People of Construction - Beth Smith
Sometimes the Best Career Move Is the One You Didn’t Plan: Beth Smith’s Story at Interstates
Beth Smith has been with Interstates for 11 years and currently works as a Project Assistant at our Texas Office. Over that time, she has taken on several roles, including administrative support, project support, and material handling.
Her career at Interstates hasn’t followed one straight path, and Beth sees that as a good thing. Different roles gave her the chance to learn new skills, work with new people, and figure out what she enjoyed along the way.
Saying Yes to Something New
Beth started her career at Interstates as a material handler. On her next project, she was given the opportunity to work in the office as an onsite admin after impressing her superintendent with her work ethic. The opportunity came as a surprise. She didn't even know she'd be stepping into the role until she was on her way to North Dakota for the project.
For the rest of her time with National Traveling, our team that supports projects across different locations, Beth moved between material handler and onsite admin roles depending on what each project needed. Both roles gave her the chance to learn new skills, work with different people, and a different side of the work happening across Interstates.
That experience is one example of how Beth's career has developed over time. Instead of having every next step planned out, she worked hard in the role in front of her, stayed open to new responsibilities, and learned as she went.
A Connection to Interstates That Started Earlier
Beth was quite familiar with Interstates before she started working here herself. Her husband began his electrical apprenticeship with Interstates in 2008, so she had already been around the company and its people before starting her own career.
Once she joined Interstates, those relationships became an even bigger part of her experience. Beth has seen coworkers support each other through both good times and harder ones, and that has stayed consistent across the different teams and locations she has been part of.
She also credits the people she worked with early in her career for helping her learn. They answered questions, shared what they knew, and helped her build the skills she still uses today.
"Interstates helped me grow as an employee in many different ways. I owe a lot to the people that were beside me on my first couple jobs. They really supported me and helped me learn all the skills I have today. I am just trying to pass that on to new people when they come in and teach them some of what was shared with me."
- Beth Smith, Project Assistant
Passing It On
Now that Beth has been with Interstates for more than a decade, she gets to do the same for newer team members. She can share what she has learned, answer questions, and help people get more comfortable in their roles.
For Beth, that is a big part of what has made her time at Interstates meaningful. Her career has included different roles, different teams, and plenty of learning along the way, with people helping her through each step.
Interested in building your own career at Interstates? Explore our current career opportunities and learn more about the people and teams behind our work.