Shop class opens up career for Herrick

When Diann Herrick was 10 years old, she went to take a look at a house that her aunt and uncle were building.

Being able to see inside the walls interested her, and years later she found herself taking up shop classes in high school. “I liked building things and having something physical and useable to show for my work,” Herrick said.

That interest in building things led her to a career in the construction industry. She now has more than 20 years’ experience in the field, and is currently a mechanical designer at IBC Engineering Services.

Herrick has contributed to several award-winning projects such as the Fiserv Forum, Milwaukee County Zoo Adventure Africa Elephant Exhibit and the Gateway Technical College iMet Building Expansion.

“I enjoy the variety of projects I work on,” she said. “Just in the last couple years I have been part of an arena, a pro sports training center, new animal exhibits at the zoo and numerous higher ed projects. This variety keeps things interesting and challenging.”

Amber Burke, director of marketing and business development for IBC, said that Herrick is a person of integrity and high moral standards, and is always learning and evolving as a designer. “Diann is also a skilled energy modeler that is responsible for assessing, identifying and overseeing opportunities to reduce energy use for buildings … .”

“Diann is highly respected in the industry and just happens to be a woman that is a role model and fantastic mentor to the next generation of not only women, but men in the industry.”

Herrick has been working from home since the coronavirus pandemic forced schools to close in March. She has two elementary school-aged daughters. Balancing their needs with her own job has not been easy.

“Our firm’s workload has increased during the pandemic, so I have no issues staying busy,” she said.