Her Story
About Britta
I work in architectural sales, where my primary goal is to get architects to specify the products I represent in building plans when they draw them. This doesn't guarantee those products will be used when the building is built, but it gives us a much better shot and allows us to have visibility of projects very early on. My company gives me the flexibility to do the job in the way I believe is going to be effective, and I believe that adults are grown-up children and we still like to have fun, so I make it fun and engaging. I do a lot of public speaking, which is insane because I never really set out to be a public speaker, but I get to play trivia with people and do lots of group speaking. I meet lots of different personalities, and I love architects and designers in general - I just love the way their brains work. It's so cool to get to be a part of creating something. Whenever I see our projects get completed, something I've been working on where I may have played a small role in it, it still feels personal, it feels like it's mine. I work with all kinds of different people - contractors who are actually building the buildings, subcontractors who are putting the actual building together, general contractors who are organizing and running the show, and architects and designers who are imagining these things and creating them. I get to work with a lot of different types of customers and people who all have different wants and needs and things that are important to them, so it keeps you on your toes.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Britta
01What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
I think architectural sales is a very accessible, lower stress type of sales. One of the great things is that my company gives me the flexibility to do the job in the way that I believe is going to be effective. The opportunities include working on diverse projects - I might talk about a stadium project, then shift to single-family new construction, then a new hospital or airport renovation. It's cool to be part of creating something and seeing projects get completed. As for challenges, reading building plans is difficult if you don't have the schooling for it - they are large and very in-depth. There are so many different facets to construction, and you can lose a project at any stage, so you always have to be on your toes. I would be remiss not to mention that the percentage of women in construction is growing quickly, but you're still outnumbered. I do think the stigma perhaps keeps women out, or we don't necessarily have the father bringing their son in behind them kind of thing - we don't have that as much with women getting brought into it by a mentor. But I have found the construction field to be very inviting and open to and welcoming as a woman in construction.
02What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Doing what you say you're going to do is probably the most accessible and most important thing that you can do, and unfortunately it's not always done. Answering your phone, being accessible, being there, and when something happens on a project or somebody needs you in the 11th hour - because these architects and designers and contractors have hard deadlines - if we are supporting them in a project and partnering with them, we can't leave them hanging in the 11th hour. Really taking care of our partners and their needs is super important. Just listening to them and what needs to be done and helping them, because I am almost like the liaison. They have this vision or this thing that they are trying to create, or conditions they need to meet, and I am the tool to help them bridge the gap between how do we use your products to achieve this desired goal. Being a team player is important, and always being kind to others, even though things get stressful. No matter what, I try to always just be kind to others. That is a value just in general and with this line of work.
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