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Breaking Ground Andrea Ball When asking TCC Team members who they look up to you ll often hear the name Andrea Ball As the first member to join TCC alongside Amanda Carlin in January of 2019 Andrea has paved the way not only for the clients she masterfully assists but the culture of TCC itself With 25 years as an owner s representative and a robust design background Andrea brings expert perspective to every project while empowering teams to excel and challenge each other Like many women in construction Andrea s career path was not a straight line she found herself at a crossroads at times and faced moments of doubt which ultimately empowered her on the path she walks today Planting the Seeds From the time Andrea was in elementary school she was always interested in drawing and art With an extended family packed full of designers and engineers she was surrounded by experts in the industry and became interested by what she understood of their work When the time came to enter college Andrea landed on Drexel University as an Interior Design Major but the twists and turns of her career were just beginning Career Path During her time at Drexel University Andrea participated in various Co Op programs and landed her first full time position prior to graduating She worked as an Interior Designer gaining experience in corporate and healthcare projects and about five years into her design role she began questioning her purpose As she worked with clients she found a disconnect between their needs and the designs being produced It was at this point that a question began playing on her mind Why aren t we listening to our clients and why does great project equal big budget With these questions top of mind Andrea was asked to sit in on a meeting with the company s internal project management team They spoke of value engineering and advocating for the client s needs and at the close of this meeting she had a lightbulb moment

Breaking Ground Andrea Ball This was it the group of people guiding the team and making difficult decisions for the sake of the client and project needs She made the transfer to project management and her career took a new and exciting direction Walking Her True Path After 20 years in the industry Andrea s experience has been invaluable She has navigated challenging projects including a City Hall historical courtroom revitalization leading a ground up Center for Childbirth and even the discovery of a burial site halting project work At times she was the only woman on a team but she found ways to balance her work with being a wife and mother Through time management and the support of a dedicated mentor she pushed ahead In her current role as Project Executive at TCC Andrea empowers both her clients and teammates Her ability to see things for what they are and provide mentorship to younger professionals is unmatched She advises them In this role you need to leverage your experience to foresee and prevent any issues for clients Your solutions drive the project forward so make decisions confidently and communicate clearly Be honest with yourself your client and your teams to prepare everyone for the path forward Andrea s professional journey has been filled with challenges unique experiences and realizations But even at this point in her career she keeps her student mentality She continually works on improving herself and approaches challenges with curious eyes Many people consider Andrea a powerful mentor and we can all say that the industry gained a master when she moved into project management Thank you for taking the time to read Andrea s story Stay up to date on Andrea s project successes by following The Carlin Collaborative on LinkedIn