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APTA MEMBER PROFILE |
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Meet Raquel Olivier!
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Raquel Olivier
President/Chief Executive Officer
Olivier, Inc.
Dallas
Member, APTA Board of Directors, APTF Board of Directors and Business Member Board of Governors; chair, BMBG Programs Committee.
Please describe your organization’s scope.
 Olivier, Inc., incorporated in 2009, provides project controls, general consulting and support services primarily for program management/construction management companies within the public transportation, aviation, water and public/higher education industry sectors.
| Because public transportation offers a large range of opportunities, we have expanded our service offerings from project controls to support services, including involvement in planning projects, small business training programs, light rail construction, CCTV installation and CNG, rail and bus maintenance.
How long have you been involved in public transportation? What attracted your interest in the industry?
I have been involved in public transportation for more than eight years. I was initially attracted to the industry when I started pursuing the DART Blue Line [Dallas Area Rapid Transit] project, a 4.5-mile light rail extension from the city of Garland to the city of Rowlett.
This project facilitated many others and validated our niche role in the industry. I continue to be attracted to the industry because it offers a large spectrum of contracting options ranging from planning to community involvement, maintenance to capital construction, training services to commodities and so on.
How long have you been an APTA member? Please describe your involvement with APTA and note what’s rewarding about it.
I have been involved with APTA for five years. In addition to the APTA affiliations noted at the top of this profile, I have served on nominating committees for both APTA (twice) and BMBG (once).
As the current BMBG Programs Committee chair, I would like to invite you to join our meetings (please check the conference agenda). Our committee was recently responsible for selecting the BMBG-sponsored political pundit discussion with Michael Murphy and Paul Begala at the APTA Annual Meeting in Los Angeles; it was rewarding to see that the session was well attended.
Serving on the various nominating committees has been rewarding because there is a positive and direct impact on selecting the organization’s leadership. However, the most rewarding has been the work done with the APTF annual fundraising event in 2015. Our efforts raised a significant amount of money for students, it recognized donors, included everyone and established a new format for future events.
What have you found to be the most valuable APTA benefit or resource?
The most valuable APTA benefit has been the opportunity to establish professional networks, interact with industry leaders and exchange ideas with colleagues. These benefits help with my job because people work with people they know, like and trust to get the job done. Olivier has grown substantially since joining APTA and credits its success to the relationships forged and its employees’ efforts.
What do you like most about your industry involvement?
It has increased Olivier, Inc.’s visibility and contracting endeavors nationwide. In addition, I like our involvement with workforce development initiatives to provide individuals (veterans, homeless, minorities and so on) who wouldn’t normally have access or consider working in public transportation with career opportunities.
We are always actively recruiting people throughout the country to join our team.
What is unique about your business?
Our “value-add” team involvement with stakeholders and clients is what’s unique about Olivier, Inc.
The Olivier team is a family, and together we have increased contract value for our clients, reduced formal barriers to solve problems, developed workforce initiatives to create career opportunities and enhanced public and community involvement.
What would readers be surprised to learn?
Olivier, Inc. has contractually participated in projects valued greater than $6 billion to date, currently employs more than 30 people, and works on client teams in various states, primarily including Texas, California, Florida and South Carolina. Additionally, Olivier is DBE certified to do business in 16 states.
On a personal note, I always want to increase my knowledge and leadership skills. As a CPA, I must maintain professional education hours; however, I felt that I needed more relevant and advanced tools.
So, I decided to enroll in the Mays Business School at Texas A&M University where I am presently participating in the Executive MBA program. This experience has been both challenging and rewarding; I’m currently maintaining a 4.0 GPA. (Go Team 6!). The Harvard Business School cases studied have served to confirm a lot of the practices I’ve included in managing the business.
As such, the Aggie Network is absolutely phenomenal. It’s amazing to be in this space. Who would ever believe “a rose could grow through a crack in the cement?!”
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