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She signed on with Carlson, as an Estimator, and began
putting down roots in New England. She continued estimating
and project planning at Walsh Brothers, where she gained
project management experience working on the preconstruction
of the Boston University Photonics Research Center, a
building constructed just three feet from the Mass Pike.
Moving on
to Barr & Barr, as a Project Executive and later as a VP,
Lisa helped grow the $40 million New England office to a
$120 million presence in 5 years. In 2004 she joined Shawmut
in a hands-on leadership role, overseeing the day-to-day
operations and construction of Dana Hall’s $24 million
athletic facility.
In July,
2005, she joined Commodore.
You were
born and raised in Chicago. What are some of the differences
you’ve observed between East Coasters and Midwesterners?
There are actually a lot of similarities in the
personalities and the pace, but the drivers are definitely
different. They’re way more aggressive here. On my first
trip to Boston I got car sick and had to pull over.
And
Midwesterners will talk to anyone they bump into, from a
grocery store clerk to a movie star on the street. East
Coasters, they speak when they’re spoken to. I find myself
bringing a little of that Midwestern style into day-to-day
interactions here. I’ll strike up a conversation in an
elevator. I don’t care. It’s not what people are expecting,
but you never know who you’re going to bump into…and people
seem to welcome it…even in an elevator.
I probably
don’t have to mention the Boston accent as being like no
other on the planet…it still gives me pause and the
occasional need to translate…and the names of places in New
England are weird…Worcester, Haverhill, Peabody. Where I
come from, towns are named Rolling Meadows, Arlington
Heights. You can’t mispronounce them. But here, I spent the
first 6 months with people laughing at my pronunciation.
Is there
one particular project in your experience that defined you?
Yes. There was a turning point early in my career, when I
went from feeling like a deer in the headlights to
understanding it was okay to be inexperienced, as long as I
was passionate. I was assigned as an Estimator and Project
Planner to the Carlson project team that was building a $60
million Data Center for the Bank of America, in LA. The
light went on for me after I watched the turnover of the
first two floors of the 8-story building. The project moved
at such a rapid pace that it required three 8-hour shifts
throughout the entire project. I was fascinated by the
process. Sometimes I would stay up around the clock, just to
watch. With the help of a mentor, I learned the critical
role that project planning plays in the construction
process. I began to look beyond estimating as the definition
of pre-construction. This team was actually building the
project on paper, prior to construction and execution.
I
witnessed the real-time results of how a planning effort can
make a crucial difference. I loved the dynamics of that
project. The project team was a group of professionals from
around the country, displaced for the duration of this
project. They became more like an extended family in the way
they related to each other. I watched the roles of the
designers and the superintendents, how they worked through
conflict on-site, had friendly conversations over dinner,
came up with solutions that 4 hours later were executed. I
was hooked. My self-confidence was growing. I’d only had a
few years on the job, but in that one year, I gained the
experience of ten.
What are
the motivating factors in your life?
Setting a great example for my children...making an impact
on the end result of a construction project. I’m here in New
England, where there’s such diversity in architecture. I
want to incorporate into my work pieces of the old, the new
and the changing. I also want to show my parents that by
leading through example in their own lives, their efforts
paid off in mine.
Do you
consider yourself competitive?
Just a little. [That answer is accompanied by a wink.] I
love what I do. It’s fun.
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