Kelly Beaudreau-Hwang, RA, Senior Project Manager, Principal at BL Companies

How many years have you been in your current field? 27 years 

Which project, deal, or transaction was the “game changer” in the advancement of your career during the last 10 years? The main “game changer” in the advancement of my career was changing companies about three years ago. I went from a strictly architectural firm to BL Companies, an architecture and engineering company. It’s hard to change companies, no matter what the circumstances are behind the change. It’s human nature to stick with what is familiar and comfortable. I had worked for architectural firms my entire career. It was a big transition to have all the engineering services under one roof, and to have my fellow engineers sitting just a few desks away. It increased my understanding of building systems by leaps and bounds! In the few years that I have worked for BL Companies, my knowledge of buildings as a whole has increased tenfold. 

Why or/ How did you decide on the A/E/C industry? I decided in high school that I wanted to combine my creative side with my technical side and go into the field of architecture. I was always looking at buildings whenever I went to a new place and admiring certain houses and buildings. I was in a very small high school, with limited classes available to help build my portfolio to apply to colleges, so I took some classes at a local community college to help me put together a portfolio worthy of the college application process.