096: Lusnail Haberberger (LUZCO Technologies)

Lusnail Haberberger on Innovation City

“Diversity of thought is what creates innovation.” — Lusnail Haberberger

Welcome to Innovation City—powered by Venture Cafe—where Tyler Kelley and Michael Johnson, Co-Founders of SLAM! Agency, interview innovators, creators, and disruptors to discover how business is changing in the modern world.

Created and produced by SLAM! Agency in cooperation with Venture Cafe St. Louis and Venture Cafe Miami, Innovation City gives you an inside look at how rapidly business and culture are changing thanks to increasing diversity and inclusion, heightened creativity, and a stronger and better-connected business community. Venture Cafe is the largest combined gathering of entrepreneurs and innovators anywhere in the world. Events are held every Thursday in St. Louis, Miami, and other leading innovation cities around the globe.

Today’s guest is Lusnail Haberberger, President of LUZCO Technologies. LUZCO Technologies is an electrical engineering consulting firm offering project management services, engineering design services, and transmission and distribution engineering services. Lusnail sits down with the team to discuss her passion for engineering, the struggle of being in a white male dominated industry as an ethnic woman, breaking down barriers in the engineering industry, the importance of work-life balance, getting access to resources to help your business grow, and more!

They discuss:

• Background:
  • Both of Lusnail’s parents are engineers
  • Her curiosity of how cell phones work was the spark to go into engineering for herself
• The struggle of being in a white male dominated industry as an ethnic woman
• Her drive to be a great mother and engineer pushed her to start her own company
• The government and public service commision push for increasing diversity goals
• Companies like Ameren are looking for the best…diversity + great product/service
• Her company took 2 years to get started
• Doing consulting work for Ameren before starting her company and using that connection to help support her (at the time) new venture
• What an engineering consultant does?
• Her learning curve with the back end of running a company (HR, processes, etc.)
• In June 2017, she was the owner and only company
• Today, she has 18 employees and currently recruiting for 2 more positions
• The biggest challenge she’s had has been finding employees who have the full package (technical skill, determination, respect, & cultural fit)
• Using a communications specialist to help develop and maintain a strong culture
• Her main goal is to break down barriers for other ethnic females in the engineering industry
• Brainstorming with her team to keep the main goal at the forefront
• The importance of work-life balance and setting an example for employees
• Lusnail’s vision for the future of LUZCO:
  • Established
  • Well known for quality service
  • Strong and attractive culture
• The importance of background diversity and not just hiring people with backgrounds only within the industry
• The support of the St. Louis Hispanic Chamber of Commerce
• Exposure, sharing stories, & sharing lessons learned with other entrepreneurs is key
• Finding mentors that believe in you and your vision
• Getting access to resources to help your business grow
• Connect with LUZCO Technologies on their website or reach out via email