expresso: mentorship

Alex Gallegos (left) and Margaret Luley (right)

PASSING OF KNOWLEDGE, MENTORSHIP AND A FRIEND

MATT EPSTEIN BIM/CAD Content Developer Maitland, FL

MENTOR |

Many times, mentors are older or have more experience than their mentees. While this may be a common occurrence, rare instances exist of someone who has challenged that norm and held a mentorship role early in their career, with skills of the same magnitude as their presence. Matt Epstein began working for EXP in 2007. Without acquiring formal Building Information Modeling (BIM) training, he was known as the on- the-fly troubleshooter, Autodesk whisperer, playlist connoisseur, recommender of good books and good friend. The ideal characteristics you want in your mentor and collaborator. In Milwaukee sat his counterpart, Margaret Luley. Together, they were part of a “BIM CAD” crew. But Margaret and Matt were their own BIM tag team, creating accurate and accessible digital models to support our buildings engineers and architects. For years, Matt and Margaret worked together, passing solutions for Revit and Autodesk, sharing music and

book recommendations – all while having never met in person. The small duo, who shared a history of coming from a similar Autodesk reseller background, would soon become a strong trifecta. In 2013, Alex Gallegos started at EXP’s Glendale office and began working with them. With a robust BIM background, Alex was initially tasked to offload parts of Matt and Margaret’s heavy workloads, learn from their expertise and then expand into his own areas of BIM and training. They began mentoring him and supporting his understanding of EXP’s processes and software solutions, and he quickly consumed the material before him, adapting to his new role. He and his mentors soon became collaborators and springboards for innovative ideas. Together, the three were a powerhouse of BIM specialists, supporting engineers, architects, designers and project managers across EXP. From Revit, CAD, Excel to shortcuts and add-ins, Matt’s quick knowledge of all things

MARGARET LULEY Revit Specialist Milwaukee, WI ALEX GALLEGOS

MENTEES |

Revit Specialist Los Angeles, CA

Think of your favorite song. The indescribable feeling that transcends through you when it plays, and the moment you are certain that you have changed, for the better. You’ve heard it many times before and you know all the words, perhaps inserted a few of your own. After time passes, you hear it again and that same good feeling comes back. This story of mentorship is like that.

30 | EXPRESSO