Meet One of Westwood’s 2020 Top Client Champions, Katie Penning

Each year, Westwood’s company awards acknowledge the contributions of top project managers, mentors, client champions, and culture ambassadors. Katie Penning is one of our award winners. Here is a sneak peek at why relationships are so important to her.  

“The most rewarding part of my job is empowering people to take on a challenge and watch them succeed,” says Katie. Katie’s coworkers are what she most enjoys about working at Westwood. She is thankful to be surrounded by individuals who have a passion for their work, are knowledgeable, and all have unique talents and expertise.

Like so many other award winners, the core value that speaks most to Katie is relationships. “When new staff ask me about what we do for business development in the solar market, my go-to response is that our best and most effective business development is rooted in how we execute the projects we are already working on. We build and strengthen client relationships in the day-to-day project work, meeting and exceeding their expectations, and leveraging our multidisciplined expertise to troubleshoot and resolve problems,” says Katie.

Katie considers internal relationships just as important. “We spend at least as much time with our coworkers as with our families and friends, so having solid relationships at work is important to our overall wellbeing,” says Katie. “The strong relationships we build also allows us to create a foundation of mutual trust that is necessary to be successful in executing complex multi-disciplined projects.”

Katie has created lasting memories through the relationships she has built at Westwood. She recounts her first ever game of Hammershlagen with clients at Westwood’s inaugural WestFest celebration and helping build solar arrays for underserved communities in the GridAlternatives WeBuild program.

Many may be surprised to learn that Katie spent the first couple of years of her career designing sewer system upgrades in New England before moving to Wisconsin and getting her start in the renewables industry.

Congratulations Katie! We are thankful you are part of the Westwood team.