Rachel Bartling
Business development manager, Mortenson Construction
After designing health care facilities for 15 years, Rachel Bartling, 40, is moving to the construction side of the business. She joined Golden Valley-based Mortenson Construction, where she's responsible for the strategic business development of its burgeoning health care construction division.
A registered architect and LEED-accredited professional, Bartling will no longer design health care facilities; however, she plans to take that experience to help Mortenson foster its existing relationships and develop new ones. Before joining Mortenson, Bartling worked at Minneapolis-based HGA Architects and Engineers. Her projects include the Hennepin County Medical Center in Minneapolis and HealthEast Bethesda in St. Paul.
Mortenson is the builder for Mayo Clinic Square, the $50 million-plus redevelopment of Block E in downtown Minneapolis. Mayo will open a sports medicine facility there as part of a partnership with the Minnesota Timberwolves and Lynx. The teams will move their practice facilities and headquarters to the facility this fall.
Q: I understand that Mortenson isn't actually your first stint in construction?
A: When I was growing up, I worked with my dad at his roofing company in Prescott, Wis. During college is when he let me get up on the roof and get dirty.
Q: What options do you see at Mortenson?
A: Coming from the medical planning and design background, I was really able to get to know how facilities run. I also wanted to get a taste of that building and construction background that I still love. Although I enjoyed designing, I loved working with the people the most and understanding their needs. This position allows me to work with the customer every day, and that's the best part of this change.
