Team Tapestry: Lisa Heckendorn-Blake on building Connico’s scheduling team
Connico’s team is known for delivering innovative solutions and serving as trusted advisors to clients across aviation, energy and federal projects. Together, the perspectives and experiences of our team members weave the fabric of who we are as a firm. Through our Team Tapestry series, we spotlight the individuals whose expertise, dedication, and personal journeys help shape Connico’s culture.
In this installment, meet Scheduling Subject Matter Expert and Group Lead Lisa Heckendorn-Blake. Since joining the firm in 2002, Lisa has built Connico’s scheduling department through decades of hands-on construction experience and a deep understanding of how complex projects unfold. She leads a growing team of scheduling professionals while continuing to guide projects with the insight she developed working directly in the field.
Tell us about your background and your roles as Scheduling Subject Matter Expert & Group Lead at Connico.
When I first joined Connico, I wasn’t specifically hired to provide scheduling services. Preparing and maintaining schedules was just one piece of the broader responsibilities I handled while supporting project and construction management teams.
My first assignment was supporting David Hunley during the $250 million construction of the fourth parallel runway at Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG). As the office engineer, I handled many of the operational and documentation tasks that keep a project of that scale moving forward – meeting minutes, RFIs and change orders, design change documentation, FAA reports, document control, and daily reporting. I was also responsible for preparing and updating construction schedules across the project’s four construction phases.
Over the years, I continued supporting major aviation projects at CVG, including the Quieter Schools Program during construction, the refurbishment of the airport’s baggage handling system, and runway and taxiway reconstruction projects. Through those assignments, scheduling gradually became a larger part of my work, especially reviewing and coordinating contractor schedules and helping teams understand how construction phasing would impact project delivery.
As clients began requesting more of these services, Connico saw an opportunity to expand its scheduling capabilities. With the construction experience that David and I brought to the table, we were able to build a strong understanding of the real-world construction details required to create reliable schedules during the design phase.
What started as one person providing scheduling support has grown significantly. As Connico’s longest-tenured employee, I helped build the department from the ground up and trained every member of the scheduling team, as well as Connico’s owners, in the scheduling approach that continues to guide our work today.
How has being part of the Connico team shaped your professional and personal growth?
As Scheduling Director and now Scheduling Subject Matter Expert and Group Lead, I’ve had the opportunity to grow alongside Connico itself. Over the years, my role has evolved from leading the work directly to reviewing deliverables, mentoring team members and providing technical guidance that strengthens the department as a whole. Connico’s leadership has played an important role in that growth. The trust, support, and leadership development I received from the firm’s owners helped me step confidently into greater responsibility and grow not only as a technical expert, but as a leader.
What do you find most rewarding about your roles as Scheduling Subject Matter Expert & Group Lead?
Watching the growth of our young scheduling team is incredibly rewarding. They impress me every single day, and I couldn’t be prouder of the work they’re doing.
Seeing their confidence grow and their technical abilities develop reminds me of how much potential this group has. Being able to mentor them and support their progress has become one of the most fulfilling parts of my role.
How does your work in scheduling contribute to Connico’s bigger picture and overall success?
Scheduling, especially phasing analysis, plays a critical role in many of the services we provide at Connico. Construction schedules help project teams understand how work will actually unfold in the field and how different phases interact with each other.
I find it incredibly rewarding to help others understand how thoughtful scheduling strengthens the broader work we do. A well-developed schedule can help teams anticipate challenges, coordinate stakeholders, and ultimately deliver projects more successfully.
How would you describe Connico’s culture in one word, and why?
Quality. Quality is at the heart of everything we do – from how we collaborate with clients and colleagues to the care we put into every deliverable. It’s something that shows up in both the technical work we produce and the relationships we build.
Share a moment when you felt especially proud to be part of the Connico team.
One of my proudest moments was watching the Governor of Kentucky land the first plane on the newly constructed runway at CVG Airport.
After spending years supporting projects like that behind the scenes, seeing the finished result in action – and knowing the role our team played in making it happen – was incredibly meaningful.
What’s a fun or surprising fact about you that many people may not know?
I tap-danced from fourth grade all the way through college.
What do you wish more people would ask you about your role or career journey?
Before joining Connico, I spent nearly 20 years working at nuclear facilities, gaining extensive construction and on-site experience. That background shaped the way I approach projects today and gave me a deep understanding of how construction really works in practice.
