At Entuitive, we encourage leadership at all levels of our people, who continually inspire us with their talent, courage, and innovative problem-solving.  

We recently sat down with Andrea Green, Intermediate Engineer and Project Manager, who’s not only overseeing many construction engineering projects, but putting her hand up in and outside of work to strengthen her personal and professional growth.

Thanks so much for chatting with us, Andrea. Tell us about your career at Entuitive and where you’ve been taking the lead. 

Thanks for having me. I’m an Intermediate Design Engineer and Project Manager, and I started at Entuitive in January of 2019 when Brown & Company Engineering Ltd. joined the firm. I’ve primarily been managing and delivering projects within our construction engineering service, and I run projects from the very beginning to the very end.  

Within construction engineering, we work directly with the contractor to help them complete their work which means most of our designs are only temporary and will be removed for the final product. For example, detailing the jacking operation of a bridge requires the design of jacking and shoring components to replace the bearings. Once the jacking is complete, the jacking components that were designed are removed. As my example might have hinted, my work is also integrated with bridge engineering in our transportation group. I have been working with both teams and their knowledge centers to create best practice design guidelines and design aids for internal use. 

In addition, for business development, I’ve been reviewing all MTO and other government agency construction contracts and reaching out to clients to put proposals together. 

I’m constantly putting my hand up for new projects. May is a busy time since it’s the beginning of the construction season and everything ramps up quickly. I’m currently working on five different jacking jobs, and they’re all interesting and unique.

Andrea working on a previous project.

That’s great to hear you’re taking the lead on so many different projects. What’s an exciting project you’ve been proud to work on recently? 

I took the lead as a Design Engineer and Project Manager for the construction phase of the Gardiner Expressway, where we rehabilitated Jarvis Street to Cherry Street. It was a great project, where I was able to take charge and push myself out of my comfort zone. I managed Entuitive’s team and a team of subconsultants. I felt like I entered a different world, managing and helping wherever I could to support the success of the project.  

I’m also proud that we were able to get the bridge finished on time during a pandemic with no delays. We didn’t stop working during the pandemic, and we got through our panic period where we were figuring out how we were going to keep working on site while keeping everyone safe and protected. Fortunately, everyone stayed healthy throughout the project, and it was a huge success. 

How else have you been pushing yourself outside of your comfort zone at Entuitive?  

I’m always putting up my hand even when I’m not 100% confident in my ability to complete the task. I believe it’s important to challenge yourself. For example, I rarely communicated with external clients before, but now as a PM, I’m constantly working directly with clients and winning work. It was a bit nerve-racking and uncomfortable at first, but now it’s quite fun and enjoyable. 

Outside of work, I’ve also been pushing myself out of my comfort zone through volunteer work. Lately, I’ve been volunteering in a Grade 4 classroom, where I’ve been teaching an engineering and science related lesson once a month. My most recent lesson was about how eggs are strong depending on which way you compress them. I compared an egg to concrete since concrete is great in compression but not good in tension. Basically, an egg is stronger on its vertical axis than its horizontal axis, so we conducted many experiments with crushing eggs and stacking books. Although a huge mess was made in the classroom, the students were all very into it. 

Another reason I took the time to volunteer is because I believe it’s important for young girls to see themselves represented in engineering. I didn’t have access to this representation when I was a child, so I think it’s great for everyone to see female engineers in the classroom.

Andrea on-site at the Air-link Rail Rehabilitation project.

It’s clear how important improving visibility for women in engineering is for you. What are you hoping to achieve in your career at Entuitive? 

I’m currently working toward my Project Management Professional (PMP) designation and some projects that are applicable include Chief William Commanda Rehabilitation, the Air-rail Link Rehabilitation, and the Gardiner Expressway Rehabilitation.  

In terms of aspirations for my career, one of my main goals has been to design a new bridge which I hope to accomplish in the next few years. 

Another goal of mine is to work as one of the Leaders of Construction Engineering and help more with resourcing and proposal work. I’m fortunate to be a part of our construction engineering team where we have such amazing support, such as asking for time off especially during the pandemic. The Principals and Associates are always very responsive, and I’m looking forward to growing our group and company more.  

Thank you so much for chatting with us, Andrea, and for leading by example when it comes to being better tomorrow than we were today.  

If you would like to reach out to Andrea, you can do so here.