CEO of KMJ Consulting Builds Company Culture in the Workplace

Karen Jehanian, founder and CEO of KMJ Consulting, believes that culture is a major differentiator for a company. Entrepreneurial spirit has always come naturally for Karen. As early as 7th grade, she knew that she wanted to start her own business. Now, Karen runs a premier transportation engineering, planning, and consulting firm. Her work and academic experience, including an undergraduate engineering degree and an MBA from Drexel, helped her envision her ideal company. That includes letting employees be independent, achieving their own goals alongside the company's.

As a woman entrepreneur in a relatively male dominated field, Karen doesn't look for excuses, just solutions. She molds both life and work experiences into creating a culture that her employees can believe in and actively support. For Karen, personality fit is equally as, and sometimes more, important than skill fit. Employees need to be able to present and communicate along with the technical work an engineering firm expects. In a small company like KMJ, Karen is the sole proprietor. Her mood is infectious throughout the office and she looks for employees that she connects with. Positivity is key and mourning is bad business; there is no time to dwell, only to work harder. This spirit has been integral to KMJ's success; so has the ability to take risks. As Karen Jehanian explains it best, "Get out of your comfort zone, and make it happen."

Written by Christian Larsen¨Communications¨ Charles D. Close School of Entrepreneurship

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