Heather Bartlett

Women serving in the construction services industry are rare. But if you knew Heather Bartlett during her childhood, then it would come as no surprise to discover that her career path has led to her position as Program Manager and Supervising Construction Engineer in the Atlanta, Georgia, office of PB's Construction Services company (PBCS).

Heather's father was a chemical engineer whose summer hobby was building and refurbishing old homes and apartments. Armed with a construction crew consisting of Heather and her two older brothers, the family built a house and a cottage, and renovated two apartment buildings in Kingston, Ontario. The family moved to the U.S. when she was 15, building its house in Clover, S.C., and later renovating a 14-unit apartment complex in Charlotte, N.C., the following next summer.

"From a very young age, it seemed like I always had a hammer in my hand," Heather says.

Today Heather is managing construction projects of a much larger nature, ranging from commercial and educational buildings to rapid transit facilities. She serves as Program Manager for PB on the $110 million Statewide Management Assistance program for the Georgia State Finance and Investment Commission (GSFIC). PB is providing construction management oversight for building projects throughout the state that range from $300,000 to $12 million, including the renovation, expansion and new construction of various college, Georgia Department of Transportation and Georgia Bureau of Investigation facilities.

"The main challenge of the GSFIC program has been dealing with three different directors in three years," Heather says. "Each time a change was made, PB had to adjust to the new director's way of performing construction management. But it's been very rewarding to participate in a project that directly aids education."

Just as rewarding has been her success in the face of stereotypes as a woman in the construction industry. After beginning her career in Atlanta as an administrative assistant at the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA)-"I think I'm the only P.E. [professional engineer] who started out with PB as a secretary," she says-Heather has climbed the engineering ladder. She joined PB in 1993, and has risen from office engineering assistant to office engineer, field engineer, resident engineer and now project engineer.

But it hasn't necessarily been a smooth road. Despite her considerable skills, Heather has had to overcome the institutional stereotype that construction engineering and management is solely a man's world. "It was hard for clients to accept my position as a woman in construction-they didn't think I could handle the tasks," she says. "Even people I know tell me that they don't see women being able to manage and oversee construction projects."

PB, on the other hand, is quite secure in Heather's management abilities. In addition to her duties on the GSFIC project, she is in charge of Quality Control/Quality Assurance for the $159 million I-285 Structures project at Atlanta's Hartsfield International Airport, also known as the Fifth Runway and Taxiway over I-285. This complex design/build effort will create a 21-meter (70-foot) "runway in the air" over a busy, 10-lane highway.

Dewey Martin, Senior Vice President and Southeast Regional Manager for PBCS, knows firsthand the advantages Heather brings to the firm. After all, he has known Heather since her MARTA days and was instrumental in her initial assignments with PBCS

Dewey says, "Not only is Heather technically qualified, but she combines that expertise with a personable, friendly style that enables her to get to know clients on a personal level. Having her on our team is quite the advantage for PBCS."