I’m proud to work at BDFP because it’s utilizing innovative technology to make necessary improvements to San Francisco’s wastewater infrastructure and making a positive impact on both the environment and the local community. This is the first project that I’ve been a part of where I have gotten to see construction truly from the ground-up and on such a large scale. It’s been amazing to witness and be a part of this project.

As the Project Outreach Manager for the Joint Venture, I work closely with the Local Business Enterprise community while ensuring the project meets the City & County of San Francisco’s Local Hire workforce policy. Throughout the five years I have been part of the BDFP team, I have learned so much and have grown both personally and professionally. Working closely with city agencies, contractors, and community-based organizations, I see firsthand how teamwork delivers exceptional results. I am thankful that my day-to-day responsibilities allow me to work with two of my passions: policy and community. This project has brought the best of the best to deliver a legacy project for the city of San Francisco while providing economic opportunity to the Bayview-Hunters Point.

I got involved in BDFP in 2020 to help lead the engineering/design team supporting construction and to help foster collaborative relationships with the CM/GC as the project was entering its main construction phase. Through this project I have learned to truly appreciate the amount of skilled labor that is needed to build a project of this size and complexity. As an engineer, I spend a lot of time behind a desk or walking around the job site, but not actually lifting and installing pipes, conduit, pouring concrete, etc. The talent and work of all the tradespeople, and also the emphasis on Women in Construction through BuildHERS on this project, has been something that I’ve really appreciated.

As a female engineer, I am heartened to see so many women involved in the project and taking leadership roles in the trailers and on the construction site. I am happy to make tangible progress on this large project. Every day you drive by you can see the physical progress. This project has allowed me to get involved in so many different activities and redefine the boundaries of my comfort zone.

It’s thrilling to see not only how cutting edge the project is in terms of modernizing a facility that was long past its useful life, but also the complexity of the work that is being done, including the way the BDFP is able to manage sometimes more than 400 workers on site on any given day. It’s a well-oiled machine that just keeps going safely day-in and day-out. Every time I am on site I am excited to see how much progress can be made in such short amounts of time.

There is a shared commitment to the project. Even though all parties have their positions and interests, everyone genuinely wants to provide the best quality project and be proud to be associated with it. Most of what I do involves the negotiation of change orders to arrive at a fair price for both the SFPUC and for the CMGC and its trade contractors. There’s a tremendous volume of work, given the number of trade contracts involved. Navigating all the logistics takes a lot of organizational skills, technical skills, and people skills. I like that I can use all of these on a daily basis.

I started on the BDFP through SFPUC Job Placement and through referral. I was assigned to be a part of the Malcolm Drilling team during the foundation phase of the project. On March 14, 2022 after the completion of the foundation phases, I had the opportunity to join MWH-Webcor CMGC Laborer force team. This project is filled with a multitude of culture, and everyone gets along with one another. Given me opportunities Id never thought ill have a chance to grow and prove myself and to flourish into someone more positive.

The design for the project incorporated some very innovative technology which will be very exciting to see in final operation. The project is an opportunity for me to see a project from a preliminary design to construction to startup and commissioning. The technological complexity, the magnitude of the scope and the challenge of doing construction in a small, already operating wastewater treatment plant is what makes the BDFP unique. I enjoy the opportunity to interact closely with engineers, managers, planners, operators and contractors all with different experience and skill sets. The project is challenging and stimulating, and the collaborative nature of the teams makes a huge difference.