Women in Water Series – Remmie Monahan

Could you tell us a little bit about yourself?

My name is Remmie Monahan. I grew up in Omaha, Nebraska and attended Kansas State University where I received a bachelor’s degree in Entrepreneurship as well as minors in Strategic Selling and Personal Financial Planning. I am currently “city-hopping” and trying to figure out where I would like to live, so I move every couple months and try out new cities! Outside of work, I love to travel, try new restaurants, read, and have recently been trying new recipes and expanding my cooking skills.

Were you always interested in working for WW companies? What made you decide to pursue an engineering/tech/WW career?

No, working in the water industry was never something that crossed my mind. I had no idea what opportunities were available within the industry. I had truly never known much about the industry behind one of our most critical resources, which now seems crazy. In early 2021, our Chief Customer Officer, Adam Tank, was looking for a sales intern and turned to the entrepreneurship department at his alma mater (K-State) where my professor connected me with Adam. I started my senior year of college as an intern and have been with Transcend ever since!

How does it feel to be a woman working in the WW industry?

I feel there is a lot of work to do, but at the same time this means there is a lot of opportunity. There are many times I am the only woman in a meeting or sitting at the table. This can be difficult at times, but I know that women deserve to have a seat at the table, and are much needed.

Do you think that women are underrepresented in WW? If so, why do you think that’s the case?

Absolutely. I definitely think, and have seen, that the water industry is more “old-school” and therefore there is a significant difference in the number of women in the industry versus men. Women are also severely underrepresented when it comes to leadership roles, which as I stated previously, creates a lot of opportunity for both individuals and companies.

What’s your role at Transcend? What do you do on a typical day?

I am an Account Executive at Transcend. I work with engineering firms, technology providers, and asset owners to identify their challenges and seeing how a design automation tool, like Transcend, can help them to be more informed, efficient, and innovative. My typical day includes following up with leads, meeting with prospects, demoing our software, answering questions, preparing proposals, and other tasks necessary to walk prospects through the sales cycle.

Why did you choose to work at Transcend?

The people and the mission of Transcend. I really liked the fact that the company is making a difference and looking to move critical industries, such as water, forward.

What are the challenges at work that you learn from the most?

Joining an industry that I didn’t have a background in was a big challenge. I am still challenged every day when it comes to learning about the industry, but I love that as I am being challenged. I also learn something new everyday.

What learning/growth opportunities have impacted you most?

Working within a smaller team allows for exposure to many things across the business. This was especially prevalent in my early days with Transcend. Having the opportunity to be involved in late stage sales and exposure to management at all levels very early in my career was incredible. I learned so much about communication, relationship building, negotiation strategies, and resilience. I’ve also had the opportunity to manage interns and projects. These opportunities taught me about communication, collaboration, relationship and time management.

What advice would you give to other women wanting to join this industry? What do you wish you had known?

Don’t be afraid to speak up, ask questions, and share your opinions. Find a community of other women both inside and outside of your organization. Building out a network has been hugely impactful for me and the people I have met are what have kept me in the industry. I would also add that this same advice goes for young/rising professionals. Meeting others in the industry that are around my age or have the same level of experience as me has been a really big part of why I see so much opportunity in the industry.