Woman contractor building following.

Barbara Kavovit decided to start her own construction company - six years ago, at the age of 21, and today she has not only completed work for IBM, but is also involved in expanding trendy fashion stores in Manhattan.

Kavovit, who founded Stand-Ins Corp. in 1988, stated that this year looks like a promising one for her company. Last year, Stand-Ins bounced back to do $3.5 million in construction work after a drop in 1992, and Kavovit sees business increasing this year.

"It's been good this year, and hopefully we'll be getting even bigger jobs," said Kavovit, who has a degree in finance from SUNY Oswego. "We're preparing for 1995."

Recently, Kavovit was approached with an offer to expand the hot SOHO fashion store, Oblio, located on Prince Street. Kavovit knew the store's owner, Ertan Zuktrall, from shopping there and he was impressed with her previous work.

"I'd been shopping there for four years and the owner knew I was in construction, so he called me about six months ago and said he was expanding the store and asked if I'd do it," Kavovit said. "I said, 'I'm a contractor, I'll build anything.

To prove her point, Kavovit noted Stand-Ins recent installation of Ralph Lauren's new offices on 55th Street, and the work she is currently doing at an Upper West Side sewer treatment plant, where Stand-Ins is putting in new ceilings under a state contract.

Kavovit's company is also currently renovating a Pathmark super drug store in Brooklyn and recently completed construction of a state-of-the-art recording studio on West 25th Street.

According to Kavovit, she was always interested in construction and loved to walk the streets of Manhattan and observe the projects that were underway.

"I was always interested. I used to walk up Fifth Avenue and think what a great business, what a niche for a woman," Kavovit said. "I saw it as a challenge, and I knew I was honest and could give a good product."

From early childhood, Kavovit said that she was a born entrepreneur and was quite enterprising.

"I have a knack for building businesses," Kavovit said. "I'd give my Dad $20 for a snorkel and I'd sell it for $60. I was always very enterprising."

Describing herself as a perfectionist, Kavovit said she personally stays on top of every job to make sure that every detail is correct and each job is done right.

"His vision for the store seems to expand day by day," said Kavovit, referring to Zuktrall's ideas for Oblio. "He wants a unique SOHO retail atmosphere punctuated by such things as aged wooden beams and wide oak flooring."

"These are not the easiest materials to find in New York." Kavovit added. "But, the bottom line is we'll do it and make it look great."

Kavovit's first major commercial contract was with IBM to renovate the giant corporation's headquarters in Westchester County. Stand-Ins received a two-year contract for all construction at IBM's headquarters in Armonk.

"The contract was extended for another year and it put me on the map," said Kavovit. "Once you've done work for IBM, other companies won't turn you away. Doing work for IBM, you have to follow the strictest standards, rules and backgrounds."

When Kavovit decided to form her own construction company, she began seeking residential jobs by passing out business cards at a shopping center in Westchester Country.

"I had business cards that said home improvements. I didn't have any capital, and I staked out a plot at a shopping center in Scarsdale and started passing out cards like a politician," Kavovit recalled. "I'm detail-oriented, service-oriented, and I like people and can conform."

When Kavovit first started her business, she took carpentry and contracting courses to learn the field from the ground up.

"Stand-Ins Corp was formed in 1988 and started out in residential, we were a true stand-in," said Kavovit. "I provided carpenters and painters, and that's how I got into it."

Kavovit said that she picked the right time to enter the construction field. "I don't know any other woman who does the work that I do, but there is no reason why they shouldn't," Kavovit said. "This business needs the feminine touch."