About Me

Builder of homes and homepages

I've always been a builder, tinkerer, creator from childhood sandcastles and Lego mansions to a Geocities webpage back in the 90s. In high school, I obsessed over having the best protected egg drop design (my lunchroom straw helicopter took all 🥇) or the fastest CO2 racecar in woodshop. I'm confident the 4th layer of ultra-slick fingernail polish is what made it fashionably aerodynamic. Upon taking AutoCAD classes, I found my digital builder calling. I started with designing basic widgets and progressed to house floorplans. In a class competition I designed and drafted a floorplan in Architectural Desktop then made a 3D model out of foamboard where both the roof and second story were removable for added visualization. These classes positioned me for a college entrance in the civil engineering field.

A fierce Iowa State Cyclone fan and dual-alumni

At Iowa State, I started my Civil Engineering journey in 2003. While the engineering classes were very challenging, I excelled in noticing patterns and focusing on understanding the 'why' of how it all came together. Throughout college I explored career paths through 3 different internships: working in the cartography/digital maps department at the Iowa DOT, as a Field Engineer with American Constructors in Austin, and a Construction Manager with Stanley Consultants in Iowa. I was lucky to have these real-world experiences as they helped me determine that upon graduation I wanted to get my boots dirty putting the real-life Lego pieces together in the field as opposed to the office. I also intended to move somewhere without regular snowfall (you don't have to shovel sunshine! 🌞)

During my sophomore year at ISU I was lucky to spend a semester studying abroad in Newcastle, NSW Australia. It was 6 months of making new friends, attending classes, traveling on long weekends, and exploring a new world. I hope to one day live abroad again, somewhere in Europe (so many castles to explore! 🏰)

In 2006 I was accepted as an MBA candidate, participating in the first class of the concurrent Civil Engr/MBA program. For two years I dove into case studies, presentations, and lengthy in-class debates dissecting real-world business strategy scenarios and problem-solving techniques.

Austin, Texas: the land of cowboy boots and Mexican martinis

I had earned a full-time position as a Project Engineer with my dream contractor, DPR Construction. I liked that the company was forward-thinking and elevating the innovation status of a predominantly archaic industry. We had trainings on Google Sketchup and Revit, and general BIM practices. Despite my enjoyment of this role, the economy in 2009 had other plans for me, and downgraded me to the unemployment list.

After many months of searching I was hired by JC Evans, a heavy highway and utility general contractor. I worked on 2 TXDOT projects in Ennis and Waco, Texas, building 18 miles of highway and 12 bridges. Late-night concrete pours of bridge decks were my favorite (I'm not kidding!) Unfortunately, JCE also struggled in the state of the economy and I moved back to the commercial interior finish world with a different builder, Harvey-Cleary Builders.

Throughout my time at HCB I worked on some really fun interior buildouts, including a Whole Foods IT office-space with creative murals, and a LEED certified data center/warehouse for HID, among many others.

After my time at HCB I entered the world of residential construction, working in supply chain for one of the nation's largest homebuilders, PulteGroup. Over 8 years I managed over 50+ trades and contributed to the builds of roughly 8,000+ homes in Central Texas. My favorite part was working with designers and manufacturers to hand-pick the finish programs of flooring, countertops, etc. that new homeowners would choose to personalize their home. It was exciting to see the style trends change with time, as well as the innovations.

In my spare time

Outside the M-F 9-5 you'll find me planning trips with my girlfriends to go hiking, try new restaurants, and partake in a historical ghost tour. I've been lucky to travel the world and some of my favorite countries are New Zealand, Scotland, and Italy. I haven't yet been everywhere, but it's on my list.

I'm often found in a plush chair with black coffee or red wine (or both!) nestled in a good book. My 2023 goal is to read 50 books and I'm making great progress so far.

My newest learning-quest has been the SheCodes coding bootcamp workshops, started in January 2023. While challenging, coding has sparked my creativity and puzzle-oriented brain and I hope to expand on my front-end developer resume in the future. Check out my Coding page to see my projects.