Celebrating National Project Manager Day: Here’s to Our PMs!

Successful projects don’t just happen. Behind them are project managers juggling dozens of moving pieces, solving problems on the fly, bringing the right people together, and keeping clients and teams informed.

This National Project Manager Day, SWCA is celebrating the skill, commitment, and direction our PMs bring to the job every day. And there’s a lot to celebrate. More than 900 project managers (PMs) and assistant project managers (APMs) have completed or are working on more than 6,000 active projects year to date.

The impact of our PMs goes well beyond keeping projects on track. They build strong teams, tap into expertise across SWCA, and create opportunities for people to contribute and do their best work. Today, we’re celebrating that leadership and collaboration, and saying thank you to the PMs who make it all happen.

Words of Wisdom from PM Excellence Award Winners

SWCA’s PM Excellence Award winners offered the following advice for any aspiring project managers or those looking to level up their management skills.

Build the right team. You don’t need to be an expert in everything.

• “Understand you are often not the smartest person in the room. If you are doing your job correctly, and assembling the best project team, you shouldn’t be.” — Josh Perry, Vice President, Central Texas/Oklahoma
• “Recognize the importance of having a strong team and collaborating” — Amanda Bronneck, Principal Project Manager

2026 Leadership Conference in San Antonio, TX, pictured Josh Perry (left), Derek Richards (middle), and Mike Crow (right).

Communicate early and often. Especially when something is going wrong.

• “Communication is the most important thing – stay ahead of it. Tell your client if there is a problem early on. They would rather hear it from you sooner than later when it has gotten worse.” — Christine Westerman, Principal Project Manager

Ask for help. SWCA’s has a network of experts who are great resources. Reach out and build relationships beyond your immediate circle.

• “A lot of our training teaches us to try to have all the answers, but there’s an art to project management and sometimes there isn’t a perfect answer. I’ve learned to challenge myself to ask for input.” — Meg Perry, Lead Environmental Planner
• “For those interested in becoming a PM, I would say to reach out and express interest – this is a great place to grow and find support. You will find people who are happy to take the time to nurture you in the areas you want to grow.” – Kely Wabnitz, Principal Project Management Team Lead

Public engagement with community stakeholders. Meg Perry is pictured speaking to local communities.

Expect change and imperfection. Adaptability is part of the job.

• “One of the most important lessons I’ve learned is importance of adaptability. Projects rarely go exactly as planned, and being able to adjust while keeping the team focused on the end goal is critical.” — Blake Holcomb, Principal Civil Engineering Team Lead

Delegate, trust, and empower. Give your experts room to own their work.

• “Trust your team leads, delegate, and empower them to do good work.” — Josh Perry, Vice President, Central Texas/Oklahoma
• “The most valuable lesson I’ve learned to is remember it is a team effort, to lean on the staff on my projects, leverage their expertise and knowledge, and delegate wherever I can to make sure we are successful.” — Sue Wilmot, Senior Project Management Technical Director

Always keep learning. Seek feedback, examine mistakes, and seek new opportunities to grow

• “Lean into opportunities that push you out of your comfort zone rather than being guided by fear. You will gain a wide range of experiences and become a more well-rounded employee by saying ‘yes.’” — Amanda Ehrenkrantz, Office Director, Honolulu

SWCA’s Amanda Ehrenkrantz and Tessa Henderson at a project site

Investing in Project Managers

Great PMs deserve great support, and investing in PMs is a priority at SWCA. A few years ago, in response to feedback from an annual Employee Engagement Survey, SWCA launched the PM Ecosystem to give PMs access to more resources and support. It’s a dynamic environment for ongoing communication and updates for PMs, useful tools, guidance for each step of the project process, career development information and resources, monthly hands-on training (and recordings), PM recognition, and collaborative office hours.

Whether someone is a PM, APM, project coordinator, controller, or an aspiring PM who’s curious about the role, SWCA provides our teams the resources, tools, and information for support at any level.

Happy Project Management Day to all our incredible PMs. Thank you for everything you do to keep our teams connected and our projects moving forward.