Melissa Branch, PE | Big City Engineers
In this month's member spotlight, Melissa Branch, PE, takes time out of her busy day to chat with SMPS.
Q: What is your favorite part of the job or your most meaningful project?
A: My favorite part of the job is helping people and solving puzzles. That’s why what I do is a good fit. I get to solve puzzles to help people - from parking challenges on existing sites to designing new sites from scratch and everything in between.
Q: What does a typical day look like for you?
A: No day is ever the same, and that’s part of why I love what I do. If I stick strictly to my workday (and not mom duties too), each day is a mix of meetings, research, proposal development, communicating with clients, design work, field observations (largely spring to fall), and coordinating with permitting agencies and construction staff – with marketing, accounting, and society involvement smattered in.
Q: What are your challenges?
A: I hate the telephone. Hate it. I have to get over myself often to run a business.
I don’t mind talking to people; it really is the phone.
I also have a hard time saying no. I’ve gotten better about saying, “not right now.”
Q: What was a pivotal point in your career?
A: There are several, but the biggest one was deciding to make the leap to doing my own thing.
Q: Why is SMPS important to you?
A: What drew me to SMPS was the candor. SMPS was the only place where I engaged with folks from competing firms without the posturing or maneuvering to get info without giving it. People shared successes, failures, lessons learned freely. Now on the board, I feel it’s important to continue to provide the safe space to maintain that level of connection between our members.
Also, as a technical person, SMPS provides me with professional development opportunities that help me round out my knowledge base.
Q: What’s on your bucket list?
A: So many things! One I got to accomplish this year was sharing the joy of chasing fireflies with my son. Pure magic.
Q: Who inspires you? Who do you consider a role model?
A: I don’t have a particular person in mind. I am inspired by the brave – not jumping into crazy situations brave, but the people who live life vulnerable. Who show you the bad and ugly along with the good and beautiful. Imperfect people who are so solidly themselves and give others the grace to be themselves. I am inspired by the people who keep going when the going is tough, and take the time to lift others up, even when they are running on fumes. They make me better and make me want to be better for those around me.
Q: Who do you want to switch places with for a day?
A: My husband. While he works hard to be a true partner, I still bear a large part of the mental load. Part of that is just personality. For one day, it would be nice to just be responsible for just me though and to get out of my own head with the ever-running mental to-do list.
Q: Would you rather attend a sporting event, concert, or neither?
A: Concert, most definitely.
Q: Guilty pleasure: What can you not live without?
A: My eyelash curler and tea.
