From day one Braun Intertec engineer Katrina (Kat) Hetico’s personality, confidence, and ability to build relationships put her on a clear path from co-op to intern and now staff engineer.
“There’s a lot to get a handle on in the consulting engineer world,” said Braun Intertec Account Leader/Senior Engineer and Hetico’s supervisor, Joe Westphal. “One of the most important traits for any young engineer is a willingness to continue to do the field work regardless of their current title or position. That hands-on approach to service is what our clients appreciate and what drives engineering excellence.”
Recently promoted to staff engineer II, Hetico is an example of a common career path at Braun Intertec where talented engineers are developed through the co-op and intern programs, and then hired full-time. She joined Braun Intertec in 2018 as a co-op, returned for an internship in 2019, worked part-time through the following school year, and has been a full-time engineer since June 2021.
“I am really grateful,” Hetico said about her career path. “I like to think that I show up every day, willing to work hard and soak in anything they teach me. I feel like they recognize my approach to my job, appreciate everything that I am bringing to the table and continue to present opportunities for me to grow in the future.”
Hetico is also quick to credit the hard work of others and the culture at Braun Intertec for her success. She tells the story of being a co-op and needing help from the on-call engineer after making an unusual discovery on a job site.
“I remember him answering my phone call right away. He helped me write my special inspection report for the day because it was something I had never seen before,” Hetico said. “That always stuck with me – people are always going to be there to help you and answer your questions at Braun Intertec. It builds a community of respect.”
Whether she’s going the extra mile for a client or volunteering in the community, serving others is part of everyday life for Hetico.
“The Braun Intertec values are all pertinent in the work that we do, and I could give almost endless examples of how I see them every day,” she said. “I think the most important value to me is service. Service comes every day with how we serve both our clients and our fellow employees. We’re always responsive to client and colleague needs and seek out solutions to problems we encounter. This is also important to me outside of the office as I like to volunteer in my community with various programs.”
Hetico’s path to becoming a geotechnical engineer started at the University of Minnesota. She started in the biomedical engineering program but quickly realized she didn’t want to be in a lab all day. Her mom suggested civil engineering, so Hetico took an introduction to civil, environmental, and geotechnical engineering course.
But it wasn’t until she attended a presentation about landslides along the Mississippi River that Hetico chose geotechnical engineering for a career path.
As a rower, she’d witnessed those landslides many times and thought the field of geotechnical engineering sounded interesting. “I’ve loved it ever since,” she said. “I think it’s a great combination of earth science and geology as well as civil engineering.”
Hetico said her time as a co-op and intern has proven invaluable to her success and advancement in the company because of the opportunity for hands-on field experience and additional office experience as an intern.
Her advice to future co-ops and fellow employee owners is simple: Be open to learning and ask a lot of questions.
“You work hard, and you learn a lot,” she said of her time as a co-op and intern. “Don’t be afraid to call an engineer and just say, ‘can you explain this to me.’ …There’s no shame in that because we’ve all been there. And that helps make your job easier and our job easier on the back end.”
Outside of work, Hetico is recharged by the great outdoors. She loves hiking, camping, running and bike riding, to name a few, and also wants to get back into rowing.
“Basically, anything that involves me being somewhat active and being with the people in my life is what really makes me happy,” she said.
Hetico is thankful for the opportunities she’s had at Braun Intertec, praising the company and her co-workers for helping her grow.
“It is crazy to look back on my co-op interview in 2018 and realize that I was almost interviewing for the next four years of my life,” she said. “Every day I showed up willing to learn and work hard and was continuously given opportunities to change my best. I am so grateful they saw improvement in me and have trusted me with more responsibility and bigger roles.”
About the co-op program
The Braun Intertec co-op program is a six-month paid internship that allows enrolled students to gain industry experience with the Braun Intertec engineering and construction materials testing groups. Are you looking for an internship or co-op position? Learn more about what we have to offer here.