Hard Work, Diligence Propel Lauren Iglio to Senior Project Manager

Lauren Iglio first stepped onto a Haskell job site in 2008 as a field clerk and, in the 13 years since, has advanced to Senior Project Manager in the Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) Group. Hers is a career marked by hard work, diligence in meeting client expectations, teaching and mentoring.

Known around Haskell as the person who will “get the job done,” Iglio is a perfectionist and someone who thinks ahead to prevent problems before they arise.

“‘Failure is not an option’ was drilled in me,” she said. “If I’m not getting the job done, I’m failing somebody.”

Iglio grew up with hardworking relatives, including a marine, a pilot, a healthcare professional and a builder. Her upbringing taught her the importance of details. She was taught to make a plan and work that plan.

“Whatever needs to get done, she’s not going to let it go. She’s going to see it through,” said Matt Gulden, CPG Vice President of Construction. “There’s never any question about that. Iglio will motivate others to do it.”

Iglio recalls working long hours, weekends, holidays and evenings to turnaround work with her teams, one time being “on” as long as 27 hours to troubleshoot an issue with a decommissioned plant. That project, Iglio said, “showed the true grit that not only I had within me, but also that of some of my most valued team members, who are like family to me today.”

A Steep Career Trajectory

Iglio’s work ethic has paid off. In her 13 years with Haskell, she advanced from Field Clerk to Assistant Project Manager I (APM), APM II, then Project Manager 1 (PM), PM2 and now Senior Project Manager (SPM).

“To advance from PM to SPM is a huge move. Our SPMs are director-level. It’s a lot of responsibility. It means a lot to be a director at Haskell,” Gulden said.

Iglio is one of 31 directors (a combination of Senior Project Managers and Directors of Construction) in the CPG group. Eventually, she would like to serve as a Director of Construction.

She began her post-secondary education in event planning and hospitality management. After a hurricane badly damaged her mother’s home, Iglio quit her day job as a pharmacy tech to plan out the home’s renovations, shop for materials, help her mom hire subcontractors, schedule and oversee their work.

The work inspired her to switch majors to construction management, which opened the door to a full-time position with Haskell while she was still pursuing her degree. In an organization that counts among its strategic pillars “Expand Diversity” and “Provide Team Members with the Best Job of the Lives,” opportunities abound for hardworking young professionals.

“Haskell knew I was in school for construction management, so they gave me countless opportunities to learn,” she said. “They walked me through plans and job walks. They were open to questions. Haskell allowed me to take on APM-level job responsibilities even though I was working as a Field Clerk on my first project”

Taking Pride, Taking Time

In her current leadership position, Iglio acts intentionally to teach and mentor those around her.

“She is super detail-oriented in how she instructs other people,” Gulden said. “She works very closely in teaching them and mentoring them. When they walk away from the project she is on, they are going to know the job. She works them hard, but she is very loyal to them.”

She takes pride in making time for others as others made time for her in her early career. One of Iglio’s first, unofficial mentors was a highly respected superintendent who had been with Haskell more than 35 years.

“He was a man of few words,” she said. “That always made the time he took to teach and talk to me that much more meaningful.”

Iglio recalled a mentor once teaching her to check her feelings at the gate and to bear in mind that on the job site, the team is there to make sure the job is done right and on time.

“I took this as a positive — to approach things from a factual basis, or a practical standpoint. I need to keep a level head and keep moving forward,” she said. “We’re only as strong as the team. If we all work together, then everybody is going to get stronger as a team and as a company.”

Forging New Paths

The number of women in the construction industry is growing. Data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics show that women make up about 10% of the industry but hold less than 5% of leadership roles.

As a female Senior Project Manager, Iglio is in the minority, but she said her mindset has never been that of “a female in a male-dominated world.” Rather, she approached her work with the values she was taught growing up: showing up each day to give her all, continuously proving her value as a team member, and working as hard, or harder, than her coworkers.

“I have continued with this mindset throughout the past 13 years. I come to work giving it my all every day because that is what I was always taught to do,” she said. “If you are going to do something, then you do it the right way the first time. You put in the time, hard work and effort to achieve the best results with everything you do.

“I was never treated differently. I was an equal member of the team. The team or group I was in at Haskell was always very welcoming. I never felt like an outsider.”

According to Gulden, “Iglio gets respect very quickly. Whoever it is, they recognize that she knows what she’s doing. She’s earned that respect. I think that sets a great example for women. Iglio is helping transition our construction industry into what it should be, from what it was.”

Shae Duren, Project Manager I at Haskell, currently works with Iglio on a Food & Beverage project.

“I worked at a couple other companies prior to Haskell,” Duren said. “She is the first female project manager I've ever worked with. I think it’s important to see other people in the job you want so you can see yourself in that, too. Prior to starting with Haskell, it was hard to imagine myself taking the next step. Seeing Iglio in her position showed me for the first time that women could be successful project managers, as well.”

Iglio said she has an open-door policy with all team members.

"No question is a bad question,” she said. “If the open environment is created then people feel comfortable to talk about things, ask questions, and brainstorm together resulting in team collaboration and better results. I hope that I can be a mentor for younger team members within Haskell."

In Haskell’s inclusive team culture, hard work is equalizing.

“There’s no substitute for experience. Work is work,” Project Manager I Samantha Leonard said. “Lauren is the epitome of that. Especially at Haskell, so as long as you come to work every day and are willing to learn and put in the work, you’ll move up as fast as anybody else. She is the shining example of that. She is my role model.”

Defined by Dedication

A pioneering force in design-build and longtime leader in integrated delivery, Haskell has grown to be a formidable Engineer, Procure, Construct (EPC) partner to its many manufacturing clients. Iglio has been an active part of this evolution, which has driven Haskell’s growth, Gulden said.

Superintendent Eric Wittmann said Iglio developed standards for the procurement and installation of process equipment.

“We had that before, but she goes above and beyond to help improve standards,” Wittmann said.

For work in the Food & Beverage sector, Wittmann said Iglio’s strong work ethic and due diligence result in smooth installation because “she catches any errors beforehand,” which helps the success of projects.

Haskell has expanded quickly in the past five years and now has more than 1,850 team members globally and a growing list of megaprojects underway. But Iglio, ever focused on the details of success, said it was critical that the company maintain its core values of Team, Excellence, Service and Trust.

“When we complete a project, it is leaving behind a product that our clients are going to have for many years to come,” she said. “If I could help drive anything as we evolve, it would be to not lose sight of where we came from and the values that got us here, no matter how big or fast we grow.”