Today’s guest is Heather Hetherington. Heather has nearly 20 years of experience as a strategy and business professional. As an Associate and owner at Kimley-Horn, Heather is responsible for the creation and execution of strategic business and marketing plans for the firm’s development services and energy (electric vehicle) market sectors in Florida and across the country. In this episode you'll learn all about Heather including how she survived breast cancer, why she loves EV planning, and how she once had a conversation that lead her firm to working on Brickell City Centre.
Welcome back to the She’s Wild the Podcast for Women In Land & Development. Today’s guest is Heather Hetherington. Heather has nearly 20 years of experience as a strategy and business professional. As an Associate and owner at Kimley-Horn, Heather is responsible for the creation and execution of strategic business and marketing plans for the firm’s development services and energy (electric vehicle) market sectors in Florida and across the country. Her expertise also includes private land development such as mixed-use, residential, and healthcare. Her expertise in these areas and relationships with key partner groups and clients has allowed her to help drive significant growth in these sectors over the past 15+ years of her career at Kimley-Horn.
Heather is a graduate of the University of Central Florida and is a member of the Urban Land Institute (ULI), Innovating Commerce Serving Communities (ICSC), and Women in Healthcare (WIH). Currently, she is serving as President of the Florida Chapter of Women in Healthcare and she sits on the Women's Leadership Committee for ULI Southeast Florida/Caribbean Council’s District Council.
In this episode you'll learn all about Heather including how she grew her role at Kimley-Horn, how she survived breast cancer, why she loves EV planning, and how she once had a conversation that lead her firm to working on a billion dollar development project in Miami known as the Brickell City Centre.
Memorable Moments:
3:47- I was raised by an entrepreneur; My father had his own business for more than 20 years. And he always told me, don't work for a company, have your own business, do your own thing. And so I was never the type. I'm not a risk taker. I like the comfort that a big company allows. But I was looking for that opportunity in a company where I could really kind of create my own path, and create my own role.
5:12- About five years into working with our healthcare practice builders on growing that practice in Florida, I was diagnosed with breast cancer. So I'm a breast cancer survivor. And after that, health care became much more personal, and I became much more passionate about it. And so since then, I've become much more involved in the healthcare industry as a whole.
7:44- I think for a woman to have a short haircut like that. I think it exudes a difference. And to be confident with that haircut. I mean, I think it just makes people take notice. And I think people just assume that you mean business. And it opened some doors for me that hadn't been opened previously, which I thought was pretty interesting.
10:37- The greatest thing about Kimley-Horn, and the reason I've been here so long is because of the people, our people are just fantastic. They are some of the smartest people I've ever met.
18:27- We spend so much time at work; our careers are so important to us. And you really want to do the best that you can do. And you can't do that if you're not receiving some constructive criticism along the way, either. And so I made the commitment to myself and to my team, that I would always be that type of person, that if you were looking for that type of feedback, or you really wanted it, I was someone that you could come to, and I would give it to you.
20:42- I think a key of personal growth, too, is just asking people for feedback constantly. And looking at it as a gift. And you know, you should always ask different types of people in different roles. Because you, you know, some people are very willing to be blunt and honest, and others aren't. And so you need to kind of touch a variety of people and get feedback from different types of people in different roles as well.
24:10- To be in this industry for 16 years, and then learn something completely new is really exciting, and it's been a great opportunity. And I think electric vehicles are something that a lot of our clients, both public and private, are looking at. And it's really been exciting. And I think it's an area that if you're not focused on it you probably should be.
29:37- Once you're in the industry, I always recommend ULI because I was told very early on in my career that it's the best organization for connections and relationships, and it really has been.
Connect with Nancy:
Instagram: https://instagram.com/nancysurak
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nancysurak/
Website: www.nancysurak.com
Connect with Heather:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/heather-hetherington-4008853/
About Brickell City Centre: https://www.brickellcitycentre.com/assets/images/uploads/BCC-Press-Kit-9-2-2016.pdf
https://www.brickellcitycentre.com/
Heather’s Book Recommendation:
She's WILD Sound Production by:
Luke Surak, Surak Productions: surakproductions@gmail.com
Nancy Surak 00:00
Welcome to She's Wild, the podcast for women in land and development. I'm your host, Nancy Surak. I created this podcast as a way to collect conversations of women in the land and development industry. I've been a land broker on the west coast of Florida for nearly 20 years. And I love to empower other women and to tell them about this amazing industry. But I find often that there just aren't enough women being featured on big stages, whether that's at local conferences, or nationally. So I set out to find these women myself that are killing it in my business across North America that are changing the communities that they live in every single day, whether they're building condos, multifamily, single family, office, or industrial projects. I hope that you will find this space to be inspirational, motivating, and educational. From time to time, I will feature women who are not only in my business, but also career coaches, and motivational speakers. Today's guest is Heather Hetherington, with Kimley Horn out of Southeast Florida. Heather, welcome to the show. I'm excited to have you here. I've known you for a few years now. But before we dive into the good stuff on the interview, I'd really like for you to just take a minute to tell us a little bit more about who you are, what your title is, and the role that you're currently playing in your professional job. Thank you, Nancy.
Heather Hetherington 01:32
Hello, everyone. I'm Heather Hetherington with Kimley Horn. My role here at Kimley Horn is a Senior Marketing Specialist. I've been with the firm for 16 years, I'm an owner in the firm. And really my role is focused around growth. So I focus on growing practices and our private sector in the region and in the firm.
Nancy Surak 01:53
Nice. So have you you've been there for quite some time. How many years?
Heather Hetherington 01:58
16
Nancy Surak 01:59
16. And did you work with engineers and planning firms prior to that?
Heather Hetherington 02:05
So I did work with a smaller firm before I joined Kimley Horn, and it was engineers who were focused mostly on the public sector. at that firm, it was a small firm, and there really wasn't anywhere for a person that wasn't an engineer to kind of grow and advance in the firm. And so I started looking for other opportunities. I was enjoying what I was doing in marketing. But I knew that I wanted somewhere where I could really grow and advance in my career. And so I started looking for something else. And I found Kim Lee horn. And that opportunity was for the private side of things, which you know, commercial real estate very, very exciting, very interesting. Lots of different types of projects, lots of different opportunities. And so I applied for the job and got it which was amazing. And it's completely changed my life.
Nancy Surak 02:54
Wow, it completely changed your life. So So tell me a little bit more about that. How so.
Heather Hetherington 02:58
So when I started, I was a marketing coordinator. And so my role was pretty much to help the firm win work by putting together deliverables, marketing materials and things like that. Very early on in my career, I was a part of the mentorship program for some of our young engineers, teaching them how to market and when work. And after doing a series of those presentations, I got to learn from some of the best project managers we call them practice builders internally on how to market and win work. And I thought to myself, Well, hey, I can do this too. You know, I, I understand the business. I'm good at relationships, I'm good, you know, meeting people and things like that. And so I asked if I could kind of create a new path for my role. And the thing that's really great about our firm is it's very entrepreneurial. I was raised by an entrepreneur, my father had his own business for more than 20 years. And he always told me, like, don't work for a company, you know, have your own business, do your own thing. And so I was never the type. I'm not a risk taker. I like you know, the comfort that a big company allows. But I was looking for that opportunity in a company where I could really kind of create my own path create my own role. And Kimley Horn gave me the ability to do that. When I asked to kind of shift my role, it was in the middle of the recession. And so I got a lot of support. It was kind of like, Hey, you want to go help grow practices in the middle of a recession? Go for it, you know, more power to you. And so I've been doing that ever since. My role now is very strategic. It's very focused on growth. And I bring energy and focus to a lot of the efforts where we're trying to diversify our practice areas. So for example, I've helped grow over the last several years. Our healthcare practice in Florida and across the firm healthcare scenario that I'm very passionate about. I've been working on it for about 10 years. When I started working on health care It was just, you know, an area that I was really, really focused on. And I liked personally because I feel like when you're working on healthcare practice projects, you're impacting your community as a whole. And then about five years into working with our, you know, our healthcare practice builders on growing that practice in Florida, I was diagnosed with breast cancer. So I'm a breast cancer survivor. And after that, health care became much more personal. And I became much more passionate about it. And so since then, I've become much more involved in the healthcare industry as a whole. And then now I'm excited to say that I'm also serving as the president of the Florida chapter of women in health care. And that's a nonprofit organization that's focused on the advancement of women in the healthcare industry. They provide mentorship opportunities, leadership opportunities, and educational opportunity. So it's been a long journey, but a really exciting one.
Nancy Surak 05:56
That's a really interesting story. I did not know that about your recovery and your survivorship. I'd love to just kind of take a minute and just pause there. Were you working at Kimley, you said you were working at Kimley Horn when that occurred?
Heather Hetherington 06:11
Absolutely. Yes. Did you work all the way through the cancer treatment? Yeah, everything I la I know, went through chemo, lost my hair but got a wig and continued to do my job. And as soon as I could ditch it, I did. And
Nancy Surak 06:27
the wig or the job?
Heather Hetherington 06:28
No, the wig and I rocked the buzz cut for, you know, several months. And it was, you know, interesting. A woman, you know, with a crew cut and this industry definitely stands out. And you definitely find yourself in some interesting conversations and situations when you've got a haircut like that. But overall, I mean, the firm could not have been more supportive of me. And it was really, really fabulous.
Nancy Surak 06:54
That's awesome that they were supportive. But now my curiosity is really piqued. What was the strangest thing or conversation that happened to you, when you were going through all of that with either the buzz cut or during the whole process? like tell me something that you just didn't see coming.
Heather Hetherington 07:11
So there was one instance actually where I was at a ULI event. We're both involved in ULI. And I went to a meeting that was in a boardroom, and I kind of walked in with my super short haircut. And I noticed right away that everybody was kind of like look took notice. And shortly after that, I was asked to be on the Management Committee for our district council. And I swear it had everything to do with the hair.
Nancy Surak 07:37
Because you think you were looking like a total badass, or?
Heather Hetherington 07:42
I think so it just kind of I think for a woman to have a short haircut like that. I think it exudes a difference. And to be confident with that, that haircut. I mean, I think it just, it makes people take notice. And I think that, you know, they just assume that you mean business. And it opened some doors for me that hadn't been opened previously, which I thought was pretty interesting.
Nancy Surak 08:04
Very interesting. Thank you for sharing that. So going back to before you worked for the first engineer, what did you go to college for?
Heather Hetherington 08:14
So I went to school thinking that I was going to be a broadcast journalist. I paid my way through school. So I had a job all through school, when you want to be a broadcaster, you have to, you know, work at the radio station, work as a TV station, and then write for the newspaper. And because I was working full time, that really wasn't an option for me, I have bills to pay. So I ended up graduating with a general communications degree, and kind of wasn't sure what I wanted to do. My mom was working in HR for an engineering firm at the time, and they needed someone to help with their marketing. So I kind of stumbled into it. But I really never looked back. And it's been a great industry to be a part of.
Nancy Surak 08:57
So since we're getting to know each other, I'm going to tell you two things we have in common that you don't think you know, so actually came into the industry through being a marketing coordinator,
Heather Hetherington 09:07
oh okay,
Nancy Surak 09:08
for our construction company, like eons ago, and then I worked for engineers, and I'm not unlike you would do brown bags, where I would teach engineers, how to network effectively how to go ask for business. So we have that very much in common and that yeah, whatever. 18-20 years ago, I was like, I don't want to do that anymore. I want to go be a broker. But before that, I actually have my master's in mass communication from UF in journalism. So I didn't want to be on TV and I didn't want to do radio. Which is like so much irony now that I have a podcast.
Heather Hetherington 09:43
I was gonna say How interesting.
Nancy Surak 09:44
Yeah, I actually, I applied for the university's like radio station when I was at UF and didn't get the job because I didn't have the right voice. Which is so funny. But in any case, I wasn't that wasn't why I was there. I wanted like a PR degree. So and that's served me actually pretty well. But I mentioned didn't know that then you know a couple of things and alignment. But I'm sure, like you and the way you talk about Kimley Horn and the people you work with, like, I really loved working in that environment. I loved working with these incredibly talented and brilliant engineers who could change the face of our communities. And in really cool ways. I'm actually married to a civil engineer, and people don't give them I think enough credit for just making our world go round. So.
Heather Hetherington 10:33
They really doubt Yeah, and really, I mean, to me, the greatest thing about Kimley Horn. And the reason I've been here so long is because of the people, our people are just fantastic. They are some of the smartest people I've ever met. As I mentioned before, Kimley Horn is very entrepreneurial. So each of our practice builders kind of has their own practice, and really is the heart of the organization and everything that they do, like you never feel like you're working on anything alone. Everything is very much a team effort, especially on our private side, we work for a lot of national companies. And so there's a tremendous amount of collaboration that goes on behind the scenes across the firm. And it's really just incredible to see and it's still impresses me to this day. And it's why I'm so proud to be here. And you know, to be an owner in this firm.
Nancy Surak 11:22
Nice. So tell me about the best deal you ever pulled into the company, your favorite.
Heather Hetherington 11:28
So my favorite had to be Brickell, City Centre. I'm not sure if you're familiar with it
Nancy Surak 11:34
I actually toured that on our council. And just as a side note, the Product Council through ULI, because I talk a lot on the podcast about the Urban Land Institute, ULI and about the Women's Leadership Initiative, which we'll get into, but I don't think I've ever really talked about the Product Council and what that is. So just as a little bit of a side note, um, so the Product Council brings together and say, at least in the State of Florida and nationally, but the ones that we serve on are here locally in Florida brings together what 20 to 30 people in a room twice a year, all over the state or all over the nation to talk about different projects, and I did get to tour for Brickell City Centre was about it was before 2020. So it probably 2019 or 2018, I think,
Heather Hetherington 12:21
yeah, somewhere around there. I forgot that we toured that
Nancy Surak 12:24
was a really amazing project. So tell us about your pursuit of that project and kind of how that all went down.
Heather Hetherington 12:30
So it's kind of funny. And so last week, I actually just hosted a brown bag on networking, just like you mentioned, for some of our young professionals in our Miami office. And I actually told this story. Because one of the things that we were talking about was tricks for introverts when you're networking, which a lot of our engineers are. And so you know, we were talking about little things that you can wear, maybe to help you stand out. It could be a shirt with a logo of your alma mater on it, it could be you know, some interesting jewelry that maybe your kids made you or that your spouse made you anything that would make you, you know, kind of stand out that it's prominent where someone might ask you about it. And that is actually how I met the person at Swire that ended up being our client for Brickell City Centre. So I was at an ICSC event in Orlando, and we were at a luncheon. And he was sitting next to me, and he had this really, really cool bracelet I had never seen before. And I asked him where I got it. And he mentioned this really small town in China that I had never heard of. And so I immediate was like, Well, who are you? You know? What do you mean, you just got back from China. And so he had actually just returned from China where he was working on a large mixed use project. And, you know, he had mentioned that he just came back to Miami because they were looking to do a large, mixed use project here where he was going to kind of be leading it from the development side. And so we started talking a little bit, he started sharing a little bit more information with me about the project about what they thought it might be, which was Brickell City Centre. And this time it was I think, like 2010, maybe early 2011, when really, you know, not many people were doing projects of that size. And so I talked to one of our our main practice builders in Miami and mentioned that I had just met this gentleman from Swire. And you know, he was talking about the mixed-use project that he was going to do in Brickell. And this is something that we should really follow up on. And so we ended up following up with him. We had a meeting, they kind of grilled us on our experience in Miami, which luckily we have a ton and the product manager in particular had worked on another large project called Midtown Miami. So he had like the perfect experience for the job. And shortly after that, we had gotten a call from a land use attorney that we had a relationship with an architect that we had a relationship with and they were getting pulled in by Swire as well and also recommended us so we were kind of getting recommendations from all sides. In addition to having connected with this individual And so from there, it just, you know, came down to some additional meetings and proposals and, and lucky for us, we won the job. And it's been a great project to be a part of. They're doing a new tower there now. And we're hoping to be a part of that as well.
Nancy Surak 15:14
So So tell me a little bit more about or tell us a little bit more about the actual project itself, like I had the benefit of walking through. But for those of us who are either unfamiliar with Miami or don't know what it is, can you give me some like quick stats? Like how big are the it's multiple buildings, right? It wasn't just one.
Heather Hetherington 15:30
Yeah, there's so there's the, you know, the center itself, I'm not exactly sure how many residential towers are a part of it. There's residential, there's office, and then there's the East hotel, it's a part of it as well, in addition to the mall, which has a number I think Saks is an anchor tenant. And then they added the food hall recently as well, which is, I mean, it's a beautiful, beautiful signature project that, you know, when you bump into it, you're immediately like, what is that? I should go there, you know, it's just phenomenal. So it's a really beautiful project.
Nancy Surak 16:02
It was really beautiful. When we toured, I don't think a mall was open yet. I think they were like, if I remember, right, the day I was there, they were still doing like their punch out.
Heather Hetherington 16:11
Right? Well, the Florida Yeah, and the Florida Summit is coming up in December for you, ULI. So that would be a perfect time to go visit it when you're down.
Nancy Surak 16:20
Yeah, it was very impressive. So I'll have to go take another look at it. Okay, so when you think back of your career, Kimley Horn and before, and you think back of the more challenging aspects, is there anything that you can look at and say, I really learned this lesson, through this experience, it taught me a lot. It wasn't fun to go through, but it made me better?
Heather Hetherington 16:43
I think growing a team. So as I've advanced in my career, I have brought on more of a team and that I now have about eight people on my team that I supervise, and I mentor and I grow. And then there's some other folks around the firm that that I work with, and mentor as well. And so I think, you know, that is a whole different kinds of, of leadership that you kind of have to learn. And, you know, sometimes it's very rewarding. And sometimes it's just incredibly difficult. And I think one thing that I've, I've learned throughout my career that I've seen, you know, I think as you go through your career, you you see things and you think, well, that's a great nugget. And I'll definitely do that. And then you see other things and you, you think yourself, you know, I'm not going to make that mistake, too, right. And I'm going to do this a little bit differently when it's when it's my turn. And so one of the things that I saw was just not a lot of clear communication when people were having challenges. And so people would be working really, really hard and looking for that the next step in their career or the the next advancement opportunity, and it wasn't coming. And they didn't know why. Just because that, you know, difficult conversations are hard. And it's sometimes it's hard to give feedback, it's not fun for the person receiving it. And it's not fun for the person that has to give it either. But I always made a promise to myself that when I was in that position, that I would be very upfront with anybody that was working with me that if I had the opportunity to give them some constructive criticism, which I always personally viewed as a gift, because you don't know it unless someone tells you, you know, the areas that you can improve on and make yourself better. Because at the end of the day, that's all we want, you know, we spend so much time at work, our careers are so important to us. And you really want to do the best that you can do. And you can't do that if you're not receiving some constructive criticism along the way, either. And so I made the commitment to myself and to my team, that I would always be that type of person, that if you were looking for that type of feedback, or you really wanted it, you I was someone that you could come to, and I would give it to you, you know, hard, easy, you know, whatever. And so that's one thing that you know, it's not always received well, but I think in the long run, people understand that you're, you're doing it because you care about them. You're invested in their future, and you're looking out for their best interest. Yeah,
Nancy Surak 19:07
I actually just had to go through that situation recently. Not on my team, actually on a board I serve on, you know, a young professional in the industry was was questioning why their name hadn't come up for a board appointment. And I was shocked at the phone calls I was getting from other people, other professionals saying, well don't don't tell them. I didn't recommend them. And because of my role in the organization, I was like, well, somebody has to tell them. Somebody has to tell this person because they're questioning the organization when really it's about either something that they need to work on or the fact that y'all should have been more forthcoming. You can't recommend someone you should at least try very hard to, to say you know, to be honest with them why? So they can improve. But yeah, they had to deal with that I had to be the person that say, and I didn't even know the person. I was like, Hey, you don't know me. Your name didn't come up. I don't know why it didn't come up. But I think, you know, my advice to them was, if you asked three people to nominate you, and that didn't happen, instead of asking them accusatory and accusatory tone of why they didn't do it, go ask them what you can do to help them nominate you again next time. You know, I was like, there was a reason why I don't know why I don't know you. But if you ask three people, and they couldn't stand behind you, you need to go find out what that why is. And not be angry, you just need to do it for personal growth and profession.
Heather Hetherington 20:31
Right, right. Yeah. And I think a key of personal growth, too, is just asking people for feedback constantly. And looking at as a gift. And you know, you should always ask different types of people in different roles. Because you, you know, some people are very willing to be blunt and honest, and others aren't. And so, you know, you need to kind of touch a variety of people and get feedback from different types of people in different roles as well.
Nancy Surak 21:05
I love that you say it's a gift, because it really is being really honest with someone, especially, especially if they're young in their career. Because when you get to my age, like it's sort of baked in, but when you're 25, if you're doing something and somebody says you probably you might not want to do that, or say that at least you have the rest of your career to remember, right, I work on it. Yeah, no, that's great. So tell me, you mentioned your dad a little bit earlier, who are been some other influential people in your life, either prior to full time work, or even throughout your career that you'd like to just share a story with about something that they did to help you realize something in your own personal or professional life.
Heather Hetherington 21:49
So I've had several, there's been several practice builders that I've I've worked with along the way, who have been, you know, just super helpful in regards to, you know, teaching me things that I didn't know about the industry. The woman that hired me here, was, was a broker actually embedded in commercial real estate for a long time. And so, right from the get go, she made sure that I understood what you know, all the terms were, what a REIT was, you know, all of these things that you don't know, if you're, you know, from the industry. And so, I owe a lot to her. But then to just, you know, folks that have been mentors to me along the way, there's been a lot of people who have, I've been very fortunate, both men and women, who have just kind of taken me under their wing included me and, and things that were probably over my head, but just allowed me to sit in the room, listen to the conversation and be a sponge. And that's so important, you know, for, for young people, I think just to be given that opportunity to be at the table and be in the room to absorb because, for me, that's how I learned, you know, you can tell me something to describe something all day long. But being being there and listening to the conversation, and being a part of it has had, you know, such a major, major influence on me. And I'm really, really grateful for that.
Nancy Surak 23:06
Awesome. So what are some of the bigger trends that you're seeing at the immediate moment in your business?
Heather Hetherington 23:14
So one of the things that I've recently been tasked with, like I mentioned before, I'm often asked to help go different practice areas. And so one of the things that I was recently asked to help with is our energy practice, and specifically, electric vehicles. You know, with the infrastructure bill, there's a ton of funding coming for evey infrastructure, lots of the car companies are focused on, you know, electric vehicles, I think every other Superbowl ad this year was for a new vehicle. And it's really kind of exciting to see, we're also you know, we have we've been doing EV infrastructure for about 10 years as a firm. We're also you know, we do infrastructure planning, we do EV planning for the public sector. And then we're also focused on helping clients look at Fleet conversion as well. So that's been a whole new area that I've been learning all about. And it's, it's interesting, like to be in this industry for 16 years, and then learn something that's completely new, is really exciting. And it's been a great opportunity. And I think it's something that a lot of our clients, both public and private, are looking at. And it's really been exciting. And I think it's an area that, you know, if you're not focused on you probably should be.
Nancy Surak 24:29
I'm 100% agree, I drive a Tesla, I got it in September of 2020. I love it. But I jump up and down all the time. And I'm like, we don't have enough infrastructure. And it was actually explained to my mother in law yesterday. I was like, you know, it's great, but I have a charge in my garage at home. So I can charge that I was like, But if somebody's living in an apartment and there's only you know, two places for them to charge and then they have to go out into the community if there aren't enough enough chargers, that's a problem in it. I said I you know, whenever I take a road trip, I see it You know, except to wait for an open charge port. So I always say to all of my developers, like, please make sure that you're putting in the infrastructure into the ground and that you're planning for this, even if you don't pull those stations up out of the ground. And then in the middle of COVID, I did an Amazon deal to in in the middle of the transaction, they decided to do like the fleet conversion planning, right. And actually, I think Kimley Horn was the engineer on that deal. So they went from having just regular like surface parked area, to completely have to halt everything, because of the it's the infrastructure, the stuff that you see below, the blacktop can't even see that had to be completely redone.
Heather Hetherington 25:42
Right
Nancy Surak 25:43
And redesigned You know, and I think when they actually built it, it's it's under, right. So it's not there yet. You don't see if you drive by the project today, but it's in the ground. Yeah, that's really cool.
Heather Hetherington 25:55
And that's the most important thing. I mean, I think even if developers aren't ready to put in the charging stations today, just making sure that they have the infrastructure built so that when they are ready to do it, it's there. And they don't have to go tear everything up. And, you know, make it a huge redevelopment project. It's kind of already there for you.
Nancy Surak 26:15
Yeah, it was, it was really interesting to kind of live through that whole process. It really,
Heather Hetherington 26:19
It's fascinating.
Nancy Surak 26:20
It wasn't the same conversation that we are hearing in 2022. And 2020, everything was all about COVID. And there was some conversation about electric vehicles, but it's really definitely turned, the volume is way louder today.
Heather Hetherington 26:33
I actually just read an article this weekend about the first Ford F150 was delivered to its first buyer. And the gentleman was saying, like, you know, what a big deal it was for Ford and How excited everyone even at the dealership was about him getting this car, and, you know, his experience is the first one to get the F150. And, you know, he was saying, you know, the first thing he did was want to go camping with it. And he quickly found out that, you know, there aren't charging stations, and you know, a lot of our campgrounds and I know, there are some companies like rivian, who have, you know, their outdoor tracks, that's kind of like their whole theme. And they're really focused on the national parks in the experience of things. And so we really, definitely need to, you know, make sure that we're putting that infrastructure in the ground, and hopefully, the, you know, the bill, and the funding will will help with that. Yeah and I am seeing private developers beginning to pull them out, right. So I see every time I take another road trip, because I have to map out my trip prior to when I leave, I have to know like, Okay, well, if it's a five hour car trip, or a four hour car trip, where am I going to stop along the way to charge? And how am I going to fill my time? Am I sitting in the car making phone calls? Or am I walking into a coffee shop or running some other Aaron on foot, right? So I literally have to plan out my trip. But I'm seeing much more availability than even you know, 18 months ago, which is great. But I think we have a really, really long way to go. So I'm glad that you guys have a whole practice focused on that, I would think that there would be I mean, there's going to be an opportunity in every new development, every redevelopment, I mean, there has to be right? And now more and more cities are crying it in their code. So you're not going to have the option very soon. And you know, California is very progressive as far as you know, their code, and everyone is kind of looking to them as an example. And so we're going to see more and more of that. Yeah, here in Florida, especially.
Nancy Surak 28:31
100% Agree, I'm glad that we got a little to talk a little bit about that. Okay, so I usually end every podcast with three basic questions or three main questions. This is where I say the good stuff is right. If a young woman called you up tomorrow, and said, Hey, I'm thinking about either going and pursuing a career in engineering or in marketing and sales, but I'm very attracted to the built environment. I just need some advice about my career and how to get involved in the industry. What's some tips or things that you think I should be paying particularly close attention to? What would you tell her?
Heather Hetherington 29:06
So for engineering, I would definitely say to you know, find a firm that really invest in you and your development and where you have the opportunity to kind of grow in your own direction. And then for marketing, I would say you know, something as simple as to get involved in the society of for marketing professional services, or SMPS it's a great organization that really will help you get connected in the industry and hopefully find a home and and probably lots of mentors as well. And then you know, once you're in the industry, I always recommend you alive because I was told very early on in my career that it's it's the best organization for connections and relationships and it really has been
Nancy Surak 29:49
Yeah, I would agree with that. You ULI is fantastic. And I used to be a member of SMPS way back in the day as well. So it was a great organization with with like minded people. If you're a marketer, or marketing coordinator, business development, I mean, I the, the leads that I used to get through those relationships and the friendships like the true honest, like connections I made with people like that was 20 plus years ago, and I still run into people and our relationships were formed in those organizations, you know, so it's like, I know these people, because we shared intimate details about whatever, like I'm changing jobs. And here's where I'm going. And anybody looking for this, or I'm chasing this lead down, and I need like one more piece of information. So it was really, really good people. So I'm glad that you've mentioned both both are all of those organizations. Okay, so the next question I love to ask is, is there an inspirational book, or podcasts that you've listened to or read recently, that you could share with us here that you find particularly fascinating or exciting to talk about?
Heather Hetherington 30:56
Sure. So I'm actually in the middle of reading, Big Little Breakthroughs, how small, everyday innovation drive, oversized results by Josh Lineker. And he was, I think, the closing speaker at the ULI spring meeting in San Diego this year. His books phenomenal. It's really just about how you know, you're going through everyday life, and you come across a problem. And what is the little step that you can take to solve that problem, and, and how when we think about the word innovation, we think, like, it has to be some like, you know, like the Tesla or the iPhone, like some giant invention. But really, it starts with just these little ideas to solve an everyday problem, and they snowball into these bigger things that then become the big innovation.
Nancy Surak 31:47
Yeah, I'll have to put that on my reading list that sounds like right up my alley. In terms of kind of books,
Heather Hetherington 31:52
it's actually been really inspiring even just to think about, you know, some different practice areas here at Kimlely Horn, that maybe we're not exploring that we we could be, or should be just to better serve our clients.
Nancy Surak 32:04
So just having your, your finger on the pulse of like, what people are talking about, right? What's coming next. I know, when my kids were little, my daughter used to keep a um, an invention book, it was just like a regular like little notebook, right? But she used to write down all of her invention ideas. And every once in a while, like, they will see a commercial for something or there'll be a product somewhere. And I'm like, Oh, my God, that was in your invention book like 15 years ago. So I love the those sorts of books and things like, you know, you're really products and services or solving a problem.
Heather Hetherington 32:41
Right? Yeah, it's really inspiring just to hear, he shares so many stories of, you know, just little things that people have started with that one of the women that invented them, that I actually chew because after you know, going through camp cancer, you start to look for things that don't have sugar that you know, don't have all these harmful chemicals and everything in it. And so she wanted something that was clean and a clean gum, and she couldn't find anything. And so over, you know, a period of maybe a year, she tested all of these different ingredients and came up with a gun that work that was all natural and sugar free. And it's just really cool. And it's lots of little stories like that, that are really, really inspiring that make you think that you could be you know, like the next big inventor of something super cool.
Nancy Surak 33:29
Nice. Well, I don't think I've ever done this on a podcast before. But since we're on this topic, I'm going to throw out a book that I think you should look into, as well, because it's sort of segues into when you finish the one that you're reading now. And I don't know who the author is, we'll have to look that up and add it to the show notes after after we're done here. But it's called the Tipping Point. And the whole book is about it was really I think the original version was written prior to social media.
Heather Hetherington 33:56
It's Malcolm Gladwell right?
Nancy Surak 33:58
Yeah. It's amazing to think like, basically like how like these everyday companies or people will have an idea and how fast something can turn, either the whole premise of the original book was like, pre influencer, right? That's really what he talks about, right? Is is you know, you just need a handful of influencers to do something and all of a sudden your product is like your selling faster than anything else, which is pretty cool. So I think it would be interesting to read those kind of back to back, I'm gonna put that on my list. Because yeah,
Heather Hetherington 34:30
Yea yeah, I have that book, I'll have to go back and read it again.
Nancy Surak 34:34
I've actually given that I have it actually on CD. That's how old this is for me. So I need to like download it on Audible, but I've listened to it numerous times over the years because I find it just a fascinating concept of how fast in the influence of a of a person or a product can occur. You know, and it's really got a lot of really cool stories. I Okay, so finally my last my very last question that I like to wrap up every podcast with is, if someone wanted to connect with you, where's the best place? They could either follow you is that LinkedIn? Are you active on social media? Where could they just follow kind of what you're doing in your career and your life?
Heather Hetherington 35:17
Probably on LinkedIn? Definitely. I'm pretty active on there. I post a lot of content about electric vehicles in particular. So yeah, definitely LinkedIn would be the best way to reach me.
Nancy Surak 35:30
All right, awesome. Well, I want to thank you for joining me here today and for sharing your whole story, your career story, your personal story. Sounds like you have a great gig down at Kimley Horn and the youth, you know, found a way to just follow your passion. And I'm super excited for you in the next few years of your career. And I'm glad that you joined us here today.
Heather Hetherington 35:50
Thank you so much for having me. It's been a pleasure. All right. You bet.
Nancy Surak 35:53
See you soon. Thank you for joining us for another episode of She's Wild the podcast for women and land and development. If you enjoyed today's show, please go out and rate us so that we can be found by other women in our industry. And if you know women who are working in land and development, please share this podcast with them. And if you know a total rock star woman, badass chick who is killing it in land and development anywhere in North America. I want to know who she is. Please reach out to me so that I can feature her on an upcoming episode.