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ALL4’s Employee Spotlight: Susie Bowden

Posted: May 7th, 2012

Author: All4 Staff 

Each quarter ALL4 interviews one of our employees, highlighting some of his or her career and thoughts about ALL4.  This month’s employee spotlight is on Project Engineer Susie Bowden.

What did you do before you joined ALL4?

In my former life, I was an environmental engineer for a pulp and paper mill for 3 years.  I was responsible for maintaining compliance with air quality rules and regulations in the day-to-day operation of the mill.  Prior to being an environmental engineer, I was a process engineer at the same pulp and paper mill for 8 years.  As a process engineer, I was responsible for process improvement, maintaining consistency in the process, and leading several productivity teams. 

What piece of advice would you give to college students looking for a position in the consulting business?

Learn Microsoft Excel and Word inside and out!  Be ready to learn quickly and invest a lot of your own time in the beginning.  I know that is two (2) pieces of advice, but I think both are equally important.

What are your roles at ALL4?

First and foremost, I am a project engineer at ALL4.  I also serve as the Columbus office representative on our RegTech committee.  I am also a mentor to our co-op students.  I am responsible for six (6) EnviroReview jurisdictions.

What do you like best about your career?

I like to be able to work on some many different projects and such a wide variety of industries.  This job is never routine.  The flexibility is nice too.

Keeping it real, what do you not like about your career here?

I don’t like the ups and downs of our business.

 What has been your biggest challenge in your first year?

The concept of being “billable” was so foreign to me.  There is always the challenge of learning a new company’s way of doing business.

What was your biggest surprise since joining ALL4?

The biggest surprise for me has been the welcoming of ideas from all employees.  If you just started yesterday at ALL4, your input matters.  This hasn’t been the case in my previous experience.  The principles are very open to the opinions of their employees.  Policies, programs, or systems can change if there is a better way of doing them.  You don’t get the standard answer of “That’s always the way we’ve done things.”

Why did you decide to join ALL4?

Joining ALL4 provided me the opportunity for growth and development and at the same time affording me the flexibility to still be a mom and be involved with my kids’ activities.

Which ALL4 employee is most likely to make you laugh?

I would have to go with Meghan Barber.  We are still getting used to our cultural differences (North vs. South) and I laugh at her pronunciation of certain words.  We also discuss differences in foods.  I have yet to try liverwurst, which she claims is the greatest thing ever.  She describes it as a spreadable “paste”.  I don’t know if I will ever want to spread this “paste” on a piece of bread and eat it.  And I’ve converted her to drinking sweet tea.

Give me an example of an event, system, or person that best represents the ALL4 culture?

The Best in Class program is the best representation of ALL4.  This program provides activities and events that allow employees to get together outside of work and get to know each other’s families.  This program also offers employees little perks that make the work day a little less stressful.  For example, if you have to work late, there are meals available to take home so that is one less thing you have to worry about at the end of the day.

What attribute do you feel is most important for someone coming to work here?

Ownership is one of the most important attributes working at ALL4.  A person needs to be responsible for their work, their deadlines, and their accountability.

What is the most unique thing about working here?

 The most unique thing about ALL4 is the Best in Class mentality.  The principles of the company truly want their employees to be happy and want to come to work.  They offer little things that make life a little less stressful such as offering frozen meals for the nights when you’re working late, drinks and snacks available throughout the day, numerous recess activities, and paid benefits.  All of this is at the expense of the company.  There aren’t many companies out there these days that take such matters to heart like ALL4 does.

Where will your next family trip be?

We are headed to the beautiful white sand beaches of Panama City Beach, FL in June for sun and fun.  After that, who knows, we will probably head back to the mountain town of Blue Ridge, GA in the fall to see the leaves turn brilliant shades of orange and red.  As far as our next spring break trip, it is hard to top the cruise we took in March of this year.

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