What does it take to find your voice in an industry where you're often the only woman in the room?
In this episode of Facility Rockstars, host Jay Culbert sits down with Laurie Geringer, Facilities Specialist at RTX, to discuss the challenges of navigating a male-dominated industry, managing complex facility projects, and adapting to the changing demands of the modern workplace. With more than two decades of experience supporting organizations like Cisco, MITRE, and RTX, Laurie has built her career around solving space challenges, coordinating stakeholders, and finding creative solutions to keep organizations moving forward.
From managing multimillion-dollar construction projects to navigating the complicated return-to-office transition, Laurie shares why curiosity, confidence, and adaptability have been essential to her success. She also explains the surprising psychology behind workspace planning, why facility professionals need to embrace uncomfortable situations, and how asking questions helped her find her voice and build a career on her own terms.
Takeaways:
- Find your voice, even when you're the only one in the room. Laurie shares her experience navigating a male-dominated industry and explains why confidence, assertiveness, and standing your ground are essential to building credibility.
- Don't be afraid to ask questions. Early in her career, Laurie worried about appearing inexperienced. Now, she sees curiosity as one of the most valuable tools for learning, solving problems, and bringing fresh perspectives to the table.
- Growth happens when you get uncomfortable. Whether taking on an intimidating project or stepping into an unfamiliar situation, Laurie encourages professionals to embrace challenges and break overwhelming tasks into manageable pieces.
- Facility planning is about people, not just square footage. Laurie compares space planning to solving a puzzle, where building constraints, employee needs, and operational requirements must all come together to create a functional workplace.
- Workplace changes are as much psychological as they are operational. From employees reluctant to give up private offices to the challenges of returning to work after COVID, Laurie explains why understanding people's emotional attachment to their workspaces is critical.
- Prioritization is essential when no two days look alike. Facility professionals constantly balance competing demands, unexpected requests, and major projects. Laurie emphasizes understanding deadlines, assessing priorities, and recognizing how your work affects others.
- Take ownership of your career development. Laurie's advice to emerging professionals is to speak up, volunteer, ask questions, and pursue opportunities rather than waiting for someone else to create a path for them.
Quote of the Show
- “I ask lots and lots of questions. So I found my voice, and I just haven't stopped since.”
Links
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauriegeringer/
- Website: https://www.rtx.com/
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