Thoughtfully Building a Career
At the end of Vanessa’s freshman year in college, a mechanic’s job at a bicycle repair shop showed her that hands-on work was what she wanted to do. She loved the tangible results of building something—”the combination of solving problems, creative solutions, critical thinking, and technical skills.” Eventually deciding on construction as a career, she pursued a civil engineering degree as a stepping stone.
“Vanessa is wicked-smart.”
Her first job after college was a project on the Golden Gate Bridge with a design build scope. It didn’t take long to understand that this project delivery method spoke to her. “I really enjoyed the value engineering, and designing with feasibility in mind,” she says. But during this time she also realized that she was interested in moving towards residential construction, so once the project was finished, she took a year and a half to work in residential real estate before joining AT6.
“I like that AT6 is a good size for building close working relationships. I also get to wear a lot of hats.”
Vanessa LEEDY, Project Engineer
Setting Projects Up for Construction Success
As project engineer, Vanessa helps the design team get projects ready for construction. During the design phase, she does budget updates all the way through final pricing, coordinates with subcontractors, helps set up fixture and finish selections, and places orders so items are ready when needed, setting up the build phase to be successful and efficient.
A Team That Fosters Growth
In addition to being drawn to the design build process, Vanessa loves being part of the AT6 team. “I like that AT6 is a good size for building close working relationships. I also get to wear a lot of hats; the breadth of my work is much wider than it would be in a larger organization. Everyone is incredible and has been so willing to mentor me as a younger person in the industry.”
For their part, her co-workers feel the same about Vanessa. One says, “Vanessa has a can-do work ethic. She is thorough and detailed, quick to pick up on process and to understand the goal of the work. She’s a pleasure to work with.” On top of that, she’s “wicked-smart,” according to another colleague. A third says, “I really enjoy working with Vanessa. Her kind and positive demeanor contributes to a harmonious work environment. There is a level of trust in working with her because she is thorough and detail oriented.”
Life Beyond Work
The outdoors calls Vanessa and her partner. They, along with their two cats and dog, travel to June Lake for boating (cats sometimes included!), hiking, skiing, and kayaking. Float trips down the American and Russian Rivers make it into their free-time schedules, and on a beautiful day you might find Vanessa in front of an easel outside somewhere, listening to music and painting.
An avid traveler, she made four trips to Mexico last year alone and one to Brazil. But her interests move indoors, too. She loves live music and standup comedy, and confesses, “I watch a lot of standup.” One place you won’t see her often: swimming in the waters off our northern California coast. Even with her love of the outdoors, this San Diego-native understandably says, “The water here is a bit too cold for me.”
