Mentorship has been pivotal in the career development of many professionals at BL Companies. Project Engineer Pedro Martinez, a graduate of the University of New Haven, started with BL as an intern in 2018 and has been with the company for five years.
Pedro credits the ACE Mentorship Program he was involved with in high school for exposing him to his career path. ACE strives to connect high school students with experts in the architecture, engineering, and construction industries. The program gives students a taste of what a project is like in one of these fields and walks them through the ins and outs – from design to site walks to proposal presentations.
“When I first got involved with ACE through my high school, I had aspirations of becoming an architect,” recalls Pedro. “But through a variety of presentations, I ended up becoming interested in engineering, and through the projects I worked on at ACE, I found out I really enjoyed the field. I was still able to collaborate with architects, and engineering was able to give me a taste of just about everything.”
Senior Project Manager Steve Fraysier makes a point of giving back to the University of Hartford, his alma mater, by offering his time. He reaches out to the University every year and makes himself available as a mentor for ongoing senior engineering projects.
“I think it’s important for students to get mentoring from real-world professionals, and universities benefit from it as well,” says Steve. “I know it was beneficial for me when I was a student, and it’s important to me to be able to offer up my time to give back not only to the University, but also to the students. It also has other advantages beyond just helping students who are about to step into their careers. If I can meet with students throughout a semester, I get to learn a little bit about them as a person, and allows me to see if they’d be a potential fit at BL. It gives us a leg up on recruiting while also giving back.”
Part of the BL Culture
Steve started at BL right out of college after an internship the winter before his graduation. Initially interested in traffic engineering, he discovered a passion for highway/road design and infrastructure projects through his early experiences at BL.
“One of the great things about BL is that you get to experience lots of different things. Over the course of a couple of years I learned I was most interested in highway / road design and infrastructure projects. Through my internship at BL, and my first couple of years at the company, I was able to see what goes on behind the scenes on these projects and to figure out my niche.”
During Steve’s first few years at BL, he worked on a lot of different projects from a design perspective, and felt himself falling into more of a management role. When he became a project manager, he took on more of a mentorship role with the young designers, overseeing the work on their projects and making sure they have the tools they need.
“It’s like handing off the baton,” Steve says. “They get the experience they need just like I did, and I’m there to help them along the way.”
Peer Mentorship at BL Companies
“BL Companies is a place of growth,” says Pedro. “It’s a place where I’m encouraged to ask questions, to keep learning, and to seek help when needed.”
Both Pedro and Steve have worked with BL’s Peer Coach program – an initiative that assigns new employees a Peer Coach to introduce them to BL’s culture and answer questions they might hesitate to ask their managers.
“When I started at BL, I had a Peer Coach,” says Pedro. “Now I’m in that role for others. You need to have a willingness to teach, to be open with your mentees, and be patient. When we’re young, we want the people teaching us to have patience, and that’s something I always try to keep in mind. Be patient, listen, and communicate – I think those are the marks of a successful mentor.”
BL’s Principal Engineers set up office hours weekly to answer questions on individual projects and technical aspects of the work, similar to college professors. “There’s great diversity in Principal Engineers at BL,” says Pedro. “They have a ton of experience and are always happy to answer questions.”
The impact of mentorship in the AEC industry extends far beyond individual growth. It creates a ripple effect, enhancing the overall quality and innovation within the industry. As mentors share their knowledge and experience, they help shape the next generation of AEC professionals, ensuring the continued success and evolution of the field.
“Everyone at BL, in one way or another, has served as a mentor for me by inspiring me to do better, to stay accountable, and to keep growing and learning,” adds Steve.