Sonia A. Martinez, Chief Financial Officer of BCC Engineering, Inc. a Miami, Florida based engineering firm, is named as the 2016 recipient of Zweig Group’s Jerry Allen Courage in Leadership Award.
When Martinez first joined BCC Engineering the firm was facing growth at a rapid rate. Martinez saw this as a temporary hurdle that would lead to the long term goal of revolutionizing the company. She was an integral part of transitioning the firm from what was a primarily transportation-focused company of ten employees into a multidisciplinary firm with five offices throughout the state of Florida, consisting of over 140 employees to date. Martinez is recognized at her firm as a woman who defies convention, always pushing forward with the company’s best interest in mind. Throughout the last ten years of BCC’S growth, Martinez grew with the company. Never intimidated by project size or work load, her self-sufficiency allowed the principals and engineers to design while she managed all contractual and financial related material company-wide. The ability to anticipate possible complications and create solutions before they occur is a distinguishing quality of the Queen- her nickname throughout the company.
In addition to her impressive professional accomplishments, during the peak of her firm’s growth, Martinez’s courage was tested when she was diagnosed with cancer. Finding refuge in her work during this time of tribulation proved her strength, ambition, and commitment to the firm. As a leader she has never allowed cancer to dictate her ability to perform her duties as Chief Financial Officer of BCC Engineering, Inc.
Sonia Martinez is the Queen Bee and back-bone of BCC Engineering, she is the company’s strength and inspiration. She is a vital asset to the organization, not only from a business standpoint, but for most a nurturing figure to count on. As the blood line of the firm, she flows within each employee providing reassurance and motivation regularly. Never giving in to life’s obstacles, Martinez sees every challenge as an opportunity to prevail. Martinez’s ability to take on numerous roles, from a mother of three to an efficacious business woman, all while simultaneously battling cancer, gives you a glimpse of Sonia Martinez, BCC Engineering’s courageous leader.
The award is inspired by Jerry Allen, the innovative and inspirational leader that lead Fort Worth based Carter & Burgess (now Jacobs) through a period of extraordinary growth. Under Allen’s direction, the company grew from 200 employees and $17 million in revenue in 1988, to 2,300 employees and $381 million in revenue by 2002. Allen, who was an incredible athlete and in fantastic physical condition most of his life, was struck down by colon cancer at age 62. Allen was an important mentor to Zweig Group founder and CEO, Mark C. Zweig, who developed this award in his honor. The Jerry Allen Courage in Leadership Award is given each year to someone working in an architecture, engineering, planning or environmental firm who has demonstrated in a unique way, personal courage in their actions that have impacted their firm in extraordinary ways.
Martinez will receive an award at Zweig Group’s 2016 Hot Firm and A/E Industry Awards Conference, held September 22-23, 2016 in Phoenix, AZ.
For more information about The Jerry Allen Courage in Leadership Award visit:
https://zweiggroup.net/sandbox/awards/
For more information on The Hot Firm and A/E Industry Awards Conference, visit: www.HotFirm.com
