According to Kimberly Burkert, we are in challenging times where leadership has to balance achieving financial goals and radical changes in economic conditions with empathetic understanding of the needs of its employees.
“The pandemic has changed the landscape of physical in-office space requirements, while also creating a deeper understanding of mental considerations to develop thriving teams,” said Burkert. “Creating an environment where employees feel fairly treated and they have career flexibility, work/life balance and growth opportunities, is a main part of the superstructure of creating a financially successful firm.”
Changing the landscape has been a literal move for Burkert and her team in the past year since she was named a Titan 100. The company moved its headquarters to accommodate the firm’s post-pandemic, return-to-office strategies, creating a space that focused on employees’ overall well-being.
Bala Consulting Engineers has been at the forefront of providing critical and technologically advanced engineering services for more than 40 years. The firm’s breadth of engineering, commissioning, and consulting experience for corporate, data center, education, high-rise, healthcare, life science, and multi-unit housing projects has resulted in improved returns on investment, better-performing buildings, and optimal user experiences.
“Bala has established a distinguished legacy in the 40+ years that we have been a firm, and it would be easy to rely on that and be comfortable, but that’s not our style,” said Burkert. “We take industry leadership seriously and are aggressively pursuing opportunities to expand market share and make our mark in new markets and regions.”
Under Burkert’s leadership, Bala has conducted extensive research to develop a 10-year strategic growth plan that is committed to doubling the size of the firm. To achieve this, Burkert has led her team to diversify the major market sectors to include new and growing markets while broadening its geographic reach.
Philanthropy and mentorship are at the core of Bala’s DNA, said Burkert. “We want to inspire and support generations to come to be a bigger and better part of the communities we serve,” she said. That’s why the company has company-based and individual opportunities for participation in charitable endeavors through group volunteer activities and paid philanthropy days for each employee.
Burkert has also been instrumental in supporting a mentorship program that brings new learning experiences and opportunities to both the mentee and the mentor, bringing in team development training experts to help with personal time management strategies and goal-setting initiatives.
As a second-year Titan 100, Burkert said it has been a true honor. “The greatest value has been the expanded c-suite network and the relationships built among the titans,” she said.
