This week’s Industry Person of the Week is Melonie Hart, PE, ENV SP. Melonie is a Civil Project Manager for Paradigm Design.
Q: How did you get started working in your field?
Melonie: I was hired as a summer intern at 20 years old at a small Civil Engineering & Surveying company and worked under the (1) Engineer at the company. He was my first mentor in the field of Civil Engineering and solidified my college studies and career choice.
Q: What do you love the most about your job? What are you most proud of?
Melonie: In the field of land development, I love that I can be a part of a project that can just start with an idea or vision and evolve into something beneficial for the community. I am most proud that I know I have the capability to recommend sustainable ideas throughout design, in an effort to improve the environment for future generations.
Q: What advice would you give to someone considering this line of work or new to the field?
Melonie: Engineers are not known to be the most outspoken types of people, however, to make a positive impact on the design of project, there are many times when you may need to challenge the ideas of those that seem more powerful than you or recommend better alternative designs. Do what you can to develop communication skills, consider taking negotiation classes and get your PE to push you to never stop educating yourself through the use of PDH requirements, because the field of Civil Engineering is constantly changing.
Q: Can you talk about a project you recently worked on?
Melonie: I’m currently working on a 32-acre multi-use development that could transform an area of a City along Lake Michigan. The site has many hurdles including contamination and erosion. The idea for the project is to enhance the property, bring economic development to the community, make use of on old vacant industrial property, repair the shoreline and open the boardwalk to the public all while working with the permitting jurisdictions to address their comments about the design.
Q: Anything Else you would like to add?
Melonie: The field of Civil Engineering is vast and will be very essential in the future to manage heavier rains, and other climate-related issues. A Civil Engineer needs to think in multiple dimensions by considering the vision of the stakeholder and all others involved with the project, while weighing the climate impacts of the project throughout design. By leveraging relationships and the voice of the Engineer, opportunities to discuss sustainable ideas need to be taken throughout the timeline of the project’s development. Do not be afraid to propose SUSTAINABLE tweaks to the VISION. Every effort to implement sustainable ideas, however big or small, is needed right now.
THANK YOU, MELONIE! WE LOOK FORWARD TO KEEPING UP WITH YOU THROUGH THE #PUMPTALK COMMUNITY!
KNOW AN AMAZING PERSON WHO IS MAKING VALUABLE CONTRIBUTIONS WITHIN INDUSTRY? NOMINATE THEM TO BE AN “INDUSTRY PERSON OF THE WEEK”!
