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Going first: Julia Harrod President at MWM Design Group (Austin, TX), a firm that continues to embody its founders’ core values of personal integrity, responsibility, and service.
By LIISA ANDREASSEN Correspondent
H arrod began her work at MWM Design Group in 1990 as a civil engineering technician. Her energy and determination led her to become the firm’s president in 2007. She helped the firm grow from a civil/survey firm to a multidisciplinary firm that also includes architecture, landscape architecture, and permitting. She’s passionate about her career and has devoted a significant effort to the betterment of the engineering profession as a whole through service to TSPE/NSPE, and to the promotion of careers in STEAM to schoolchildren throughout central Texas. With more than 30 years’ experience, she’s successfully overseen hundreds of utility, roadway, airport, and land development projects. Her primary responsibility is to lead the firm’s strategic initiatives and oversee financial operations. “I come to work each day with the understanding that I’m here to serve all of our staff. They are who I report to,” Harrod says. “As a leader, setting the example is important – ‘going first,’ being willing to do anything I ask of others,
holding myself accountable, showing empathy, and striving for continuous improvement are important cornerstones of my leadership style.” A CONVERSATION WITH JULIA HARROD. The Zweig Letter: The MWM website notes that its focus has always reflected the importance of harmony between work and play. Can you provide some examples and tips for how you make that happen? Julia Harrod: As a long-standing business, it would be easy for us to coast and be “good enough,” but we’ve committed to be excellent through continuous improvement. Our top priority is to be the most “FAWSOME” (For And With) place to work. We evaluate all decisions that we make as a company against our mission to balance being supportive of our people, trusted advisors to our clients, accountable to our company, and good stewards of our community.
THE ZWEIG LETTER OCTO
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