Andrea Narendorf, recently promoted to Vice President, Business Development for Hill International’s Central Texas office, has deep roots in Texas architecture, engineering, and construction. She took her first job at Maestas & Associates, LLC, her family’s engineering firm in San Antonio, where she worked as a CAD technician. After receiving her art history and criticism degree from the University of Texas at San Antonio, Andrea returned to work on the business side of the industry. Since then, Andrea has forged a successful career in business development fueled by her professionalism and ability to forge and foster relationships throughout Texas.

In September 2020, Andrea joined Hill to lead the firm’s BD efforts in Central Texas. However, this was a new position for Hill. “Our Western Region had no BD professionals dedicated solely to Central Texas, and so there was no BD infrastructure in place,” she explains. “Previously, Hill had worked at the University of Texas at Austin, but we had very little name recognition outside of that. Very few other owners or consultants knew we were in the area—or even who we were. That means I basically had to start from the ground up.”

Andrea knew that she was entering into a new and challenging position, but from day one she was committed to surmounting obstacles and delivering results. With over a decade of BD experience, Andrea began cultivating awareness of Hill within the local industry right away, initiating new relationships and stewarding existing ones. “In addition to owners, we had to alert other AEC firms to our presence,” says Andrea. “That way, we could create partnerships and build up a reputation in the region.”

Especially important to her work has been Andrea’s approach to partnering with disadvantaged business enterprises (DBE). Her family’s engineering firm is a DBE firm, giving Andrea a unique insight into such firms. “I understand the DBE mindset,” she says. “I understand what’s important from their side and also what’s important from the side of a large firm like Hill. This understanding is key to conversations that lead to successful partnerships. There will always be DBE requirements, so it’s important to know the best way to facilitate trusted partnerships. A project is never won alone; partners are always needed.” Indeed, Andrea’s understanding of DBE firms and prioritization of partnership has helped Hill develop strong relationships, allowing Hill’s BD professionals in Texas to present strong, diverse teams to clients. That means more project wins.

According to Andrea’s supervisor Vice President, Western Region Business Development Manager Tanya Gomez Wollman, Andrea’s professionalism, industry knowledge, and skill working with other consultant firms have been major assets for Hill’s Western Region. In addition to these, Tanya cites Andrea’s contributions to Hill’s recruiting efforts. “Already, Andrea’s network has helped Hill find the right professionals to staff Hill jobs in Texas,” says Tanya. “Recruitment is huge for Hill. Projects are won because of people. If you don’t have the right people, you won’t win the work. So, if you have a BD professional who is able to cultivate good relationships with a region’s AEC professionals in addition to clients, you have a real superstar.”

With her combination of BD skills, Andrea has led and won many pursuits for Hill. Of all the projects Andrea has helped win, one represents a massive success both for her and for Hill. In 2021, she helped Hill win a role as the prime Program Management Consultant (PMC) with the Texas Department of Transportation’s (TxDOT) Project Finance, Debt, and Strategic Contracts Division (PFD). “This was not an easy feat,” Tanya stresses. “It’s actually almost unheard of, to chase TxDOT for less than a year without a major relationship in place or any former TxDOT projects, and then win a prime contract on only your second submission. Andrea did an exceptional job leading that pursuit.”

“This is not something that I did on my own,” Andrea adds. “It was a massive team effort that took many late nights, strategic thinking, rethinking, as well as identifying and solidifying a fantastic team of subconsultant partners and their key staff. We also had to make three strategic hires on both the project and marketing sides to win the PMC contract. But in the end, we did it, and I’m very proud of what we were able to accomplish.”

Andrea has not only brought Hill name recognition in Central Texas, she has helped create a solid BD organization, established a network of potential clients and partners throughout the region, won many project awards, and helped build enthusiasm for Hill’s work within and outside of Hill’s organization. For her many achievements, Andrea was recently promoted to Vice President, Business Development. In this role, she hopes to continue Hill’s growth in the region with new partners and new projects.

Andrea is just one of many outstanding professionals in Hill’s Western Region, and, as Tanya indicates, Hill is always looking for new talent. To review Hill’s job openings in Texas and work alongside some of these exceptional professionals, please visit: https://bit.ly/3owQ2ID. To speak with Andrea or Tanya about your own project needs, reach out via email to [email protected] or [email protected].