As an Army engineer, I've had the opportunity to manage some truly unique projects. I've designed and constructed the facilities necessary to continue battalion operations during the 2007 troop surge in Baghdad; I was lead project manager for Operation Enduring Freedom's largest tactical construction program in Afghanistan's Ghazni province; and I only had two months to prepare my company for construction of a $1.5 million personnel transit facility in Romania.
One thing I wondered throughout each experience was how the business world would have approached the project. There's no way to know the answer without spending a year learning the ropes in an actual company... so I've decided to do exactly that by completing a Training with Industry (TWI) program at Dewberry.
Capt. Katie Werback directs Staff Sgt. Edson Rodriguez during a 2010 Army Warrior Task certification for leaders at Germany's Grafenwöhr Training Area.
What is TWI?
The original TWI program was created by the U.S. Department of War back in the 1940s and provided government contractors with an in-office consultant from the Army to enhance the business' wartime support operations. After a couple of evolutions, the modern program solidified in the 1970s as a way for officers to apply their industry skills in a professional setting not available through military education programs.
The TWI is an equal-opportunity learning experience for both the hosting company and the servicemember, and this is the first year the Engineer Regiment has returned to the program. Dewberry, a government contractor, gets an inside affiliate with current knowledge of the Army's operations, while I get on-the-job business and industry training that I can take back to the Army.
It's a Bit Like Musical Chairs
Two other senior Captains and I have been assigned to TWIs at three respective companies in the AEC industry. As an accelerated learning program, my time at Dewberry has been a bit like musical chairs, hopping from one service line to the next. So far I've rotated between the consulting and engineering practice areas, have participated in USGS proposal reviews, and have received hands-on experience with the DC-area's Silver Line metrorail extension.
Before the end of my TWI, I'll also have spent time with the architectural practice and a handful of different corporate departments. Splitting time between client-facing service lines and the supporting corporate departments gives me an inside look at how everything works together. I'll be able to take those lessons back to the Army with the hopes of improving our coordination, strategies, and tactics while hopefully being able to communicate the enormous amount of effort required to submit a single proposal.
A Home Away from Home, HOOAH!
I'll be heading back to my normal Army duties by August of next year, and this is the first time since college I've had a 9-5 job as a civilian. It's taken a little time to get used to, but after reading a recent Veterans Day blog, I did a little research and found that Dewberry's veteran community is around 100 strong and may represent every major conflict since WWII.
As an active-duty servicewoman, a community with that kind of lineup certainly makes this place feel a little more like home.