Mary Kate Mulhall is a Mechanical and Fire Protection Engineer at Farris Engineering (farris-usa.com).

Tell us a little about your business (in your own words). – Farris Engineering is an employee-owned MEP consulting firm. Clients span a wide range of industries, including federal, healthcare, K-12 and higher education, commercial, and industrial. I work with a very talented and experienced team, both on the engineering and administration side, who work their tails off to deliver quality results to our customers.Beyond that, they are great people that I enjoy being around every day.

How did you get started in the business? – My dad got his degree in chemical engineering and suggested I look into the field when I was in high school. I didn’t know much about what engineering was at the time, but I did know that my dad was usually right – so I decided to check it out. After a job shadow opportunity, I knew mechanical engineering was the route I wanted to take. After school and once I started working, I was introduced to fire protection engineering. What interested me most was learning about things that had been around me my entire life that I had never paid attention to, whether that meant safety or comfort or any design choice in between. It didn’t take long before I was looking up at the ceiling of every room I walked into.

What has been your most important achievement professionally? – Passing the mechanical and fire PE exams for licensing was a big one. It’s quite different studying for an exam when you’re not in school, and was more of an exercise in proving to myself that I had the stamina to do it. When you first hear about the exams in college, they seem like a lifetime away. Glad to have it all behind me.

Tell us a little about your family. – I have 4 older siblings: brothers in Boston, Houston, and LA, and a sister in Omaha. My parents still live here too but have taken up golfing – we only see them on rainy days! All of them are the smartest, funniest people I know.

What is your favorite thing to do on a day off? – Play pickleball, read, see friends and family and watch whatever game is on that night. My perfect day off would include a Creighton basketball home win over UConn. I’m lucky to have experienced that on multiple occasions.

What is the most unique or interesting thing about you that most people probably don’t know? – I played piano for quite a while growing up and still like to play whenever I get the chance. The last song I learned was Vienna by Billy Joel. Learning how to play Scenes from an Italian Restaurant is a lifelong goal of mine. Given how long it’s going to take… I should probably start learning it now.

If you could have a super power, what would it be? – Healing the sick. The world is better with more people in it and we lose too many too early.

What is your favorite movie? – The Imitation Game

What is your favorite TV show? – New Girl

What is your favorite local Omaha restaurant? – Lyle’s Pizzeria on 52nd and Leavenworth. I have yet to try a bad thing on their menu, and think about their whipped feta twice a day.

If our readers would like to contact you, how should they do so? – (402) 330-5900; mmulhall@farris-usa.com ; farris-usa.com