ACG National Capital
Each month, the members and guests of the ACG National
Capital chapter have the unique opportunity
to interact with one of the region’s leading business leaders and corporate
growth professionals at the chapter’s Monthly Meeting. And February was no
different, with the President of Bechtel Nuclear, Security, and Environmental
(NS&E), Barbara Rusinko addressing the chapter.
During her presentation, Ms. Rusinko illustrated how she successfully runs and
operates a multibillion dollar enterprise in one of the most complicated and
technically demanding portions of the construction and energy sectors.
Indeed, Ms. Rusinko and Bechtel NS&E take on a truly monumental weight of responsibility working in the sectors that they do. With a portfolio that includes building, maintaining, and taking apart nuclear power plants; maintaining missiles and reactors for the Department of Defense; and environmental restoration and recovery, everything that they do must by definition be done right, every time, with no margin for error.
And yet, Bechtel continues to grow its backlog and project pipeline and bolster Ms. Rusinko’s management as a portrait of success.
So what drives this success? In an industry that demands constant excellence, where slip-ups can mean catastrophe, what does it take to not only survive, but thrive?
Ms. Rusinko had a simple answer.
“[Company] culture matters,” Rusinko told them. “Ethics matter. We are really sensitive about who we do business with” because they need to be sure that those partners adhere to the same high standards, the same deep oversight and risk mitigation that is necessary when the consequences of failure are so egregious.
Ms. Rusinko and Bechtel NS&E are evidence that successful corporate growth, regardless of sector, requires understanding the industry you are in, understanding what attributes the industry requires, and instilling a corporate culture that not only is compatible with those qualities, but perpetuates them across the enterprise.