Tara McCarthy started out at Turner Construction in 2001 with
a rotation through the project management department.
Fortunately, she was soon able to focus on her real interest,
marketing and business development. Since then she’s
grown into increasingly responsible roles at several different
companies, moving into her current position last November.
McCarthy considers herself fortunate to have had several
women as mentors and colleagues.
“Vicki White at Pennoni Associates has been my guiding light
since the get-go,” she said. “She has taken me under her wing
and taught me a lot about the industry and the market, how
to do research and how to make enduring relationships.”
McCarthy has also enjoyed her professional collaborations
with Sara Collins, an engineer and project manager at Balfour
Beatty Construction.
A seminar presented by Andrea Fitch, then with HITT
Contracting, inspired McCarthy’s involvement in the Society
of Marketing and Professional Services (SMPS). “I was a lowly
marketing coordinator, but I decided at that moment I was
going to get more involved.” As SMPS president in 2013-2014,
McCarthy achieved her goal of speaking personally to every
one of the group’s 287 members. She’s also mentored young
female and male members through SMPS’ Guru Guidance
program. “I want to be a resource for them whenever they
have questions,” she said.
“My success in this industry comes from building and
maintaining truly authentic relationships. Whether it’s
connecting or mentoring people, it’s not always about why, it’s
about how. And trust is at the heart of it,” she said.
McCarthy likes metro DC’s close-knit construction community
and looks forward to seeing more women joining its ranks.
“The university systems are doing an excellent job of recruiting
women into their construction management, architecture and
civil engineering programs. Each year, when I go to recruiting
fairs, I am seeingmore andmore young women show up at the
table. That’s exciting.”
Tara McCarthy
Director of Business
Development
KBR Building Group
Sandy Hennigsen
Regional Business
Development Manager
Froehling & Robertson, Inc.
Sandy Henningsen began her career as a human resources (HR)
manager writing policy manuals for an engineering firm, but
it wasn’t long before she was editing and creating technical
proposals. She eventually left HR behind entirely, moving into
managerial and executive team positions in marketing and
business development.
“You need to make the most of every opportunity to challenge
yourself, expand your knowledge and grow,” she said.
Henningsen found a mentor in her first engineering firm
employer. “My boss was the company founder. He was the
person who noticed my ability and my aspirations,” she said.
“The faith he had in my skills and, most importantly, his
mentorship of my technical understanding of the material I
was working with allowed me to change direction and make
this industry my career. I learned from him that a reward
for a job well done is the opportunity to handle the next
tough assignment.”
Today, Henningsen is active on numerous committees and
boards in construction and engineering industry associations.
She plans eventually to take on association leadership roles
as well. She supports industry outreach to students in middle
school, high school and college. “I believe so passionately
that both men and women can have great careers in this
industry. Being in civil engineering and construction is the
career I never knew that I wanted until I was in the midst of
it. It’s challenging intellectually and scientifically; it’s problem
solving and working with problem solvers.
“I tell every young woman about how much fun the
Architecture/Engineering/Construction (A/E/C) career path
is, how exciting it is to watch something evolve from the
developer’s/planner’s vision into the finished product,” she
added. Another plus is having women and men working
together. “There’s a certain energy there, very positive,”
Henningsen said.
Building Washington 19
