Biggest Challenges For A Construction Project Manager At HELIX Environmental Planning
Claire's biggest challenge as a Construction Project Manager at HELIX Environmental Planning Inc. was "building and growing a team," especially during the initial years when "cold calling" and networking were crucial for business development in a niche industry. This competitive environment, with only a few similar contractors, required significant effort to build qualifications and secure projects, but five years of dedication finally yielded substantial growth and team expansion.
Team Building, Business Development, Project Bidding, Networking, Growth and Resilience
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Claire Watkins
Construction Project Manager
HELIX Environmental Planning Inc
Oregon State University
Environmental & Related Sciences
Consulting & Related Professional Services
Operations and Project Management
Scholarship Recipient, Took Out Loans, Worked 20+ Hours in School, Greek Life Member
Video Highlights
1. Building and growing a team in a niche industry requires significant effort, including business development through networking and cold-calling, and overcoming challenges in bidding on competitive projects.
2. The environmental consulting industry, particularly in habitat restoration, is a niche market with limited competition, yet securing projects remains challenging due to the competitive bidding process.
3. Success in this field requires perseverance and strategic planning; after five years of hard work, the interviewee is finally seeing the rewards of their efforts, demonstrating the long-term nature of career growth in this area.
Transcript
What's your biggest challenge in your current role?
One of the biggest challenges, honestly, is trying to build and grow a team here. When I started in an entry-level role, one of our primary goals as a team was to build our team. We've had really good success and are finally hitting a point where we're experiencing exponential growth.
The first couple of years were challenging. You're trying to break through in an industry and area where you don't have a lot of influence. A lot of the business development I was trying to get started involved cold calling other agencies or developing clients.
I also attended many networking events to get our name out there and meet new contacts, distributing my business card to as many people as possible. I think that has been the hardest part.
Dealing with bidding on competitive projects is also challenging. The environmental consulting world isn't massive. Particularly in habitat restoration, like what we do, there are only a couple of other contractors very similar to us that we typically see when bidding on public projects.
It is still competitive because we're all trying to grow and build. You have to build up your qualifications for specific projects. So, the process to get there has probably been the biggest challenge.
This year, after five years, we are finally reaping the rewards and benefits, seeing the growth, and adding more people to the team. It feels like I can finally take a deep breath and feel like all the work has really paid off.
Advizer Personal Links
LinkedIn: Claire Watkins