2020 Women in Construction: Caroline D’Agostino, Senior Program Director at EBI Consulting

What was your greatest professional achievement or most notable project in the last 12 months? The Thorndike Exchange in downtown Lowell was an incredible project to be associated with as a construction consultant. It is a classic story of urban renewal, where the developer took a run-down mill building adjacent to the commuter rail, and turned it into 60 luxury apartments with numerous amenities. I love the historical preservation that was achieved with this project, and I feel it had an overall positive impact on the community, aesthetically and financially. 

When I’m not working I am…Running, hiking, reading, doing anything that keeps me away from a computer screen.

What are you doing differently in 2020 that has had a positive impact on your career? Having spent 20+ years in construction, I’ve really learned not to be a silent bystander. I am trying harder to get involved in jobs and voice my opinion whether or not I’m being asked to contribute. It gives me more confidence in the field and the office.

What trends are you seeing in your field this year? One of the coolest technologies that I have seen on our projects is the use of drones to monitor construction from an aerial viewpoint. It gives you a perspective that you aren’t able to see from the ground level and can provide detailed information particularly as work progresses. 

Who or what inspired you to join the construction industry? When I was at West Point, I knew I would graduate into the Army, but I wasn’t sure which branch to choose. That changed during Engineer Week in our second summer of training. We built medium girder bridges (portable bridges assembled by hand with no heavy equipment), learned about demolitions and how to prepare fighting positions and breach obstacles. We were also given a chance to try out heavy construction equipment including bulldozers and excavators. All of the hands-on training sold me on choosing the Engineer branch where I became a horizontal (earth-moving) platoon leader.