One of the newest members on the board is Andrea Pender, a 2004 graduate from the College of English. Pender calls herself the “anomaly of the board” as she is the only member that didn’t graduate in the Lamb School, but her connection to the Lamb School, not unlike many COM students now, can be attributed to her communication minor.
What is your favorite Purdue memory?
I have a few favorite Purdue memories:
- The friendships – this isn’t one specific person, but being away from home and by myself for the first time was a time to find friends, who will become your support system over the next few years! Those friendships will help you day in, and day out, when you are in college.
- I am not an avid sports fan, but the football games are so memorable. It was such a change from the tiny little high school I attended who didn’t even have a football team because it was so small!
What is your top piece of advice for current Purdue students?
Get involved. I wish I had gotten more involved while I was in college and I am constantly telling my co-workers to get involved now as an adult. Being part of a group gives you conversation starters, a sense of belonging, and a group of people who are all interested in the same thing you are!
What impact do you hope to make as a member of the advisory board?
I hope to help with curriculum for the skills that are really needed in the real world. As the Director of Business Development for a civil/structural engineering firm I see so many people who did not learn simple communication skills – small talk, email correspondence, public speaking, etc. I know everyone is not a natural communicator but having the skills and knowledge to grow in that area is huge. It’s easier to learn and implement these things when you are younger – compared to being taught these skills when you are fifty years old.
Could you talk a little about your current role and how you got there?
I am currently the Director of Business Development for RLG Consulting Engineers. My path to arrive at RLG was not the expected route, but most paths are not a straight line.
My first job after college was teaching 7th grade English, but after a couple years I just knew it wasn’t the right fit. I had a passion for photography and that was the perfect time to try something new. My last year as a teacher I started building up my photography business and at the end of that school year I knew I could make the same salary working for myself so I decided to give it a shot.
I had my photography business for about twelve years and learned so much. As a business owner I learned the business side of things such as taxes, marketing, and bookkeeping. There was also the constant learning of how to streamline the editing, ordering, and delivering the finished product. The fun part of photography was only a tiny portion of owning the photography business. The industry began to change with the price of professional equipment became more affordable and it was hard to compete with people who weren’t charging anything or who were just taking pictures as a fun side hobby. I always appreciate good competition – this is the person/company who charges fair market value and is talented. The bad competition – the people working for free, or close to free – changed the market and made me realize it was time to move on.
At this point, I had to figure out a way to translate my skill set into the corporate world. With so many years of business ownership the role of Business Development was the perfect fit. My husband is in the commercial construction industry, so I was able to use some of his connections to get interviews and start in the industry myself! I am able to talk to clients and bring in projects for my engineers to complete and I truly love every minute of it.
How have these varied experiences helped you in your career?
The skills that I learned along the way really made me very well rounded – and ultimately more marketable.
Let’s start with teaching. This was my first job out of college, and I learned a TON. I learned all about working as a team, dealing with co-workers, public speaking, and a million other things we all learn at our first real job. When I owned my photography business, I learned all about running a company. It was a much smaller scale company than RLG Consulting Engineers, but the bones of business ownership were there.
There are so many little skills that I learned over the years as well, but they have all merged together to make me a smart businesswoman who is able to understand the numbers and also have the ability to work with clients. Being personable is probably the thing that sets me apart – I really do care about the clients I am working with. I absolutely love teaching my co-workers how to build the same type of relationship so we are doing work with people we know, like, and trust.
How do you incorporate your interests into your career?
I incorporate my interests into my career by leading by example and inviting my coworkers and clients into my world. Conversation is a huge part of my role at RLG – I am building relationships with potential teaming partners and clients. Part of that is talking about what I do outside of work.
I have an active social media account, so they can follow along and see the different books I am reading (I am an avid reader….and President of my local library board!), what kind of vegan food I am cooking, or just life behind the scenes when I am at the gym and hanging out with my husband and dogs.
Like so many people, I consider myself a Foodie and most of my meetings are done over a meal. It’s nice being able to try new places or go back over and over to a few I have fallen in love with! People appreciate a good meal!