PHOENIX, Arizona, April 21, 2022 –SSOE Group (www.ssoe.com), an internationally ranked architecture and engineering firm, announced today that several of their Lean Operating Strategy Leadership Team will present at Lean Construction Institute’s (LCI) Lean in Design Forum on May 4 – 5, 2022 at the Renaissance Phoenix Downtown Hotel in Arizona. This year’s theme is Evolving with Purpose.
On Thursday, May 5th at 3:00 PM (MST), SSOE Lean leaders Catherine Myers, Julie Dolan, and Lisa Hitchingham will facilitate a workshop titled “Evolving Design with Lean Methods and Mindset.” Participants will engage in a hands-on group challenge and get exposure to some Lean methods that can be used in the creation [design and pre-construction] phase of a project. The objective of the challenge is to demonstrate the difficulties of dealing with change and to focus on increased communication to elicit the best results with different types of change. Additionally, presenters will review current strategies implemented on projects, discuss their goals and outcomes, and how a team’s mindset plays a role in project success.
Catherine Myers, PE, joined SSOE in July 2017 and now serves as Chair of SSOE’s Board of Directors and President of the firm—notably, the first woman to serve in either of these roles. A graduate of the University of Portland, Myers holds a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering and has been a registered Professional Engineer for over 30 years. In 2022, she joined the LCI Board of Directors. She is the executive sponsor for SSOE’s Lean Operating Strategy and previously performed a similar role at another company. She has also participated in a Construction Industry Institute (CII) research team on advancement of Lean strategies and presented results at the CII and Construction Management Association of America (CMAA) national conferences.
SSOE began its corporate partnership with LCI in 2015 to align with the firm’s efforts to advance Lean Principles as the cornerstone of its culture and organizational strategy. Over the past few years, SSOE’s Board of Directors has been working to solidify the firm’s internal Lean Operating Strategy by identifying areas of communication, defining value, and visualizing planning. This year, under Myers leadership, SSOE is evolving its Lean Operating Strategy initiative into a Lean Community of Practice (CoP). The CoP recently kicked off and will spend the remainder of the year focusing on training and mentoring in a way that supports SSOE’s focus on the voice of the customer while furthering employees’ knowledge base and understanding of Lean.
Julie Dolan, Client Advocate and Lean Practice Leader at SSOE, is passionate about utilizing Lean Principles in the built environment and partnering with like-minded industry professionals. An LCI-approved instructor, Dolan has led a number of industry events with owners and trade / construction partners. She is also a core team member of both the LCI Ohio Valley Chapter CoP (Co-Chair) and the National Lean Champions CoP (Secretary) and leads SSOE’s internal Lean Practice Leaders CoP. An electrical engineer by trade, Dolan has 35 years of experience in the AEC industry, 18 of which have been with SSOE where she has served in various capacities including Account Executive and Division Manager of Food and Consumer Products.
Lisa Hitchingham, PE, Chemical Process Engineer at SSOE for over a decade, has been a long-time advocate for reducing and eliminating waste in the world. She has been an active core team member of SSOE’s Lean Operating Strategy CoP, which trains and leads the rest of the company in Lean methods and pushes project teams toward more Lean-driven mindsets while ensuring all voices are heard. Hitchingham continues to grow in her Lean journey by seeking more efficient ways to complete tasks, seeking a life of essentialism, working to make the world a better place for future generations, and continuously improving communication techniques to help lead others to succeed. In her technical role, she acts as the “boots on the ground” to ensure the work is getting done and also seeks opportunities to mentor while overseeing engineers with less experience.
About LCI
LCI is a member-based organization whose mission is to lead the building industry in transforming its practices and culture through Lean thinking, tools, and technology. They envision a healthy and thriving building industry delivering outstanding project outcomes every time for everyone. Their plans include developing research products to help companies implement Lean production more effectively, learning programs to help answer the “why” and “how” of Lean implementation, and unique national and regional activities to promote Lean learning and networking across the industry.
For more information on the LCI’s Lean in Design Forum and to register to attend, click here.
