Leadership and Legacy in Millwork with Liz Ingebrigtsen

In this episode of Verify In Field, host Jacob Edmond sits down with Liz Ingebrigtsen, Project Manager at Sprovieri’s Custom Counters and current Chair of the Board for the Architectural Woodwork Institute. With more than 15 years in the industry, Liz shares her journey from starting at the front desk during the height of the recession to becoming a respected industry leader at both the chapter and national level.

Together, they explore the evolving role of AWI, the importance of industry involvement, and the real opportunities available for young professionals in millwork. This conversation goes beyond standards and titles. It is about ownership, workforce development, mentorship, and building a sustainable future for the trades.

About Our Guest

Liz Ingebrigtsen is a Project Manager at Sprovieri’s Custom Counters in the Chicago area and the current Chair of the Board for the Architectural Woodwork Institute. She has served for years on the Chicago Chapter board and recently stepped into national leadership.

Liz began her career in the middle of the 2009 recession, taking a front desk position at a countertop company that would eventually become her long term professional home. Over the years she grew alongside the company as it expanded from residential work into large scale commercial fabrication. Through her involvement in AWI, she found not just professional growth but community, mentorship, and purpose within the millwork industry.

Where to Learn More

Architectural Woodwork Institute
 https://awinet.org

Sprovieri’s Custom Counters
 https://sprovieris.com

Connect with Lizz Ingebrigtsen on LinkedIn
 https://www.linkedin.com/in/lizingebrigtsen/ 

Blog: https://vifpodcast.com/leadership-and-legacy-in-millwork-with-liz-ingebrigtsen/↗ 

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Transcript

Liz Ingebrigtsen 0:00

Like I said, we all have the same end goal in a way, right? We're all producing something and we're all like wanting to better fuel this industry for when we're done or when we're gone or anything like that.

Jacob Edmond 0:14

Welcome back everybody to verify and field. Today I am excited to share with you guys. We have guest Liz Ingebrigtsen with us. She is project manager at Spovieris Custom Counters. She's also the current year chair of the board for Architectural Woodwork institute. And she also sits on the board for the Chicago Chapter of AWI long time, volunteer and officer with AWI, as well as just a overall industry powerhouse. So I'm excited to have you on today with us, Liz.

Liz Ingebrigtsen 0:44

Thanks. Excited to be here.

Jacob Edmond 0:46

To get started, if you wouldn't mind just giving, a brief background of your journey, like how did you first get started in millwork?

Liz Ingebrigtsen 0:52

Yeah. So I fell into it. I graduated college in. 2 0 0 9 December, and it was in like the height of the recession and I could not find a job. What I went to school for. I wasn't really a hundred percent sure that was, my path in life. It just was a good route for me to take. and then I had been interviewing and interviewing for, I don't know, six months without like any opportunity for job and I didn't have enough experience. And then. Too much experience on some situations. During that time I was serving as a waitress and one of the girls that actually worked at the restaurant with me she was working here and was like, Hey, they're looking for a front desk girl. You interested in, hopping on and helping out, and I was like, like, why not? At this point, I wasn't doing anything during the day and decided, I'll give it a go and work here for a year or two and get some, industry office experience to have, make me a more viable candidate for other job opportunities. And that was 16 years ago this May. And I would, I always say like, Sprovieri's is my first big girl job. Probably end up being my last big girl job, but kind of find a home in the industry here. And then throughout my time at Sprovieri's, I moved into multiple roles here. So I wasn't at the front desk very long. I kind of moved into a lot of our residential stuff. Up into the The recession pretty much. Sprovieri's was mainly residential custom countertops. We were doing a lot for Home Depots, the Sears program. So just your regular like chain of the mill kitchen countertops. But during that time, Sprovieri's got hit hard by just the economic situation and we decided to start rebranding ourselves and focusing on I would say diversifying our portfolio. And then the different types of, we wanted to work on. So we got super heavily commercial involved during that time. And Sprovieri's moved up commercially, I just like fell suit into that commercial route. So right now, Sprovieri's just to give you some background on the company itself. We manufacture quats porcelain natural stone solid surface like Corians. In our facility outside here in Chicago we're in a 50,000 square foot facility. I would say right now we probably sit about 70 to 80% commercial. And then the remainder is still pretty much like high-end residential small, like commercial non-union projects and stuff like that. We are non-union shop, but being in Chicago, we do subcontract a lot of our union installs here in Chicago. So as we got busier here in this market like I said, I just fell into the millworker side of things. And then when I, started dealing with a lot of these mill workers. I just found like a home in AWI during that time, I would still say I wasn't a hundred percent sold, that this is like the end goal for me. This is like the rest of my life at that point. But meeting these connections and like I said, with AWI specifically like, kind of gave me a home in the industry that I like, felt my own person, my own entity that I was able to grow and become my own person here. And that's, I feel like, in addition with Sprovieri's is helping me that's why I'm still here after 16 years, is not usually common for, I would say, people, my age and younger anymore, but.

Jacob Edmond 3:49

Yeah, no, for sure. I think, we're about the same time I came out of university similarly at, in 2010. And I was working as a server as well before I got into this industry. So a lot of parallels there. And I can relate to, how you fell into this industry. And I think that's true for so many of us in millwork is. Really almost none of us went to school other than the Pitt State crew really probably to join this industry. But so many of us ended up here by, by different ways. We fall into it. And you mentioned how it seemed like pretty early on AWI was instrumental in, feeling like, hey, you'd found a home and maybe this was a place to build a career for. Did that start with the Chicago chapter of AWI.

Liz Ingebrigtsen 4:26

Yeah. So during that time, I would say, like Sprovieri's, like big customers at that point. Were AWI members in general. Sprovieri's was not an AWI national member at this time or anything like that. I started dabbling like,'cause m. Our customers at the time were like, Hey like, come to this AWI event, come do this. And this was also like in the time when Chris Ferrell from Inner Ocean was like rebranding the Chicago chapter. And we were doing a little bit more like exciting events and trying to bring in, new blood rather than like, I know everybody always says it's like this old man's club at that point, or old boys club at that point. So Chris Faroh was doing everything in himself to like rebrand this chapter. So he was like. Come on, check this out. So as I started going to a few AWI events, he's like, why don't you, come on the board and serve. And at that point it was like a lot of like main players from Chicago. Perini was on the board at the time. Bernhard was on the board at the time, Inner Ocean. We had all these like huge players that were like, also, like I said, our customers had only made sense for me to like build this relationship and this connection. That like grew into something that completely outta my mind. So I have been probably serving like actively on the board of Chicago since 2014. Pretty much. And I kind of ran that whole track through there. And I just actually ended my presidency role in the Chicago chapter in the end of 2025. So December, end of 2025 I stepped away from that role just to step up to this new position that I took on this year for national. But yeah, so that kind of made me you know, especially like not being a business owner, I feel like, sometimes like when you think of yourself, like you. I don't wanna say you ever get lost in the shuffle, but it made me feel important in the industry, like outside suburb areas when I like look at it where like Liz is an important person. So it gave me like some self gratification that I was looking for. And then as well, allowed me to create connections and learning situations that I probably wouldn't have been open to or been aware of. And it's like funny to think,'cause I always say this I'm a countertop fabricator. I'm not like producing millwork every day, right? We're not, I'm not a run of a mill shop. We still fall under like the AWI like group of stuff. So it's given me like a lot of perspective being like an outside position looking in at it from this way and just like the differences in some of like various associations and how people work with each other on that. But. In the hindsight, like we're all like doing the same end goal, where we're like integral, like parts of these like millwork jobs and a part of the process and everything. So I just like I said, I just found my home there and I found and connected with people and it's funny to think that like these people that like I serve with and to do better and try to like bring in the next generation. Like these are all these people become my friends. So it's not just like we're like customers and this and that, like these are people I can rely on. I trust in the industry, I know the type of work they're doing. And like we all have the same end goal to like better our industry we're in and like to bring in the next workforce to help do that. So that's like where like my niche came into play with that.

Jacob Edmond 7:14

Yeah, no. That's definitely a long tenure and I think, what's interesting about you, from my perspective and what I'm hoping the people listening will gain from this is one I still, a lot of people still don't really understand one, what AWI is outside of the standards.

Liz Ingebrigtsen 7:27

Yeah.

Jacob Edmond 7:28

Most people in our industry still only know AWI as the standards, and they don't understand what is it outside of that.

Liz Ingebrigtsen 7:35

Yeah.

Jacob Edmond 7:35

and I think that one, the chapters. Like Chicago, Great Lakes, there are certain chapters that are extremely integral in their local area as well as at the national level for what you just described, is getting people outside of just their own four walls of their company and at large networking with the industry. But two is, I think you are a great, example, because we do have a lot of people on the board or the chair that are very involved. Most people think it's just owners or it's just generational like families owners.'cause there are a lot of owners that are, hey, they've grown up in this industry. They've come into the business as a child. Their father was in the industry. And you are none of those things, right? You kinda have fell into this industry. Through your own merit, right? Worked your way up. And you're also not a business owner. You're not a millwork shop fabricator, right? And so I think all of those things are very interesting to have, you as the chair, because I think it breaks a lot of the stereotypes people have about our industry. About AWI specifically,

Liz Ingebrigtsen 8:33

Yeah.

Jacob Edmond 8:33

have you found that, you've. Obviously you've mentioned how welcoming you felt from the get go, getting involved with AWI and how it, it made you feel like your place, these people are your friends, but have you found those stereotypes to be something you've had to break through or that it's more just something that doesn't really exist in reality, as only in people's heads.

Liz Ingebrigtsen 8:55

And like when I look at AWI today, like in general, I feel like those stereotypes are out the doors. I feel like, when we talk about like some generational people, like I feel like there are some, things, but in reality, like we're all doing the same thing, right? Yeah, we might be doing things a little bit different. But I think this new generation or people our age, let's say like we're really like breaking down those barriers because I think we're relying on a lot of other mill workers to price it the same way we're pricing it and to be doing the same expectation of quality and stuff like that. I feel like we have to like, have some relationship and standards with these people to make sure that everyone's like on the same page of what's, what product is being needed by the architects and everything. I feel like the stereotype is honestly like. almost gone. I mean, But there's always gonna be a little bit out there. But I feel like just in this generation, I think a lot of things have changed. And then, A WI is a standards development organization, so the standards are like our bread and butter, they're the like, the heart of the organization, but there's so many more be like other member benefits that people don't realize that fall into it. I came into the niche of like the chapters and the networking and some of that stuff just based on, because the standards don't necessarily technically all apply to the countertops, right? It's a one section that I have to follow, but that's not, there's no testing for that at the current juncture. So that's not one of the like full needs we needed from AWI at that point. So we as Sprovieri's, found a home with some of these other member benefits that they have. And I've honestly used those to our, our advantage and our benefit of what we need here in the shop.

Jacob Edmond 10:20

Yep. Yeah, and I found there's other similar members starting to get involved. Like I know great Lakes stainless is very involved in the Great Lakes chapter, and they're, again, not a traditional manufacturing, a millwork manufacturer. They do stainless steel and things like that. And that is an a aspect that I think a lot of people who maybe haven't attended the conferences or got involved in the chapters don't realize that AWI is a lot more one than just mill workers and two, a lot more than just standards. Can you talk a little bit about, so you know, you stepped into, in 2026, you've already, you were a member of the board and now you're the chair of the board. Every year AWI chooses or elects a, new chair. Can you talk about the role of the chair of the board? What does that actually entail? And how are you, and how does each chair kinda leave a meaningful impact with just a year of time?

Liz Ingebrigtsen 11:07

So AWI is, I don't wanna say governed, like the board is governed by like a strategic plan. So every three years we're setting a strategic plan. So it's it's great to see that in a way because a chair you're not just coming in and going array like one way and be like, I like wanna do this, or this is what I am passionate about, which might not be what everybody else is passionate about. So we're pretty much governed at by the strategic plan, and actually we're in the process of getting started for our new one for the next three years, starting in 2027. So as the chair, you're pretty much a spokesperson, like for the board at that point? I have no, like given decisions, like we are a wholesome board and we vote in anything like decision wide moving forward, but we're running the meetings, we're keeping agendas set. We're looking at big picture items that fall in line with our strategic plan to see like where the future of the association's gonna go and where the board is potentially gonna help spend time, money, effort and different like tasks and obligations at that point. But the it's crazy to see this because the Chicago chapter board is very like an operational board and then moving into this national board, it's very strategic. So we don't really have much to do with like. day-to-day operations of the actual association. That's where, staff all come into play. But we really get to set and drive the future of where this organization's gonna be. And it's even more fun to see in a way,'cause it's, at the end of 2026, my board service is over at this national level. At this, at that level, I would say. So it's. Encouraging to be a part of like what the next three to six years are gonna look like for our association, even though I might not be in the driving seat for it. So the chair is also responsible for a lot of the committees that AWI has. And we're just like the, I would say trying to keep the, like the wheel going and keeping all the squeaks out and everything. So we're just trying to keep the association going forward. And, future oriented. At least the committee level, then solving some like of our day-to-day task and stuff like that need to get done outside of staff.

Jacob Edmond 12:56

Okay. No, I think that's good to clarify'cause I think one, most people that have been involved in AWI understand the chair exists

Liz Ingebrigtsen 13:03

Yeah.

Jacob Edmond 13:04

For a lot of us it's just. Hey, we see the crowning of the new person at national and then we see the kind of the hand changing of hands at the next national, right? But not a lot of people understand the work that happens in between those stages and all that you guys do. And obviously it is, like you said, executing an already established vision that you've probably been a part of forming that in the board previously.

Liz Ingebrigtsen 13:24

Yes.

Jacob Edmond 13:25

and for you in particular, this is very much a bookend to your time on the board it sounds like, which I am sure is very fulfilling. But there is a portion of it that I imagine, you are leaving a little bit of your,'cause before you was Whitney. So one, there again we have two women back to back, which a lot of people maybe don't realize hey, there is a lot more diversity today probably than there was. 10, 20, 30 years ago, which I think is exciting to see too. You are a millennial which I think is also, which we had previously Dustin two or three years ago, another millennial. I've just, it's exciting to me to see how AWI and our industry is evolving with the times, and it's not just sitting stagnant with what I think a lot of people see our industry as being,

Liz Ingebrigtsen 14:06

When we search for new board members there's a nominating committee that go out and vet some people and stuff, and there's direct like goals that, like we wanna serve the board. A lot of it, there's like special tasks going on, some of the people that like, come on the board could be like, for a special task like that we have that we might have, like this person might have more experience or something like that. So it's very like. I don't wanna say calculated, but it's very like direct, right? Like we are trying to fulfill certain things for certain people and not that like women's ever been like a thing of that, but just when you were talking about like great light stainless, like Michael, Deb Braun just entered the board this year. This is his first year serving on the board starting in January. So like. AWI is like super aware of the evolving industry and then making sure, people are represented when they need to be represented at different levels as well. So I just wanted to comment on that

Jacob Edmond 14:52

Yes. No, and I think that's what's exciting is it's like you said, it is not like AWI set out to say, Hey, we're going to make sure we have this certain representation, but I think it is truly representative. And two, it should, I hope it's encouraging to those who maybe think I that, oh, there's not a place for me at that table because I'm not X, Y, or Z,

Liz Ingebrigtsen 15:13

Yeah.

Jacob Edmond 15:13

and I don't think that is the case. And hopefully the track record and you being here. Shows that hey, you're a project manager that started at a countertop company, not even a Miller manufacturer, and you came into this. Yes. That's what I think is exciting is to hear there are so many unique stories like that in our industry that we are very much merit based and I think there's a place for everybody at the table. And that's what's exciting to me to see,

Liz Ingebrigtsen 15:34

agreed. Like I said, we all have the same end goal in a way, right? We're all producing something and we're all like wanting to better fuel this industry for when we're done or when we're gone or anything like that.

Jacob Edmond 15:44

Yeah. Outside of AWI, how has your time, you, you've now been, you said 15 or 16 years now in the industry with your time at Sprovieri's What has evolved since then, either through your involvement with AWI, you mentioned now you guys have. Branched more into commercial and diversified your portfolio. But is there anything else that through your time in the industry, you feel like has evolved with Sprovieri's specifically?

Liz Ingebrigtsen 16:10

I just think like caliber and quality of work when we were doing residential stuff like that, like tolerances are a little bit different, like expectations, quality drawings and everything like that. As we like got more involved commercially, like we really had to refocus on like the size of projects we could take on.'cause like producing a kit, five kitchens that are easy, straight run of the mill items. So we really had a focus pretty much on I don't wanna say rebranding everything we did, but just refocusing on you know, detailed drawings and like the information the shop meets on the floor. We really had to look at production on some of these bigger jobs we were going after. In that move, like it was like, there was just a lot of learning curves at that point of, even like going to like bigger size projects and how big of a project we can handle at that time and just like figuring out production and stuff like that. It became like a completely different ballgame I think at that point. Not that like we just went from like zero to 100 right away, but just like in the process and then, and with Sprovieri's looking at it. We've been very fortunate that a lot of the people that are here, have been here for a long time. And that we all grew together here with this. So now we've got this own like setup of like how things go. But we've had a critical team here that's helped us, like in that transitional process to get to where we are today.

Jacob Edmond 17:18

Awesome. And obviously through AWI, you've, had a lot of been able to see what both your client base, a lot of your clients are the types of members that are at AWI And has the exposure you've gotten to that or the relationships you've built, driven or steered kind of your guys' direction with Sprovieri's of, I imagine somewhat of, hey, we're gonna branch into commercial and now we're able to see firsthand what our clients are needing or what they're going, because the products we do in millwork, I think have consistently evolved and if anything expanded and a lot of the times, I know from the millwork side we're contracting the stone, we're contracting that. You going to somebody like Sprovieri's to actually fulfill that. And so there is a a partnership and a relationship that's built there for the millwork to be able to say, Hey, we're gonna get this, but we know we're gonna rely on Sprovieri's to fulfill it. Have you been able to bring anything back with you from your time with the millwork manufacturers to drive and steer things that you do at Sprovieri's

Liz Ingebrigtsen 18:12

Yeah, I would even say like in this last five years. The architects are challenging us more and more every day, right? We're still figuring out new things and how to fabricate things differently and it, you know what I'm saying? We're not. Custom is in our namers for Spovieri's custom counters. So like we have a hard time saying no to something that's out there. I feel like that's why people come to us because we're not, like I said, we're not just doing regular countertops every day. We're doing like the cladding and the radiuses and lots of thermoforming and different capabilities that maybe other, shops or smaller shops might not have the ability to do. So I feel like with that said, yeah, we always. Like our relationships with our mill workers like it's a relationship together where we're engineering this together. We're working together. We're not just saying this is gonna work. We're like in that initial process of saying let's do it like this. Let's work like this. Let's do this. Let's figure it out. This, so we can both present, an end goal that's like acceptable for the architect, for the end user, for, our millworker at that point, for the gc at that point, we're five down at this point. I feel like people know to come to us when we need to work out and get a solution on something that's super complex like that. If that answers your question.

Jacob Edmond 19:18

Yeah, for sure. Is there anything that you, that stands out to you, that you've seen that has changed significantly in your time in this industry? Whether it be technology or workforce or, standards like what has been the biggest change you've seen?

Liz Ingebrigtsen 19:31

it just seems to be like one thing that I've focused on, especially like here in the Chicago market. Work, I feel like workforce is always, issue. You know about how I guess when we sit in these career paths or career fairs at some of these high schools and it just, it's just like a two for like a two-sided sword at that point. You wanna get people in the industry we need to create the jobs for them. We need to make them like appealable to them. So really just like getting people in. Our workforce years might be a little bit different, but it is just, making the industry like more appealable to everybody. And like you said in the beginning of the, our conversation this is this is my livelihood at this point. Like it's a valuable, like a livelihood I can support myself and my family on my husband's in this industry as well. So just making sure that we're breaking that wall there for people to enter the industry or understand like that there is opportunity for good paying jobs and like an end goal in this industry. And I still feel at least when I struggle, like when I think of it internally like we're not, everyone's supposed to be on this like college track. And I think like when looking at my little kids, that's like something that like. Not that I don't think college is important. I went to school, but in the hindsight of my brain, I kind of ended up in this and did my degree really need to get me to where I am today I don't know at this point. But I just want to let people know and what I guess like I focus on is like that. People can be aware that like we have a lot of opportunity and it's not like a straight path where a four year degree is required or this or that at that point. But really just like opening the door about our industry and letting people choose which college might be a part of the industry if you're going down, a certain path in our industry. But just have the opportunity and be aware of the opportunity at that point. And not just like laborers at that point, just, with the CAD and the technology and, you can speak to some of this, just like all the opportunities we have and just making sure it looks, comparable and fair to other trades and organizations out there. So we are still attracting people and have the opportunity to keep manufacturing here in the United States too.

Jacob Edmond 21:26

Yeah. On that note what can we be doing differently today to engage young people that we haven't done in the past? I know AWI is always doing a lot of work on this front, and we've got industry solutions and education and a lot of investment in scholarships, but as an industry, just those of us that are in industry what can we be doing to, or what do you think we could be doing better?

Liz Ingebrigtsen 21:46

Yeah. Talking about it more, right? To people that are not in our industry. I don't even know personally if I feel like it falls on the teachers as much anymore. I feel like the teachers always push college anyways, but like we have to be speaking to like parents, you know what I'm saying? Like parents and that is like.'Cause I mean, if you're a 16-year-old kid and your parents says you have to go to college and they're gonna pay for you to go to college, like you're most likely gonna go to college. I feel like that's the norm of some, such of these, some of these situations. At least that's what happened with me. My parents were like, you're gonna college. This is your option at this point. So I feel like, just like the conversation about it, we can get into schools like, can get into in front of kids, and we're in their career fairs. If we get like one or two kids interested in the industry, I feel like that's a win for the day. But I feel like it just starts with the conversation. And just like letting people know like I think even like when we look at the design solutions magazines, we have all these wow projects in it. Like people don't realize like millwork or like cabinet making, like that gives you this end, end result. So I think just like the dots to the people hopefully will eventually give that opportunity or awareness of it from people not outside of our industry at that

Jacob Edmond 22:49

What if you were to give advice to. Young professionals themselves are like, thinking back to like when you first got it or were considering, hey, your friend said, Hey, why don't you come work at Sprovieri's Thinking of speaking to that type of young person what advice would you give? Or even you were early, you were working at Sprovieri's but there were some pivotal moments, I'm sure where you could have said, Hey, this isn't for me. I'm gonna go elsewhere. But you dove in and you said, Hey, no, I think this is a place for me. How can those who are at that junction point figure out like, Hey, how do I make a home in millwork?

Liz Ingebrigtsen 23:20

What's a turnover For these younger kids being at a company now every two years

Jacob Edmond 23:24

Oh, yes. Yeah.

Liz Ingebrigtsen 23:26

Do you want a two year try?. No. I just feel it, I guess like our, we're, I'm in a solid surfer shop. It's a dusty my, my shoes are wrecked every time I leave and go home. But it's just, hope that like, when we're looking for people like here at Sprovieri's or anyone in our industry that a lot of these companies are, we're not like. Billion dollar organizations, right? Where family owned companies and they feel the love and they feel like a sense of security. And it would be great to see a lot of these people like stay at companies long term now with these like turnovers or you have to make whatever to every two years to get, a better pay raise or something like that. But I look at this like a two-way street. They're taking care of me, I'm taking care of them. Like I know that like my path here not that anyone's job is ever secure, but I feel comfort in knowing the fact that like what I'm doing every day in our relationship that we have here, that this is a long-term situation for me. In regards to like speaking to the generation I just feel like I said, and I just don't go back to kinda what I said earlier, like finding a home, like really drives like, people staying somewhere and like obviously taking care of your employees and vice versa back and forth. But fi finding a home in a small company.'cause I knew one thing outta college. Like I didn't wanna go to a big corporation and just be like a one person in it. So I think there are still people out there like that. Me, if that's overwhelming to me. I don't live in that type of world, in my brain, so I feel like, finding the right person and it only, it would only make sense for them to stay in the industry then at that point. But we have to do our, like due diligence to keep them here as well,

Jacob Edmond 24:55

yeah, no I think that, I, you are a great example of one, the opportunity that exists, but if you're willing to put in the time and put in the work as well. And I think that, you have one, not let you know, Hey, I'm at a solid surface or a countertop company that you know, maybe was residential based and has expanded. Limit your career, direct trajectory. Two, you have not let, hey I'm not really in the millwork. Manufacturing proper, but I wanna get involved in this organization and I see opportunity there, hold you back. And two, you've not let say I'm not the owner of Sprovieri's so it's not my role to be doing this. I think that I see so much opportunity in our industry that if young professionals just take. Kind of the ownership and the steering wheel a little bit of say, okay, I see that opportunity. I'm gonna seek that and do the work to take advantage of it. I think there is so much there for those who want to really dive in. And I, I understand the apprehension of the fear of young people like what if I put all the work and time into this industry and it doesn't work out or amount to what it is but what if you did,

Liz Ingebrigtsen 26:04

Yeah.

Jacob Edmond 26:04

and I see there's so many opportunities from. Project management, project executive estimating sales to engineering, to production.

Liz Ingebrigtsen 26:12

Yeah.

Jacob Edmond 26:13

you're willing to put in the time and you're willing to commit and really learn, I think that the, there is so much opportunity to really make a both a higher earning potential, but a fulfilling career here where you have an impact.

Liz Ingebrigtsen 26:27

When I look at it in hindsight, so I, my husband works at as well, I met him through here. So now I, I go to. So I'm not here every day in the office, but when I am here, I work with my husband, so it's it's my life at this point. I eat and breathe it. So it's hard to picture something different. But it's also hard to picture my life not like this at this point either. So it's a blessing and, I just hope, like anybody, like looking for a job, just find something that like, I know. Not everything is end goal, right? Not every, we're at certain positions for certain times at certain points in our life, and I understand that and people do need to grow and have opportunities and stuff like that. But just like hope that people, especially, like I said, exactly what you said, I'm not a business owner. This wasn't my career path. I started at the front desk making not a lot of money. Like at that time it was in the middle of a recession. I was still living at home with my parents and to like. Look in hindsight of where I am today, like it'd be so like wonderful to see your future path and all the opportunities that like arose by me sticking it out at that point too.

Jacob Edmond 27:20

Yeah. Looking to the future, what do you see changing in our industry over the next five to 10 years?

Liz Ingebrigtsen 27:27

What do I see changing in our industry to the next five to 10 years? Just, I keep on, wanna go off that like workforce thing. I still feel like we're gonna still have a lot younger people coming in. We're gonna have to really, up and not like to, our baby boomers are almost out, but, we're really gonna have to still cater to this younger generation. And I think that's gonna be a learning curve for a lot of these companies that have, generational and things like that. But we're really gonna have to continue to work to get people into the industry and change maybe how we do things. I know we just like always say like the general, like how we communicate, how we. It's gonna be a different world. And I already see it's like a different world, like in general with us. People don't pick up the phone as much as they do. Everyone's like heavily relying on email and stuff like that. And just making sure, like we continue, and I don't wanna say cater, but continue to like, encourage and foster that. The last thing I would ever wanna see is like a company just because we, you can't have employees like. Or they all age out at that point that the company's not sustainable at that point. So I think I really do think it's still gonna be a learning curve. As I always feel like I'm the young one in the room and I'm like, oh my gosh, I'm gonna be approaching 40 in a couple years. I'm not the young one in the room anymore. So just having that mentality of what we have to do as like an association as companies to make sure we are. Fulfilling the needs of some of these younger kids coming into our industry with no knowledge to our industry as well.

Jacob Edmond 28:49

On the flip side of that, what do you think will always stay the same?

Liz Ingebrigtsen 28:51

I feel I always say the same as like the quality of work. I feel like. What we're doing like on a day-to-day, like there's an expectation of what all of our companies have to present out there and as finished product in the world. So no matter who's coming in, like the expectation of the end result is still gonna be the same. So I feel like no matter how we're changing things like internally, maybe. Our output is still gonna be very much almost the same, depending on what's required at that time. But it's not gonna, it's not gonna change like the output of what our companies are producing or how we're producing stuff. It's just a matter of getting people to get to that same speed as well.

Jacob Edmond 29:24

Awesome. Liz, thank you so much for taking time to to share your story with us and thank you for your service and the work you do at AWI, And for our industry. And yeah, look forward to seeing all the work you do with the rest of this year as chair. If there's anything else, any, if anybody's interested in finding out more about, AWI or Sprovieri's or just reaching out to you, what's the best way for them to do that? Yeah.

Liz Ingebrigtsen 29:46

you're interested in finding anything about AWI, awinet.org is AWI´s website. You can check out from there. If you are a member, I say check out like all the member benefits when you log in and access the learning platform we have with videos for education or training new people for onboarding. There's so many opportunities, like I, like we mentioned outside the standard, so I really say. Dive into the website from there. If you're interested in checking out anything Sprovieri's you can reach Sprovieris.com. Contact me in the office LinkedIn, way like that is fine.

Jacob Edmond 30:17

Awesome. Thank you again, Liz, and look forward to seeing you at the next conference.

Liz Ingebrigtsen 30:21

yep. We'll see you soon.

Jacob Edmond 30:22

Thanks.