PM Environmental’s CAD Manager sits down with us to provide a glimpse into his role, as well as share strategies for personal growth.

Q: Name, Title, Location 

Lydell Henderson, CAD Manager, Berkley office

Q: Tell us a little about your role and what you do. 

I oversee daily operations for the CAD department, implementing new standards and modifying our process of receiving work through our CAD request system while sending out more professional-looking figures to our project coordinator and clients. I also review and complete figures and boring logs and create files uploaded from the GPS unit.

Q: What sort of training and education did you have to get you to where you are today?   

I graduated from ITT Technical Institute in 1998 with an associate degree in computer aided drafting. After getting my degree, a lot of my training came from work experience in various fields like mortgage survey, land development, environmental, and some mechanical.

Q: What is your favorite thing about your career? 

I just like to be able to create drawings that may seem like simply drawings to others but have an impact on people’s lives once projects are completed in whatever field I’ve been in throughout my journey.

Q: What’s one thing you wish more people knew about your field? 

I wish people knew more about what CAD is and the impact it has on the finished product. Whenever I mention what I do, people don’t have a clue what it is.

Q: What are some of your strategies for personal growth?

I focus on avoiding negative thoughts and set goals that can be reached. I celebrate accomplishments throughout everything while helping the next generation.

Q: How do you take your coffee or tea?

I like my tea with a lot of sugar, but I can’t stand the smell off coffee, lol!

Q: What skills do you use most often in your leadership role?

I use teaching skills from what I’ve learned in my 20+ years of experience utilizing CAD software. I’ve helped with the development of homes, stores, theaters, etc. where people shop or live today, and the average person wouldn’t think I’d played a major role in that development.