Below is the excerpt from the publication:
Magna Engineers Designing Kentucky’s Future
The next time you pass a school, a new water treatment plant, or comment about how nice those downtown improvements are looking, you might be admiring the hard work of Magna Engineers. Michelle Howlett took the plunge and started Magna Engineers earlier this year for a number of reasons, a lot of them having to do with the freedom to work on the projects that interest them and with the people they enjoy working with. “As an independent electrical and mechanical engineering consultant, we now have more opportunities for subcontracting to consultants that don\\\’t offer these services in-house or in this region” Ms. Howlett said, ” We will also be able to pursue opportunities as a subconsultant or prime consultant for projects which have small business and/or women-owned business participation requirements.”
Like any new business the Magna Engineer crew is working hard to expand the name of the company and make known the service they provide to the public. Often working behind the scenes, Magna Engineers designs electrical and mechanical systems for federal, state, and local government projects such as water and wastewater treatment plants, government buildings, schools, downtown improvements, and other types of projects requiring mechanical and/or electrical engineering. The work is hard and the hours are long, but Ms. Howlett is loving her new role as business owner. When asked if its all worth it, her reply is an overwhelming, “Absolutely!” She continued by acknowledging how helpful everyone involved has been, “The outpouring of support from clients and colleagues has made this endeavor very rewarding. Traditional Bank has made the financial aspects of starting out much easier than anticipated.”
As she reflected on the journey, Ms. Howlett did have some advice for those who were thinking of taking a similar ownership path, “Pay a visit to the Small Business Development Center! I would have never had the guts to start a business without the advice, assistance, and encouragement I received from the SBDC.”
