On May 19, 1976, Wanda Covatch was welcomed into her second family, IA Construction.
While looking to s
tart her career, Wanda was looking for a job that was long-term and provided benefits in which IA was the perfect match.
Through her 43 years of experience, Wanda started out as an Office Clerk, transitioned into an Office Manager, and was then promoted to Environmental Coordinator in 1995. As her career evolved so did the tools and resources that she used to make her job a success. Wanda states, “When I first started I used an electric typewriter, calculator to manually balance accounts payable/accounts receivable, and budget projects while communicating with landline phones.” The improvements in technology have helped Wanda become more efficient, as what used to take hours now only takes minutes.
Another adjustment that Wanda witnessed throughout her career was the evolution of Barrett Industries’ safety culture. When Wanda started, her career at IA there was no Safety Officer. Therefore, there was no accountability, no enforcement of PPE and Toolbox Talks/Daily Huddles did not exist. As the years passed, the company revamped its culture and safety efforts. Since then, Wanda has seen a tremendous change in the attitudes and behaviors of her peers when it comes to safety.
“Do not be afraid to ask questions. Be engaged and learn as much as you can. You can never learn enough”
One of Wanda’s biggest influencers within her career was Plant & Materials Engineering Department Manager, Dean Cherry and Office Manager, Eleanor Cherry. Both Dean and Eleanor were exceptional teachers to Wanda as she aspired to be leaders like them one day.
Thank you, Wanda, for your hard work and dedication to IA Construction.
