Episode 286 - Liz Babcock

Forty years in Land & Right-of-Way. An Enron survivor. A woman who earned her seat at the table in historically male-dominated industries. And, in her own words, someone who has spent her career “navigating a male-dominated world one martini at a time.”

This week, we sit down with Liz Babcock, Vice President of Land & ROW at ALTAEI, for a candid conversation about resilience, trust, relationships and what it really takes to succeed in the people-heavy world of land and right-of-way.

Liz shares lessons from four decades spent working with landowners, attorneys, engineers, agencies, utilities and energy companies—and explains why technical knowledge alone is never enough.

We also dive into:

How the Land and ROW profession has changed—and where progress is still needed

What surviving the Enron collapse taught Liz about reputation and resilience

How to build trust with skeptical or frustrated landowners

The importance of bringing ROW professionals into projects earlier

Earning your voice and your seat at the table

Why relationships, humor and genuine human connection still move projects forward

The stories and experiences that make a 40-year career truly meaningful

This episode is a reminder that successful projects are not built through data, documents and processes alone. They are built through trust, communication, judgment and treating people right.