Heather N. Bilbrey

To be honest, when I started at Element, I was a single mom of three children. My youngest child was six months old, and I needed stability. I needed security, you know, I needed financial security, all of those things. So I think wanting to prove to my children, especially my daughter, that you will find a way, right? I always work really hard to show my sons and my daughter, you know, your wife or my daughter herself, like, you can do all things. Whether you're a parent, whether you're not a parent, a single parent, whether you're married, all things are possible. So my family is really the biggest driver behind my career, and me obviously wanting to promote myself up, and I still want to do that and learn as much as I can. But yeah, I would say family, and then I just really love the work that I do.

Don't count yourself out because of your background. I had no sales experience when I started at Element. I actually have an accounting background and a business management degree, and so I thought I would always be in accounting and procurement. And then I kind of got pulled into this position, and I just fell in love with it. And one of my mentors, you know, I had said to her, I don't know what I'm doing, I am not in sales, like, I don't know how to sell. And she's like, you're not selling it. You know, and don't count yourself out because you don't have that background. And then six months later, I mean, I had just picked it up so naturally and killed it, and so I was happy that I had somebody just rooting me on, to just never count yourself out, regardless of your background, your age, your gender, whatever it may be.

I mentor other women in the industry, and I tell them that all of these things are possible. Speak up for yourself. You know, you might need to know more than the next guy beside you, because unfortunately, you are a woman in a male-dominated industry, and that's just something that we kind of have to deal with. But I try to guide them and show them that they should never count themselves out, regardless of their background, their age, their gender, whatever it may be. I want them to understand that all things are possible, whether you're a parent, whether you're not a parent, a single parent, whether you're married. Just be personable, just be a regular person. Your customers connect with you because you're just a person. I don't really try and sell anything, I just say, how can I help you?

The opportunity is that aerospace and defense isn't going anywhere. Element is one of the top five labs right now, and aerospace and defense is booming, so there's work everywhere, you just have to know where to look. The challenge in our industry is that projects will be rush, rush, rush, and then kind of settle down. I'm still learning, right, so I've been doing this for about a year now, a little over a year, but still just trying to learn how to go buy new work, which I'm getting much better at. My personal struggle in my career has been learning that process. As far as challenges for my lab specifically, we have about 54 people and we're expanding, we're growing. But right now, it's just keeping up with the work. I pull the work in, but can my lab keep up with it? So that's really the main challenge.

Honesty is incredibly important to me. Follow-through matters - if I say I'm going to do something, I do it. I think that's why my customers appreciate and respect me the way they do, because if I tell them it's going to get done, it does. Work-life balance is also crucial. You know, I'm a mom. At the end of the day, still, that is my number one job. Element is super supportive in work-life balance, and that's been a great driver for me to stay with that company. And just determination, I think. I always work really hard to show my children that you can do all things and that all things are possible.