Mary Clayton

What does it take to grow a PB office from scratch?
Community ties, optimism, supportive bosses and a large dining room table, if Mary Clayton is any indication.

In 1998, Mary set up the Americas Infrastructure company’s Charlotte, North Carolina, office in her formal, antique-filled dining room. “It was just me and my Dalmatian, who was ‘set off’ every time FedEx made a delivery—and it was always when I was on the phone to clients.”

Undaunted, and no stranger to taking the lead, the native North Carolinian drew on experience and contacts from her days as a managing executive in various city, state and private organizations, including a partnership in a woman-owned transportation consulting firm with contracts in 20 U.S. locations. By rekindling professional contacts, as Area Manager she immediately landed a contract from the North Carolina Department of Transportation (DOT) and shortly thereafter PB was chosen for both the oversight team for the city of Charlotte’s long-range transit vision and for the city of Charlotte’s North and Northeast Corridor Major Investment Study.

She’s since returned her dining room table to its original function and set up shop in downtown Charlotte, managing eight professionals with diverse skills and an impressive roster of public and private clients in the areas of transit, planning, highways and traffic analysis. “Clients are very impressed with the capabilities we can offer them,” says Mary.

“Mary is a highly accomplished area manager and project manager with her own credentials. She has done a wonderful job positioning PB in the Charlotte community, and has run a profitable operation for the last two years,” says Lisa Nungesser, Atlantic District Manager for the Americas Infrastructure company. “Mary also has an infectious positive outlook on the future. That's been a big part of her success.”

With a master’s degree in urban geography, Mary has made a technical specialty of transportation demand management (TDM), the art and science of reducing traffic congestion. In November 2002, she will celebrate her fifth year as the sole TDM consultant for the North Carolina DOT. “I use TDM as a way to help communities solve their congestion management problems,” says Mary, who educates employers statewide on such TDM strategies as telecommuting, vanpooling and other alternatives to driving to work alone.

Her fascination with urban life extends well beyond her professional duties to a full round of activities within the community. A past president of the Kiwanis Club and a member of the Charlotte Civic Partners, Mary is also involved with the city’s Presbyterian Hospital, both in its Rock the Babies program to comfort infants who are ill and in a feasibility study to add a new pediatric wing. “These activities are important to my life,” she says.
Mary is quick to credit all those with whom she works, from Linda Barnhill, the office’s Administrative Assistant/Receptionist, who keeps the office “running,” to right-hand deputy Lynn Purnell and to the person who originally hired her, Dave McAlister, Lisa’s predecessor and currently Managing Director of PB’s Europe Infrastructure company. “Lisa and Dave have been wonderful mentors. They saw to it that I had the tools I needed, but gave me a lot of latitude. They knew that ultimately it’s the office’s relationship to the community that makes everything click.”

If that’s the case, then under Mary’s direction the Charlotte office will be clicking for years to come.