Carina Wright Bluebeam

Carina Wright Doesn’t Just Solve Problems – She Shows You What Else Is Possible

  • People & Project Spotlights, Technology & Innovation
One woman’s story of building a career on curiosity, community and showing colleagues another way.

Carina Wright gets a particular kind of joy from showing someone a trick they didn’t know existed — watching their face light up when suddenly a tedious task becomes effortless, when friction disappears and possibility opens up.

“The highlight of my day is when I’m helping someone, but then in the process can say, by the way, you want to see something cool? And then they get excited,” Wright says.

That instinct — to share, to teach, to remove barriers — defines her work as a practice technology specialist at Corgan, a leading architecture and design firm. And it also explains how she ended up here, building a career that values curiosity over credentials, community over competition.

Founded in Her Roots

Wright absorbed the language of construction long before she knew what to call it.

Her grandfather was a master carpenter in California, building custom furniture for high-profile clients like Johnny Carson. Her mother is a healthcare architect. Her father is an engineer. Three generations, three different ways of building.

As a kid, she was obsessed with “The Sims” — not the game itself, but the building mode. “I was nerdy, I was into the Sims growing up, never knew that there was an actual game associated with it, because I would just build houses and decorate them,” she says.

Eventually, she found healthcare interior design — blending her mother’s world with her love of creating meaningful spaces. But the work revealed something unexpected: Wright wasn’t just interested in designing spaces. She was fascinated by the systems that enabled good design.

The Research Project That Changed Everything

In a previous role, when she needed to study how office spaces were actually being used, Wright saw an opportunity.

She built the entire research project inside Bluebeam, using the software in a way it wasn’t necessarily designed for.

Carina Wright collaborates with her team at Corgan, bringing together design expertise and technology know-how across the firm’s global offices in London, Dublin, Los Angeles and beyond.

Wright created custom tool sets with employee faces. Every two hours, she walked the office and dropped icons onto floor plans showing who was where, what they were doing — analog work, digital work, collaborative sessions. She captured timestamps, job roles, task types. She integrated photos. She built mind maps and “spaghetti diagrams” visualizing how people moved through the workplace throughout the day.

“Something totally different than I think its initial intended use, but something I’m very proud of,” Wright says.

She presented the methodology at a Bluebeam User Group event, sharing the unconventional approach with others who might never have considered markup software as a research tool.

That project crystallized what energized her: not just solving her own problems but creating solutions others could use. Not just mastering tools but showing people what’s possible.

Meeting Bluebeam and Pushing the Limits

Wright first encountered Bluebeam through work, but the relationship deepened at her first Bluebeam User Group (BUG) event in Chicago.

She showed up, raised her hand during introductions, and loved it. From that moment on, she became a consistent presence in the group, continually pushing the software beyond its conventional limits and exploring capabilities others hadn’t considered.

When she was working as an interior designer, she transformed client presentations into interactive experiences — floor plans linked to elevations, embedded 3-D views, QR codes for panorama walkthroughs, seamless navigation at the click of a button. “It got me really excited about how can I go the next level with presenting ideas to my clients.”

The technology wasn’t just a tool but a way to unlock potential — hers and everyone else’s.

“I didn’t realize that I was so nerdy and techie,” Wright says.

That realization led her to where she is now: bridging people and software, ensuring no one is limited by their technology and streamlining documentation and workflows so designers can spend more time designing.

Now, as a Practice Technology Specialist, Wright handles software procurement, implementation, upgrades and training across Corgan’s global offices, working with teams in London, Dublin, Los Angeles and beyond.

Real Talk: What Actually Matters

Ask Wright about her legacy and she pauses. “I was not prepared for that question.”

Wright spent years reaching for standout roles. Percussion instead of a more common instrument, like flute or trumpet. Setter in volleyball. Pitcher in softball. Always the position that felt exceptional.

“Growing up, I think I always worked really hard to try to be on top and special,” she says.

Wright transforms Bluebeam into a research tool, creating custom markups to study workplace utilization — turning conventional software into something “totally different than its initial intended use.”

But somewhere in managing full-time work, raising two kids and handling weekend parenting, she had a shift. Being present started mattering more than being exceptional.

Her legacy is clear now.

At home: “I just want to be known as a good, fun mom.” Good from her husband’s perspective, fun from her kids’ perspective. “As long as my kids run up to me when I pick them up from school … they’re like, ‘Mom!’ That’s the best. That’s what I want.”

Professionally: “I want to get people excited about learning. I love learning, and I want that for everyone. I want them to test their boundaries and reach for something unexpected. I want people to grow.”

She doesn’t want to be a guru. “I never want to be a guru at anything because I never want to stop learning,” Wright says. She wants to stay as curious as her 4-year-old, who’s currently obsessed with axolotls and asks endless questions.

That philosophy shapes how she works. When someone asks for help, she doesn’t just solve their problem — she shows them something unexpected, plants a seed of possibility. “By the way, you want to see something cool?” becomes an invitation to discover what else is possible.

If she could talk to her younger self, she’d say: “You don’t have to strain to reach for something else or more or have an ultimate goal. You have so much that you should be proud of.”

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Women in Construction Week 2026

The State of Women in Construction: What the Data Says in 2026

  • Construction & The Economy, People & Project Spotlights
Women now make up a larger share of the construction workforce than ever. But skilled trades, safety and retention still lag.

As of March 2026, the construction industry is no longer debating whether it should attract more women but confronting whether it can afford not to.

Across mature economies, retirements in the industry are accelerating faster than replacement. In emerging markets, infrastructure demand is rising faster than workforce formalization. In both cases, excluding half the available labor pool is no longer a cultural problem but an operational one.

Women now make up a larger share of the construction workforce than at any point in modern history. In the United States alone, more than 1.3 million women work in construction. Similar gains are visible across Europe, Australia and parts of Asia-Pacific.

On paper, progress looks real.

On the jobsite, it’s far more uneven.

Women remain heavily concentrated in office, administrative and professional roles, while skilled trades participation continues to hover in the low single digits across most regions. The next phase of progress won’t be driven by messaging or outreach. It will be driven by changes to how work is designed, enforced and rewarded.

What ‘Women in Construction’ Data Actually Measures, and Why It’s Often Misleading

Most headlines about women in construction rely on industry-based definitions. These count everyone employed by a construction firm, regardless of role. Because women are overrepresented in administrative and support functions, these figures tend to look more optimistic.

Occupation-based data tells a different story. It tracks who performs construction work — electricians, carpenters, laborers and equipment operators — regardless of employer. These numbers more accurately reflect jobsite reality, and they’re consistently lower.

Both datasets matter. Confusing them leads to false conclusions.

Across countries and regions, the pattern is consistent: women’s participation rises sharply in office and professional roles, then drops at the point where work becomes physical, on-site and culturally gatekept.

Which Construction Trades Are Adding Women — and Which Are Not

Progress in the trades isn’t evenly distributed.

Where women do enter skilled roles, they tend to cluster in a narrow band of occupations. In the U.S., women make up more than 10 percent of painters and paperhangers — the highest share among skilled trades. Participation drops sharply in higher paid, heavily unionized or physically intensive trades.

Electricians, plumbers and pipefitters typically remain below 3 percent of female representation.

……

Stat Box: The Glass Wall in Construction (U.S.)

Women’s Share of the Workforce

  • Total construction workforce: 11.2%
  • Office and administrative roles: 65.7%
  • Skilled trades roles: 4.3%

[Source: BLS]

……

The same pattern appears in Europe. In France, women represent nearly half of administrative and technical employees but less than 2 percent of on-site manual workers. In the U.K., estimates place women at roughly 1 percent of the manual workforce despite much higher industry-wide participation.

This distribution isn’t random. Trades with clearer training pathways, lower barriers to entry and less entrenched informal gatekeeping tend to move first. Trades defined by legacy networks and rigid norms move last.

The result is a hierarchy of access that mirrors pay and power structures.

Women Are Entering Construction Training, But Many Don’t Finish

Recruitment is no longer the primary bottleneck.

Across multiple regions, women now enter construction training and apprenticeship programs at higher rates than a decade ago. Outreach efforts and pre-apprenticeship programs have expanded the front end of the pipeline.

Completion is where momentum breaks.

Women leave apprenticeships at higher rates than men in male-dominated trades, particularly during the first year. The reasons are consistent: isolation, lack of mentorship, hostile site environments and inflexible schedules.

These exits are often mischaracterized as a skills mismatch. The data suggests otherwise. Women who leave cite culture and conditions far more often than aptitude.

Why Women Leave Construction Jobs After Getting In

Retention is where the industry continues to lose ground.

Across regions, women are more likely than men to exit construction within five years, even after completing training. Harassment, inconsistent enforcement of standards and limited advancement pathways are cited repeatedly.

Being the only woman on a crew compounds these pressures. Isolation increases safety risks, discourages reporting and magnifies everyday friction into exit decisions.

Culture, in this context, isn’t abstract. It shows up in who gets listened to, who gets protected and who gets promoted.

Safety and PPE: When ‘Fit’ Becomes a Jobsite Risk

Few findings are as actionable — or as damning — as those related to safety equipment.

A global survey published in 2025 found that most women in industrial roles struggle to access properly fitting PPE. Ill-fitting gloves, harnesses and protective clothing aren’t inconveniences but documented safety risks.

More than one in five respondents attributed a workplace injury directly to equipment that didn’t fit. Near misses were even more common.

……

Stat Box: PPE and Safety Risk

Why Fit Matters

  • Majority of women report difficulty finding PPE that fits
  • 20%+ link injuries to ill-fitting gear
  • Near-miss incidents are significantly higher with improper PPE

[Source: The SafetyRack 2025]

……

Regulators are beginning to respond. In some regions, rules now explicitly require PPE to fit the worker, not the average male body.

Pay Gaps and Leadership: Why Representation Doesn’t Equal Power

Even where women enter and remain in construction, power remains unevenly distributed.

Gender pay gaps in construction are consistently wider than national averages in developed economies. These gaps are driven less by unequal pay for identical roles and more by occupational segregation.

Men dominate the highest-paying trades and senior leadership roles. Women cluster in positions with lower pay ceilings and fewer promotion pathways.

……

Stat Box: Construction Gender Pay Gaps

  • Australia: 21.1%
  • United Kingdom: ~21%
  • Higher than national averages in most developed markets

……

Leadership reflects this divide. In several European markets, women are increasingly visible in middle management but remain rare at the executive level.

Labor Shortages Are Forcing Construction to Change, Slowly

Where labor shortages are most acute, behavior changes fastest.

In markets facing sustained vacancy pressure, employers are adjusting schedules, formalizing standards and investing in retention out of necessity. These changes are rarely framed as equity initiatives, but they disproportionately benefit women. In looser labor markets, progress remains slower.

The pattern is consistent: inclusion accelerates when exclusion becomes expensive. Culture follows economics more often than ideology.

What’s Actually Working to Retain Women in Construction

Across regions, a common set of interventions consistently improves outcomes:

  • Clear jobsite standards and adequate facilities
  • Properly fitted PPE as a safety requirement
  • Structured onboarding and sponsorship, not just mentorship
  • Predictable scheduling and reduced volatility
  • Apprenticeship programs with wraparound support
  • Owner and client requirements tied to enforcement

None of these changes is radical. Their impact comes from consistency, not novelty.

Inclusion in Construction Is No Longer Optional — It’s Operational

In 2026, the industry’s challenge is no longer whether it can attract women, but whether it’s willing to change the conditions that drive them out.

The data shows progress at the front door and resistance deeper inside. Women enter construction firms in record numbers. They still struggle to remain on site, advance in trades and reach positions of power.

This isn’t a talent problem but a design problem.

Women in Construction Week was created to celebrate progress. Its relevance now depends on whether it also prompts accountability. Representation without retention isn’t success. Visibility without safety isn’t inclusion.

The firms and regions that succeed in the next decade won’t be the ones that talk most convincingly about diversity. They will be the ones that treat workforce inclusion as core infrastructure — planned, funded and enforced with the same discipline as any critical system.

Construction is an industry built on execution. The gap between intent and outcome is where it wins or loses.

That gap is narrowing. Whether it closes is a choice.

……

How does Bluebeam support retention and safety for women working on jobsites?

Bluebeam helps standardize how safety, quality and coordination requirements are communicated and enforced. By giving every stakeholder access to the same markups, documentation and accountability trail, teams reduce informal gatekeeping, improve reporting consistency and make jobsite expectations explicit rather than cultural.

Why do standardized workflows matter for retaining women in construction?

The data shows women leave when conditions feel unpredictable, unsafe or unevenly enforced. Standardized digital workflows — checklists, reviews, sign-offs — reduce reliance on informal norms. That consistency lowers isolation risk, improves safety compliance and creates clearer pathways for advancement across crews and projects.

Can digital collaboration tools improve jobsite safety and PPE compliance?

Yes. When safety plans, PPE requirements and site standards are clearly documented and version controlled, enforcement improves. Bluebeam enables teams to visually document requirements, flag noncompliance and maintain audit trails — turning PPE fit and safety from informal expectations into enforceable jobsite standards.

How does Bluebeam help address the gap between training and jobsite reality?

Many women enter training programs but exit when on-site conditions don’t match expectations. Bluebeam helps bridge that gap by making processes visible: onboarding documents, role responsibilities, safety plans and escalation paths are clearly defined, reducing ambiguity that disproportionately affects underrepresented workers.

Does Bluebeam help reduce reliance on informal jobsite gatekeeping?

Yes. Informal networks thrive when information is fragmented. Bluebeam centralizes communication around drawings, markups and documentation so access is role-based, not relationship-based. That shift helps level participation on site and reduces the power of legacy gatekeeping structures.

How does Bluebeam support accountability in workforce standards?

Accountability depends on documentation. Bluebeam creates a shared record of decisions, changes and approvals that can be reviewed by owners, contractors and regulators alike. This makes it harder for safety, conduct or scheduling standards to erode quietly — and easier to enforce them consistently.

Is Bluebeam positioned as a DEI tool?

No. Bluebeam is an execution platform. But execution determines inclusion outcomes. When workflows are planned, visible and enforced, they reduce the conditions that drive women — and many others — out of construction. Inclusion improves not through messaging, but through better systems.

Why is technology adoption linked to workforce inclusion outcomes?

The article shows inclusion accelerates when exclusion becomes operationally expensive. Technology like Bluebeam lowers friction in coordination, safety enforcement and documentation — making consistency scalable. As labor shortages grow, these systems become essential infrastructure, not optional tools.

How does this data-driven approach align with Bluebeam’s role in construction?

Construction succeeds when intent becomes execution. Bluebeam sits in that gap — between policy and practice, plan and field, expectation and outcome. The same discipline applied to drawings, schedules and costs is increasingly required for workforce design.

Make inclusion work like the rest of your project.

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Hire360 leaders, contractors and partners gather outside the Chicago nonprofit’s training center, highlighting workforce development and support for small construction businesses.

This Chicago Nonprofit Isn’t Just Training Workers but Rebuilding the Construction Pipeline

  • Construction & The Economy, People & Project Spotlights
Hire360’s ecosystem approach connects labor, capital and opportunity where the industry usually fails.

Adrian Mobley did everything right—and still almost lost her business.

In 2014, she left a two-decade career as a respiratory therapist to launch a company providing CPR and OSHA safety training. The business grew. She joined a union. She won work on public construction projects. Eventually, she expanded into traffic control and construction services, creating jobs for people from neighborhoods like the one she grew up in on Chicago’s South Side.

But none of that solved a problem that quietly shuts down countless small contractors every year: cash flow.

Public contracts paid slowly. Payroll and union dues didn’t. Even with good credit, Mobley struggled to secure working capital—the kind of short-term financing that keeps crews paid and projects moving.

“If I hadn’t gotten help, I would have failed a long time ago,” Mobley said.

Her experience is common in an industry that depends on small and midsize contractors but often leaves them financially exposed. Mobley’s story might have ended badly if she hadn’t crossed paths with Hire360, a Chicago-based nonprofit working to tackle construction’s workforce and contractor challenges at the same time.

Building more than jobs

Hire360 was founded in January 2020 with a simple premise: workforce training alone doesn’t work if the contractors who hire those workers can’t survive.

The organization focuses on building what it calls a “circular ecosystem”—one that connects worker training, youth engagement, contractor growth and supply chain expansion into a single, reinforcing model.

“We’re recruiting for an industry,” said Jay Rowell, Hire360’s executive director. “If you’re not working with this industry and you’re not understanding their needs, you’re never going to help people get in.”

Since its launch, Hire360 has trained more than 600 workers through pre-apprenticeship programs while also supporting more than 230 local contractors with financing, mentorship and back-office assistance.

The goal isn’t just to place people in jobs, Rowell said, but to help them stay—and build careers.

“It’s great that you got into a union, you pass the test,” he said. “But the point is to get a career and to collect that pension check on the back end.”

Training that sticks

On the workforce side, Hire360 works closely with union leaders and construction firms to identify which trades are hiring and what skills workers need to succeed long term.

That collaboration shapes everything from certifications to hands-on training. The nonprofit also says it removes practical barriers that can derail new workers early, investing more than $1.4 million to cover tools, boots and protective equipment.

“We work with them to really tailor the training, the certifications, the other components to give our candidates the best chance of getting into whatever trade it is,” Rowell said.

Hire360 extends that approach to young people as well, partnering with local schools to expose students to careers they may never have seen firsthand. The organization hosts skilled trades fairs, field trips to its training center and paid summer internships, while working with school leaders to identify students interested in union apprenticeship programs tied to upcoming construction projects.

“A lot of kids that we work with have never been to a construction site, have never been to an apprenticeship program,” Rowell said. “They don’t even know what these careers look like. It’s hard to be something if you haven’t seen it.”

Keeping contractors alive—and growing

For small contractors, survival often hinges on access to capital. Hire360 addresses that gap directly, offering working capital loans and financial guidance to help firms manage payroll, purchase materials and take on larger jobs.

“Our loans are pivotal to helping smaller contracting firms scale up,” Rowell said. “Otherwise, they’re capped out by what they can charge on their credit card.”

That support proved critical for Mobley. Through Hire360, she was introduced to banking partners and coached on the documentation needed to secure a line of credit—starting at $10,000 and eventually growing to $250,000.

With that stability, her company—now called A&W Contractors—expanded into fencing and interior and exterior buildouts. Depending on the project, she employs between 25 and 50 people, including workers trained through Hire360’s programs.

The nonprofit also encourages contractors to grow beyond traditional scopes by entering construction material supply, an area where minority-owned businesses have historically faced steep barriers.

Hire360 helped launch the Midwest’s first Black-owned HVAC supplier with a $1 million loan and partnerships with major manufacturers. It’s now supporting other suppliers, from doors to flooring, as they scale their operations.

A model built on shared success

For Mobley, the impact went beyond financing. Hire360 connected her with accountants, provided mentorship and helped her navigate the realities of expansion in a notoriously unforgiving industry.

She credits the organization with strengthening not just her business, but the broader construction ecosystem in Chicago.

“Even though I know in my mind I can do all things, I still need help,” Mobley said. “I need the right guidance. I don’t have every answer.

“The people affiliated with Hire360—they’ve been in construction. They know the ins and outs of financing. They know distributors. They know a lot of what I don’t know, and they’re not shy about sharing the information.”

That willingness to address construction’s problems holistically—from training to financing to supply chains—is what sets Hire360 apart. It’s a recognition that workforce development doesn’t happen in isolation; that sustainable careers depend on sustainable businesses.

In an industry facing persistent labor shortages and contractor turnover, Hire360’s model suggests a different way forward—one that treats workers and contractors not as separate challenges, but as parts of the same system.

And for business owners like Mobley, that difference can mean everything.

…..

Bluebeam FAQ: Supporting Contractors and Workforce Stability

How can Bluebeam help small contractors manage cash flow on public projects?

Bluebeam helps contractors streamline takeoffs, estimating and change documentation so they can submit accurate bids, track scope changes and invoice with confidence. Clear documentation reduces disputes and delays—critical for contractors waiting on slow public-sector payments.

Can Bluebeam support contractors as they scale into larger or more complex projects?

Yes. As contractors grow, Bluebeam helps standardize workflows across teams, trades and job sizes. Shared markups, version control and real-time collaboration make it easier to manage multiple projects without adding administrative overhead.

How does Bluebeam help reduce back-office strain for small construction businesses?

By centralizing drawings, markups and project communication in one platform, Bluebeam reduces time spent searching for files or recreating work. That efficiency frees up small teams to focus on payroll, scheduling and project delivery instead of paperwork.

Is Bluebeam useful for contractors working with unions and multiple trade partners?

Bluebeam is designed for multi-stakeholder environments. Union contractors, subcontractors and project partners can review the same documents, track revisions and resolve issues early, supporting smoother coordination across the entire job site ecosystem.

How can digital collaboration tools help retain workers long term?

Clear plans, fewer errors and less rework create more predictable jobsites. When crews aren’t dealing with constant confusion or last-minute fixes, projects run more smoothly, helping workers stay employed, advance their skills and build sustainable careers.

Keep crews paid and projects moving, even on public jobs.

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Josh Sergent, in full U.S. Air Force combat gear, stands with two local Afghan children wearing red jackets during a patrol mission, symbolizing his service abroad before transitioning into a career in construction and customer success at Bluebeam.

From Guarding Nukes to Guarding Projects: How Bluebeam’s Josh Sergent Found Mission Beyond the Air Force

  • People & Project Spotlights
One veteran’s journey from high-stakes patrols to customer success shows how mission and teamwork never really end—they just evolve

At 19, Josh Sergent sat alone in a small building in an undisclosed location at Incirlik Air Base in Turkey. For hours, he stared at alarms and video feeds, trained to stay alert when everything around him was quiet.

The work demanded vigilance. The harder test was endurance—fighting fatigue at 3 a.m., knowing what he was guarding mattered more than his comfort.

Today, Sergent is in Charlotte, North Carolina, helping clients optimize their workflows in Bluebeam. On the surface, the two roles couldn’t be more different. Still, both hinge on the same discipline: focus on the task, trust the process, block out the noise.

For Sergent, the mission didn’t end when the uniform came off.

The Mission: From Vaults to Villages

After Incirlik, Sergent’s career grew more demanding. At Shaw Air Force Base, he soon received orders sending him to Afghanistan. He joined the 455th Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron and a Quick Response Force known as the “Reapers.”

One day he was behind the wheel of a convoy truck, the next behind a .50-caliber machine gun. His team patrolled 20 miles of dangerous terrain outside Bagram Airfield, searched for improvised explosive devices (IEDs), raided Taliban weapons caches and responded after rocket or mortar attacks, moving to the suspected launch sites to find who was responsible. One mission stretched 36 hours when vehicles failed and chaos didn’t let up.

Josh Sergent (second from right) served with the 455th Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron in Afghanistan, where missions ranged from 36-hour patrols to building trust with village elders. The teamwork and discipline he relied on then continue to guide his career today in customer success at Bluebeam.

For Sergent, the heart of the job wasn’t just surviving patrols. It was connection.

“The most important part of our mission was building rapport with local village elders to deter Taliban infiltration,” he said. Winning trust, he learned, was as critical as carrying firepower.

In the dirt and disorder of those deployments, Sergent forged the mindset that still drives him: focus on the mission, adapt to the mess, lean on your team.

The Hardest Transition

When Sergent left the Air Force in 2015, he thought the hardest days were behind him. After all, what could compare to sleepless nights in Afghanistan or 36-hour convoys?

The answer surprised him: civilian life.

“Going from a rigid chain of command to the corporate world felt ambiguous—you’re suddenly fending for yourself,” he said. For six years, he had lived in a system where the mission was always clear. On the outside, he had to navigate job applications, interviews and offices where rules weren’t written down.

He admits he underestimated himself. “I sold myself short coming out of the military; I didn’t realize how marketable my experiences really were.”

Employers often misunderstood what veterans brought to the table. That disconnect left him questioning where he fit and whether his skills had a place in the civilian world.

Finding Ground in Construction

Sergent didn’t have a roadmap after the Air Force. What he had was determination to stay useful.

That led him into construction, where he worked as a project engineer, safety coordinator and assistant project manager before moving into estimating.

It wasn’t glamorous, but it was grounding. The jobs gave him structure and a tangible way to see progress. And it was here, in the middle of takeoffs and document chaos, that Sergent discovered Bluebeam.

“Bluebeam was cathartic for me as an estimator—headphones in, doing takeoffs, managing documents—it’s just a great tool,” he said.

After years of career uncertainty, the software gave him a sense of order.

That spark eventually led to something bigger. Earlier this year, Sergent spotted an opening at Bluebeam for a customer success manager role. His mix of construction experience, sales background and mission-first mindset lined up perfectly.

A few months in, he sees the same teamwork and discipline he relied on in the Air Force translate directly to helping customers succeed.

Redefining the Mission at Bluebeam

For Sergent, joining Bluebeam wasn’t just a career move. It was a way to reconnect with something familiar: mission and team.

In the Air Force, success meant safeguarding people and critical assets. In construction, it meant keeping projects moving. At Bluebeam, it’s about making sure customers have what they need.

“At the end of the day, whether in the Air Force or at Bluebeam, it’s about working toward a shared mission,” he said.

What stands out isn’t just the technology but the people. The teamwork he first experienced in basic training—learning to work with people from every background toward a common goal—shows up daily in customer success.

Josh Sergent (bottom left) with his unit in Afghanistan, where he served as part of the 455th Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron. From convoy patrols to building trust with local communities, those experiences of discipline and teamwork continue to shape his mission-first approach at Bluebeam today.

Listening, problem-solving, adapting on the fly: the skills that defined his military years now define his work with customers.

Sergent also hopes his story nudges other veterans to see their own value more clearly. “Don’t sell yourself short. The discipline, problem-solving and teamwork you learn in the military are directly translatable,” he said.

It took him years to realize how marketable those skills were. Now, he’s proving it by example.

Veterans Day Reflection

Looking back, Sergent doesn’t frame his story around battles or medals. What he values most is the continuity—the way a mission-first mindset carried him from a security bunker in Turkey, to convoy patrols in Afghanistan, to construction sites and now to customer calls at Bluebeam.

The stakes have changed, but the approach hasn’t. Stay disciplined. Trust your team. Adapt when things break down.

This Veterans Day, Sergent’s story is a reminder that service doesn’t end when the uniform comes off. For many veterans, the mission simply evolves—into parenting, new careers and helping others succeed. For him, what’s forged in the military doesn’t just survive in civilian life. It thrives.

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U.S. Army veteran Jessica Haffner smiling with her brother in uniform during deployment, highlighting her military service before her career in customer success at Bluebeam.

From Fuel Convoys to Customer Success: How Jessica Haffner’s Perspective Powers Her Mission

  • People & Project Spotlights
One veteran’s journey from tactical fueling to guiding Bluebeam customers shows that service doesn’t stop when the uniform comes off

At 22, Jessica Haffner stood in the dust of Camp Bondsteel, Kosovo, watching a convoy roll in when a Marine stepped out—and she recognized him instantly.

Her older brother had arrived in the same war zone where she was stationed. Two siblings from rural Washington, reunited by chance amid an active conflict, rifles slung and alarms still echoing.

Today, Haffner is in Spokane, Washington, helping construction teams through Bluebeam workflows. On the surface, the two moments couldn’t be further apart. But both hinge on the same lesson: resilience, gratitude and understanding that everyone carries unseen battles.

For Haffner, the mission didn’t end when the uniform came off. It just shifted.

From College Uncertainty to the Army

Haffner had raced ahead in school, finishing her associate degree through Washington’s Running Start program while her classmates were still in high school. By winter of 1998-99, she was between quarters, unsure of her path and out of tuition money.

The Army’s offer was clear. “I enlisted in January of ’99 because the Army was offering $50,000 for college—and at 18, that sounded life-changing,” she said.

Jessica Haffner served as a petroleum supply specialist in the U.S. Army, hauling fuel across Europe and into conflict zones. From driving tankers through Germany to guarding gates in Kosovo, she learned patience, resilience, and perspective—lessons she now brings to her role guiding customers at Bluebeam.

Military service ran in her family—grandfather, father, uncles, brother. But for a woman, it was still unusual. Enlisting felt both practical and daring, a leap anchored by tradition.

Driving Fuel Trucks, Guarding Gates, Gaining Perspective

As a petroleum supply specialist, Haffner hauled thousands of gallons of fuel across Germany, set up deployable tank farms and kept heavy equipment running. The work was critical, demanding precision and calm.

Then came Kosovo. Assigned to the Big Red One, one of only a handful of women in a combat-ready unit of more than 1,000 men. Much of her deployment meant guarding Camp Bondsteel’s gates, patting down local women and checking buses for explosives.

“One minute you’re driving fuel trucks through Germany, and the next you’re in Kosovo with a rifle on your shoulder, realizing how fragile everything really is,” she said.

The deployment also brought that improbable reunion with her brother, a reminder of both family ties and the unpredictability of war.

Finding Her Footing Back Home

Leaving the Army was a shock.

“I came home with hazmat certifications, a military CDL and four years of experience, and I still couldn’t get a job. That was a wake-up call,” she said.

Haffner moved back in with her mom, picked up odd jobs, groomed horses and saved while finishing her physics degree and later earning an MBA. Those lean years taught her humility, persistence and how to start over when the path forward isn’t obvious.

Lessons That Stick

Patience, resilience, empathy—Haffner leans on them daily. “Patience and perspective—those are the two things the Army gave me that I still use every single day,” she said.

Navigating male-dominated environments is familiar territory, whether in construction tech or combat units. And while some veterans miss rigid command structures, Haffner found freedom in ambiguity.

In the Army, Jessica Haffner learned to adapt to any environment—whether hauling fuel or standing watch in the field. That same resilience now drives her work helping Bluebeam customers navigate challenges with patience and perspective.

“I didn’t function well saluting bad ideas just because of rank,” she admits. That realization shapes how she approaches colleagues and customers—listening first, solving problems collaboratively and knowing when to trust her instincts.

Serving in New Ways

As an enterprise customer success manager at Bluebeam, Haffner applies the same mission-focused mindset that kept convoys moving. Instead of tankers, she now fuels projects, helping customers adopt technology, troubleshoot challenges and succeed.

Off the clock, her service continues. Earlier in her career, Haffner volunteered with Conservation Northwest, helping document wolf populations in the Selkirk Mountains. Today, she supports the Spokane Humane Society and leads community yoga through her Yoga in the Wild project, which combines hiking, meditation and yoga on local trails. With training in trauma-informed practices, she strives to make every class inclusive and welcoming, holding space for individuals who may carry experiences of trauma.

“Teaching yoga is one way I try to give back—to hold space for people carrying things you might never see,” she said.

Veterans Day Reflection

For Haffner, Veterans Day is personal. Her brother, a career Marine, has deployed four times and still gets the calls no one wants—news of Marines lost to suicide.

“Veterans Day reminds me that for many, the battle still isn’t over. My brother has buried Marines who died by suicide years after the war,” she said.

That reality shapes her outlook. Whether she’s answering a customer email, teaching her kids—a son, 15, and a daughter, 10—about service, or guiding a yoga class, Haffner carries the perspective forged in Kosovo: service doesn’t always wear a uniform. It evolves—into family, community and the quiet work that helps others move forward.

“The mission never really ends; it just changes shape,” she said. “Sometimes it’s a convoy. Sometimes it’s a customer call. Sometimes it’s holding space for someone who’s hurting.” 

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Construction worker in hard hat and safety vest tying rebar on a jobsite, symbolizing the teamwork, coordination and digital collaboration tools like Bluebeam that support modern construction projects.

I Knew Nothing About Construction. Then I Interned at Bluebeam.

  • People & Project Spotlights
A marketing intern with zero construction experience reflects on what she learned—and unlearned—while helping tell the stories behind the buildings

Before this past summer, the closest I’d come to construction was sitting in traffic next to a jackhammer. I’d never been on a jobsite. Never opened a plan document. I thought construction was all hard hats and poured concrete—physical, hands-on work that felt miles away from my world as a college student.

Then I joined Bluebeam.

Bluebeam builds software used by architects, engineers, subcontractors and construction technology teams to collaborate on projects. As a marketing intern, I wasn’t using the tools myself—but I was writing about them, sitting in on content planning meetings, watching customer webinars and helping shape stories about how professionals use Bluebeam to move work forward. And through all that, I started to see the industry completely differently.

What I Thought I Knew vs. What I Learned

I used to think construction was mostly boots-on-the-ground work. What I’ve seen instead is that it’s a massive network of coordination, communication and problem-solving. Behind every project are layers of decisions—designs being revised, PDFs being annotated, teams aligning across disciplines and time zones.

That complexity became clearer the more I worked with the marketing team. I helped promote examples of how companies are streamlining reviews and improving visibility across teams. One case I watched involved Bluebeam Studio Sessions enabling near-simultaneous input from multiple stakeholders—dramatically speeding up what would normally be a back-and-forth process. I wasn’t on those projects, but seeing how they were talked about—and why they mattered—helped me understand the stakes.

It also reframed how I thought about marketing. It’s not just about messaging. It’s about translation: turning technical workflows into human stories that people outside the field can understand and care about. That’s what marketing in this space really is—not just supporting construction, but making it make sense.

Seeing Collaboration from the Inside

This was also the first time I really understood how much construction depends on collaboration. A design gets updated, and someone in another office has to know right away. A document gets annotated, and three separate teams need to see it. When communication stalls, progress does too.

That level of coordination wasn’t just something I saw in webinars or case studies. It showed up in my internship. In my first week, I joined a social media brainstorm where someone suggested creating a “construction glossary” series for Instagram—short explainers for people like me who were new to the space. I pitched a post explaining the difference between architects and engineers. It got drafted the next day. That small win gave me a clearer view of how teamwork really works, not just in construction, but in the workplace.

What Changed

Now, when I look at a building going up, I don’t just see steel and scaffolding. I see a live thread of decisions—1,000 micro-adjustments happening across drawings, devices and job roles. I see how much trust, context and clarity it takes to keep a project moving.

Communication in construction is more than a tool; it’s the backbone that holds everything together. Without it, even the strongest materials and most careful plans fall short. It’s not a side task. It’s the structure under the structure. And somehow, starting from the outside, I got to help tell that story—and see why it matters.

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Superintendent Bob Medina reviews blueprints at a construction site, wearing a hard hat and safety vest. He marks up plans while coordinating project details, reflecting his dual role as a jobsite leader and online mentor for tradespeople.

From Jobsite to Social Feed: How This Superintendent Builds Careers on and Offline

  • People & Project Spotlights
Bob Medina blends early mornings on the jobsite with evenings sharing construction skills online, turning a blueprint course into a mission to inspire and educate tradespeople

It’s 5 a.m., and the jobsite is quiet. Superintendent Bob Medina arrives early, getting everything organized before the crew shows up.

By the time work begins, he’s already met with foremen, checked in with trades and made sure the day is set for success.

When the workday ends, Medina’s role shifts. On Instagram, TikTok and YouTube, he shares construction know-how and encouragement with an audience of more than 40,000 followers.

That online presence started to promote his blueprint course, but it quickly evolved into something more: a mission to educate and inspire people in the trades.

“It makes me feel great knowing that I’m helping other people,” Medina said.

A Lifelong, Indirect Path to the Trades

Medina’s connection to construction runs deep—even if he didn’t plan on making it his career. As a kid, he followed his father around jobsites, pushing a mini wheelbarrow and pitching in however he could. Summers in high school meant working alongside his uncles on their projects.

“I loved to be handy. I loved to help out and use the tools,” Medina recalled.

But when it came time for college, he enrolled in civil engineering at San Francisco State University, envisioning a career as an engineer. Summers still found him back in Los Angeles, working construction, but after graduation, the path forward was unclear.

Superintendent Bob Medina reviews construction plans on site, making sure every detail is ready before crews arrive—a balance of technical precision and people-first leadership.

A civil engineering internship gave him hands-on experience, but it was an unexpected offer from an architect he knew—to run an Enterprise Rent-A-Car project—that pulled him back into construction full time.

“Life has a crazy way of happening,” Medina said. “I just ended up going back to construction at the end of the day, and I absolutely loved it.”

Running the Jobsite

Today, Medina thrives in his role as a superintendent. The days start early with organizing the site, reviewing plans and setting up for the crews. Once the trades arrive, he meets with foremen, outlines daily priorities and checks in with plumbers, electricians, drywallers and more to keep everyone aligned.

He’s learned that good coordination depends on good communication.

“I make sure I’m treating people with respect—that’s the golden rule. I really live by that,” he said.

Beyond the day-to-day, Medina is always looking weeks ahead, tracking material orders, confirming equipment delivery and keeping projects on schedule. The role demands both technical expertise and people skills.

“In many ways, the superintendent is the glue that holds a project together,” Medina said. His approach: stay calm, avoid becoming overwhelmed and take it “one step at a time, one brick at a time day by day.”

The reward: “Seeing every step of the project and knowing that I played a part in every step is just amazing.”

From Blueprint Lessons to an Online Following

Medina’s leadership doesn’t stop at the jobsite. Early in his career, he struggled to read plan documents, spending late nights studying them at home. Over time, he began using spare moments on site to help his team build the same skill. Those lessons eventually became an online course for learning to read plan documents.

To promote the course, Medina began posting videos on TikTok and Instagram. In a little more than a month on Instagram, his account had grown to more than 30,000 followers. Comments and direct messages poured in from people thanking him for helping them work faster, save time and improve their skills.

From the jobsite to social media, Bob Medina is inspiring the next generation of tradespeople by showing that construction is both a craft and a career worth building.

“Giving people their time back is awesome,” he said. “They’re learning something and they’re getting time to spend with their families; they’re getting that back in their lives.”

Looking Ahead

Medina’s goal is to encourage more people to see construction as a viable, rewarding career.

“I really want construction to be seen as a career path,” he said. “You can learn some cool things; you can do some cool things.”

He’s quick to point out he’s still learning himself—and plans to keep it that way. Whether on the jobsite or online, Medina is committed to sharing what he knows while expanding his own skills.

As long as he’s building—projects, knowledge and community—Medina’s influence will continue to grow.

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Rebuilding Hollers volunteers in hoodies and hard hats gather after Hurricane Helene to support rebuilding efforts in western North Carolina.

Rebuilding Hollers: How Local Supply Chains and Skilled Hands Are Driving Recovery in NC

  • People & Project Spotlights, Project Management & Efficiency
A North Carolina nonprofit is blending supply chain innovation, contractor collaboration and community labor to rebuild after Hurricane Helene

At a gas station in western North Carolina, days after Hurricane Helene tore through the mountains, Stephanie Johnson watched a mother count out quarters to buy food for her kids.

“That’s when I understood that this is really bad,” Johnson said.

Helene had already left Johnson and her family stranded on their property for three days, sawing their way out through downed trees. But the sight of parents scraping for food showed her the storm’s devastation was deeper than wrecked roads and washed-out homes. It was survival.

For Johnson—a former commercial contractor turned real estate agent—that moment launched a mission that has since grown into Rebuilding Hollers, a nonprofit coordinating hundreds of recovery projects. Drawing on her construction background, Johnson built a system that blends supply chain innovation, contractor collaboration and community labor—an approach with lessons for construction professionals far beyond North Carolina’s hollers.

From Chainsaws to Sheetrock: Meeting Material Needs

Johnson leaned on her contracting background to see past the immediate food crisis to the larger task: rebuilding. From fall 2024 to spring 2025, Rebuilding Hollers had distributed at least:

  • 400 chainsaws.
  • 300 generators.
  • 50 water filtration systems.
  • Multiple 18-wheeler loads of lumber, sheetrock, siding and other building materials.

Support came from local businesses and national brands alike. Loggers donated lumber, a distributor contributed siding, Ryobi provided tools and a business pooled money to supply sheetrock. An empty storefront became storage space, and Starlink internet helped Johnson coordinate needs quickly on social media.

“It was just amazing how God was sending everything the community needed,” Johnson said.

A Construction-Informed Funding Model

Johnson’s team quickly recognized a familiar challenge for disaster recovery: getting the right materials to the right site at the right time. To solve it, they partnered with Summit Building Supply, a local supplier, to create a gift certificate system tied to each project’s material list.

Here’s how it works:

  • Rebuilding Hollers raises funds and directs them into a prepaid escrow at Summit.
  • Once a project is approved, the owner receives gift certificates linked to their specific list of materials.
  • Families use them at Summit to collect exactly what they need—reducing waste, avoiding mismatched supplies and keeping dollars circulating locally.

For some projects, Rebuilding Hollers also has paid contractors and subcontractors and covered costs at other stores.

A mountain hollow in western North Carolina shows the scars left by Hurricane Helene—washed-out banks, downed trees and debris. Rebuilding Hollers, founded by Stephanie Johnson, has supported more than 450 recovery projects like this one, supplying chainsaws, lumber, and skilled labor to help families rebuild.

As of spring 2025, the nonprofit has provided more than $284,000 in direct financial support. “It’s totally mind-blowing to me when you really get into what is going on,” Johnson said.

Workforce Partnerships and Skilled Labor

Rebuilding Hollers’ model emphasizes collaboration across the construction ecosystem:

  • Local contractors and tradespeople are working alongside families.
  • High school carpentry students, through a partnership with the nonprofit, are gaining hands-on training while contributing labor.
  • Nonprofits, businesses and individuals have joined in to provide both skilled and volunteer support.

By May 2025, the nonprofit was backing 457 projects—including 51 total losses. Two families had already moved back into fully rebuilt homes with help from the organization.

Rebuilding Communities and Stabilizing Economies

Johnson stresses that rebuilding homes isn’t just about shelter but about keeping the regional economy intact.

“If we don’t rebuild, our entire economy will crash,” Johnson said. “Families will leave, property values will plummet and the community will never recover.”

Tourism is central to the mountain economy, and in May 2025, Rebuilding Hollers hosted a fundraising event that brought tourists into the hollers, both to witness the devastation and support local businesses.

Lessons for the Construction Industry

Rebuilding Hollers’ experience offers several takeaways for professionals across construction, engineering and supply chain sectors:

  • Material management systems like project-specific gift certificates can reduce waste and misallocation.
  • Local supplier partnerships keep dollars in the community and streamline logistics.
  • Blended labor models—combining contractors, student trainees and volunteers—expand capacity in a strained workforce.
  • Community-focused rebuilding strengthens not just housing stock but the broader economy.

As Johnson put it: “We’re saying we’re going to stand by you as you rebuild. If you’re brave enough to rebuild, we’re brave enough to get you whatever you need.”

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