Promotion will make PMA Engineering a woman-owned firm in 2024

When Erin Rosenthal made a cold call to PMA Engineering asking for an internship in 2004, she couldn't envision how far it would take her. 

“We didn’t have room for her, so she basically used the lunchroom table for her desk,” PMA President David McNaghten said. “(She) would have to clear everything off every day in order to let people eat lunch, and then she’d put all of her stuff back.” 

But Rosenthal’s lunch table days didn’t last long. Eventually, her work ethic paid off in a big way, and she became an owner. Starting in January, she will take on a new title: president of Overland Park-based PMA. 

McNaghten plans to retire next year. As part of the transition, he agreed to sell a majority of his company stock to Rosenthal. The move will make PMA a majority woman-owned business in 2024. 

“What I’d love to see is for Erin to help this company spring to that next level,” McNaghten said. “That WBE participation will help us be even more involved in projects that I think are near and dear to all of our hearts here in Kansas City.”  

Advancing from intern to president 

After working as an intern at the firm for two summers, Rosenthal was hired full-time after graduating from Kansas State University in 2006.

“Even as an intern, I was designing entire buildings out in the Legends,” Rosenthal said. “Being able to give me these opportunities, give me the confidence that I could do that, even at a young age, then helping me along the way — I think is really what our company culture is.” 

Once she got a foot in the door, she worked her way up and was named an owner in 2016. She attributes her success to the mentorship she received from her partners: McNaghten and PMA Vice President Jeffrey Patterson. 

“It’s really interesting to watch her go on project sites. She’s kind of a powerhouse,” Patterson said. “Our career field is still very heavily male-dominated, whether it's in the engineering or the construction side. Erin handles it. She deals with it, and she can hold her own.”   

New leadership, new opportunities 

The company was founded in 1974, and McNaghten purchased the firm in 1995. In 1997, he added Patterson as co-owner. 

“Up until now, this firm has been owned by men,” Patterson said. “There’s a lot of work that we simply cannot go after, because there is a lot of work that ... must go to either minority firms or a women-owned firm.”   

The new designation will open opportunities for the firm, he said.

According to the U.S. Department of Labor, in 2021 women made up roughly 15% of the engineering workforce. Rosenthal hopes the WBE designation will expose more women to jobs and opportunities in engineering. 

“This opportunity will be a way for PMA to not only show our talents that we already have, but just get us in the door for more opportunities and to lead by example for younger generations or other women in the industry,” she said.