U.S. General Services Administration
Kind and mighty Kali Schmitt is leading complex construction projects
Kali Schmitt
Technical Project Manager/General Engineer
Montana Field Office
Five years working at GSA
At first glance Kali Schmitt might not look like your typical construction professional but don’t let her bubbly personality and kind demeanor fool you. After just a few minutes of conversation, you’ll learn that she’s a skilled engineer and project manager and she’s been working in this industry for over 13 years. In fact, she was recently promoted to a Technical Project Manager/General Engineer because of her knowledge and expertise. In this new role, Schmitt is driven to help other project managers and to serve as a technical resource for them.
After graduating from Montana State University with a degree in civil engineering, Schmitt began working at an engineering consulting firm supporting rural electric cooperatives primarily along the Canadian border. During her time at this firm, she obtained her professional engineer license. After six years and wanting more growth opportunities, she transitioned into facilities management as a government contractor for the Montana Border Patrol facilities (Havre Sector). The majority of these facilities are GSA leased and owned which provided Schmitt many opportunities to interact with the GSA team and learn about facilities as well as government operations. After two years, she was hired as a GSA project manager where she was excited to get back to her true passion, project management.
Most of Schmitt’s projects are distributed across the state of Montana and she emphasizes the importance of building relationships and trust with onsite agencies, the Operations and Maintenance (O&Ms) contractors, as well as her Montana team as key components to her project success. “You have to have this level of trust otherwise you won’t be successful in Montana,” claims Schmitt.
Her projects at GSA range from various ports of entry, federal buildings and courthouses that can be hundreds of miles away from where she currently resides. “I really take pride in everything I do, it’s a reflection of me. I still get excited every time I get a new scope of work,” Schmitt adds.
One of her favorite GSA projects so far is the ongoing Turner Land Port of Entry Roof and Building Envelope Project. “At first we were focused on the roof and then as we dug into the design, the building envelope became more prevalent as a key contributor to the leak issues,” recalls Schmitt. This project has required a lot of coordination with the roofing manufacturer and building commissioning agent to ensure they were reviewing all key elements associated with the possible water intrusion issue. To make things more complicated, the building is on both sides of the border which means in addition to coordinating with U.S. Customs and Border Protection, there is more effort in coordinating with Canadian Border Service Agency (CBSA) on their regulations for importing/exporting materials, work permits, and security measures. Also, a Memorandum of Understanding was developed to ensure both sides of the border pay for their portion.
These complex issues are exactly what excites Schmitt. “I love developing these ideas and fully answering what the scope was and in this case, it was to stop the water intrusion in the building,” explains Schmitt. “It was a long time coming, but it’s always worth it in the end. You just have to remind yourself that it’s all a part of the process.”
Remaining authentic and letting her skill and hard work speak for itself. are key components of Schmitt’s leadership style. She’s proud to work in an organization that has an abundance of women working in the construction industry, including engineers, architects, project managers, and leaders. “They’re all strong, intelligent and tenacious women. We’re shaping a new world and redefining the construction industry”, says Schmitt. “There was a gap. Women can come in and complete that circle and provide a lot of value that wasn’t there before.”