Her Story
About Sarah
Sarah Grossman serves as Manager at Exponent, where she focuses on construction consulting for utilities, including large transmission line projects and substation work such as the Caltrain electrification upgrades. She launched her career in 2008 with Swinerton Builders, a general contractor, gaining hands-on experience on office building projects in downtown San Francisco, then continued at Balfour Beattie on hospitality projects including the Grand Hyatt. After joining Exponent in 2015 in Oakland, she left in 2018 when her family relocated to Denver and returned to the firm in 2024 following interim roles as Director of Construction and Facilities at Core Power Yoga and Director of Design and Construction at Teriyaki Madness. Sarah earned her Bachelor's of Science in Management with a minor in Entrepreneurship from Villanova University and holds LEED AP certification along with a certificate in construction. She contributes to the industry through her role on the Executive Committee of the Edison Electric Institute, serving on the Transmission Committee and Emerging Technology Subcommittee. Sarah attributes her success to the unwavering support of her parents and husband, values trust and a strong moral core in her work, and advises young women entering the field to embrace their passion without fear while learning from those around them.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Sarah
01What do you attribute your success to?
I would attribute my success to my parents. They have always been my cheering squad, my parents and my husband, I have the best support system. I couldn't do what I do without my family around me. My parents always let me challenge myself, work outside of my perceived abilities. My husband is always family first and he is the first to say hey I've got this I've got you. Those two pieces of support have just allowed me to grow which has been incredible.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
Best career advice actually came from my Father Lee at Villanova. He goes if it's not good it's not over. That is the most poignant piece of advice you could give everyone because there are times in our lives when things are tough. In the end it will all be okay. Follow what really fits you regardless of the noise.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Don't be scared. Don't be scared take your passion and run with it really enjoy it. The biggest turn-off is the perceived male-dominated industry. I've had so much fun in my career mostly being the only woman at the table. Stick with it and being a fly on the wall when it's appropriate. I spent my first few years just soaking up all the knowledge and learning from those around me. Stick with it be true to yourself and don't be afraid.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
AI for sure. AI is a huge challenge and an opportunity in and of itself. There's some wonderful ways that we can harness the power of AI but it also can be the end of the industry as we know it. Hallucinations improper documentation there's just a whole host of things going on right now. As much as it can help us build smarter we still need really smart people to manage it. We're at that same point where AI has this really powerful tool. We haven't really figured out how to use it quite yet so we need to keep working with it and figure out how to best use it to support us.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Trust is a huge thing. When you work in teams and you work in this industry trust is a hallmark right? Trust and your own moral core I think are the biggest for me across the board. Being trustworthy building trust as a team is the only way forward. Sticking to your moral core sticking to your values and bringing your values to the table right? Like empathy and kindness and understanding and support and growth and lifting each other up.
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