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Admin Month Spotlight 2024: Sarah Sutton
April 19, 2024
For Admin Month 2024, we've decided to highlight an admin once per week for the entirety of April. Next up: Sarah Sutton, Program Delivery Project Assistant and Senior Technical Leader at Progressive Companies!
Check out Sarah's advice video below!
How did you get into the administrative field and how has your role changed since being in the profession?
My first job out of college introduced me to the industry and allowed me to work side by side with architects and designers. Because of this, I started looking for ways to explore that further in a new role. I love helping people and being involved in all aspects of a project, so this position was a clear win in my book.
Since starting this profession, my role has changed dramatically. Once COVID hit, like many companies at the time, we had to take a really hard look at the processes and procedures we were following and ask ourselves how we could make them better. We transitioned everything from paper to electronic copies, started scheduling project deadlines on calendars (as opposed to taping pieces of paper to the windows like we used to do), and transitioned from a single Grand Rapids office to adding two regional offices into the mix. In addition, we also threw in a rebrand and a corporate structure change, so my position has morphed into one that has dynamic, multi-tasking, and ever-fluctuating responsibilities.
What is your favorite part of your job?
My favorite part of my job is getting to interact and work with all the different disciplines at my company (architects, interior designers, mechanical engineers, electrical engineers, civil engineers, structural engineers, landscape architects, urban planners, water resource specialists, and more).
What are you most proud of as an Admin?
As an admin, I am most proud of creating standards for a particular team at my company that worked so well they eventually were implemented within the rest of our company. When I started at Progressive Companies, I saw a gap in the way deadlines were communicated and created a template for the information to be captured and shared. It has made my teammates’ lives and my life so much easier!
How has ASAP supported your personal and professional growth?
One of my firm’s top priorities is fostering a career that provides people with opportunities for development and growth. For administrative professionals such as myself, that is not always easy to do. ASAP has given me and my fellow admins an opportunity to show our commitment to education and development with the PACE certification, webinars, and yearly summits.
What is your professional superpower?
Not necessarily having all of the answers but knowing where to find them (usually Google)!
More About Sarah:
Sarah graduated from Davenport University with her bachelor’s in business administration in 2013. She began her professional career at a sign company in Grand Rapids, Michigan where she worked as a Project Coordinator developing sign packages for clients like Johns Hopkins, VA St. Louis, and Knoxville Public Building Authority. It is there that Sarah developed an interest in design and the construction industry. Sarah’s current role is Program Delivery Project Assistant and Senior Technical Leader at Progressive Companies where she helps standardize processes, finalize documents, and write and reviews proposals, among other things.
Looking for more tips and opportunities from ASAP?
Want to nominate someone for Admin of the Month? Email Lydia Davidheiser, Content Coordinator, at [email protected], or fill out this form.
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