Michelle Carlson, PE
Executive Director of Land Development and Survey
One of Michelle Carson’s greatest joys in her role at BL Companies is mentoring and empowering her team. She takes pride in witnessing the growth and success of individuals she has hired and mentored, observing them apply the skills and tactics they learned from her to their own teams. Michelle appreciates BL’s agile approach, leveraging its wealth of expertise to deliver client-driven solutions. As an employee-owned company, she recognizes the immense value and camaraderie within the organization, emphasizing that the people truly make the company thrive.
Michelle brings a diverse background spanning over 35 years in engineering, land development, and construction management to her role at BL Companies. Her expertise encompasses various market sectors, including commercial/retail, residential, industrial, municipal, and education projects across the country. Throughout her career, Michelle has successfully led complex, multiphase, and high-profile initiatives, navigating financial constraints and logistics to overcome project challenges. Michelle’s career trajectory showcases her well-rounded expertise, beginning with overseeing the installation of sanitary sewer lines and pump stations in the field, later transitioning to water and wastewater projects, before ultimately finding her passion in land development.
As the Executive Director of Land Development at BL Companies, Michelle holds a pivotal role managing business development, design oversight, project and resource scheduling, multidiscipline project coordination, project financial tracking, land use permitting, construction administration, and client interface. Her project management skills have enabled her to facilitate collaboration among cross-disciplinary teams and establish productive relationships with local, state, and federal agencies. Michelle has also been instrumental in BL’s geographic expansion, moving to North Carolina to help lead BL’s offices in Charlotte.
A member several professional organizations, Michelle remains dedicated to the future of the industry, and focuses on mentoring future professionals. Outside of work, you can find Michelle outside. She enjoys hiking and running, and has competed in half marathons. She’s also passionate about athletics, and dedicates her time to various outreach initiatives related to the preservation of women’s sports.
