Influential Woman · Construction
Lavanya Vemula
Assistant Project Manager, E-Rade
VA
Her Story
About Lavanya
My journey into architecture and construction began in high school when I decided I didn't want to follow the typical path of medical or engineering professions. I wanted to be a designer, and after visiting historical places in India during an architectural tour, I decided to pursue architecture as my profession. I started as an intern where the company taught us sustainable practices that could eventually lead to high-level townships or net-zero buildings. I took that interest and moved to the States to study a Master's in Architecture, wanting to explore opportunities on the commercial side. I worked for Performance Contracting Group as a design engineer, which helped me understand mission-critical facilities and how they are engineered. Eventually, I moved to E-Rade as an assistant project manager. Throughout my career, whenever I got an opportunity, I worked for an NGO like Nudge, helping underprivileged kids through teaching. Now, as an assistant project manager at E-Rade, I manage site coordination and design work for data centers as a general contractor handling mission-critical projects. I oversee 3 project engineers and 11 site inspectors, working with more than 6 to 7 subcontractors, attending pull plan meetings and boom coordination meetings. My daily routine involves helping subcontractors meet their milestones and deliver projects to the owner on the successful day.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Lavanya
01What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to understanding that change is constant and being adaptable to it. We've seen different eras in just a short time - life with COVID, life with AI, all within the last few years since 2021. We often stay in a comfortable bubble, thinking we don't need to take that extra inch to fulfill something, or we're always in that ambiguity thinking we cannot make it work. But we did all survive - most of us have survived these different difficulties. When you accept and respect change, and understand that change is constant, hurdles become easier. That's what I've learned throughout my journey.
02What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Never be afraid of anything. There's something that sticks in my head always: if you cannot fly, run. If you cannot run, walk. If you cannot walk, crawl, but never stop moving. That's what I would say. Just don't take a pause. Just do small things. Every step will lead to your finish line, or your success rate. So just don't stay paused.
03What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Education is incredibly important to me - I learned this value from my mother, who was the daughter of an English professor but was too scared to finish her own education beyond high school. After getting married, she understood the value of education and saw that education can change tables upside down. She put me into many different paths so I could get educated, whether in business or architecture. I also deeply value validation and support. In this busy world, just taking a pause and saying 'you did great' makes a lot of difference, in and out. When I had the opportunity to study at a public university after being in private schools with great facilities, I saw people coming from different financial backgrounds and learned to respect their lives and how they were surviving. You might fantasize about needing an iPad and being mad about not having it, but there are people just using that iPad to survive, coming from different financial backgrounds. When you see that kind of behavior or lifestyle around you and respect it, you take inspiration from it. I also believe strongly in teaching and mentoring - my grandfather was an English professor, and I learned that teaching or mentoring can change or uplift people.
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