career, Karina has witnessed cultural shifts firsthand: from a more hierarchical, transactional industry to one increasingly focused on collaboration, people development, and inclusion. And she hasn’t just watched those changes happen. She has helped push them forward. 

Those who have worked with her describe her impact in one word: sustained. Through economic downturns, organizational changes, and evolving markets, Karina has remained steady (driving results, elevating teams, and mentoring others without ego). 

For Karina Eshilian, the wall and ceiling industry has never been “just construction.” It’s community. It’s relationships. It’s pride. And it’s proof that the most powerful leaders aren’t always the ones holding the title; sometimes, they’re the ones building the bridge.

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