Meet The Team – Jodie Egan

Inertia’s Marathon Machine Jodie Egan’s career spans 20 years of award-winning housing projects across regional and metropolitan New South Wales and Queensland. When Jodie isn’t ensuring the quality and standards of our housing projects, you will find her pounding the pavements of Brisbane or being Event Director of Queensland’s biggest parkrun at Southbank.

Why did you become a designer?

Growing up I wanted to be an architect and draw house plans. But as I got older and learnt the difference between architectural and structural design, I realised that my strength and interest lay in engineering design. I have always had a fascination with how things go together, so it was natural to change my focus.

What do you love about engineering?

Working out how things go together – it is that simple, I love working out how we can design a solution and putting together all the elements to make that happen is what I really enjoy.

What are you working on at the moment?

I specialise in housing, everything from townhouses to renovations to high end residential projects. Typically, in a month I will review over 20 projects as part of our design and quality assurance processes, so for someone who has always been interested in housing it is perfect.

What has been your greatest professional achievement to date?

Designing and implementing the standards and quality assurance processes across our housing projects.

What’s the best project you have worked on?

I was lucky enough to work on the Master Builders 2017 Brisbane House of the Year, Island Hideaway on Bribie Island. This project was challenging, with the property spread over two blocks of land and three levels with uninterrupted views of Pumicestone Passage and the Glass House Mountains. 

The engineering design was complex and had to make sure that it didn’t impact on the owners and architects’ vision for the aesthetic of the property.

What’s the most useful thing you’ve learned throughout your career?

To put yourself in the shoes of others when thinking about projects, clients and colleagues’ expectations. By understanding the needs of the people we work with we are far more effective at collaborating and creating the best possible design solution.

What outcome does the client want? What information does the builder need? How can we deliver for both?

While we may be working on 20 projects at any one time, we are working on each client’s dream home – potentially their biggest financial and emotional investment in their lives – so we really have to deliver on and if possible exceed their expectations.

What would your last meal be?

Mexican food and a margarita followed by a chocolate dessert. I’m a massive chocaholic…so maybe something with dark chocolate and salted caramel…

How much is a 2-litre bottle of milk?

Between $2 and $4 depending on the brand.

What’s the last movie you watched?

A random and not great chick flick on a flight from Melbourne…however if you want to see a fantastic Australian movie, I saw The Merger recently. It is an AFL comedy filmed in the region of country NSW where I grew up and it is well worth a watch.

Who’s the greatest engineer of all time and why?

Leonardo da Vinci, I knew of him as an artist but didn’t realise how many inventions he made concept sketches for in the 15^th century until I visited his house / now museum in France. He visualised flying machines, helicopters, parachutes, machine guns, armoured cars, robotic knights, scuba gear and a revolving bridge.