Kelly McAndrews uses a number of different resources to find success as an archaeological consultant and business owner. Some of those tools are artifacts of a bygone era, while others are new technologies that keep company data organized. However, McAndrews believes her employees are the company’s greatest assets.

As co-owner of Woods Canyon Archaeological Consultants, McAndrews supervises eight full-time employees at the office in Cortez. During spring, summer and fall seasons, Woods Canyon contracts as many as 20 workers for land surveys and excavations.

“We do everything from producing budgets to work scopes for archaeological projects that range in size from less than an acre to 5,000 acres,” McAndrews said.

Employees at Woods Canyon gather background research about the regions where clients want to develop land to prepare field crews. In the field, archaeologists gather data, mark areas where cultural resources are found and write reports about their observations. Sometimes, they draft design recommendations for clients to help them avoid costly excavation of ancient artifacts.

McAndrews guides her team, collaborates with clients and other organizations and manages the projects for Woods Canyon from start to finish. She values the contributions of each employee and enjoys creating meaningful work for people. Her goal is to keep employees engaged in exciting projects, creating a positive workplace.

“You want to work with people who are passionate and delighted, so you build on that. Find their interests and indulge those things, and you will have a better work environment,” McAndrews said.

The company works with both public agencies and private companies in Colorado, New Mexico and Utah, including the U.S. Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management, and clients in industries like oil, natural gas, mining, construction, utility and telecommunications.

“We work primarily in three states with 10 agencies, and every agency in every state has a different set of standards,” McAndrews said. “They call us because they need to have cultural resource clearance when they conduct projects.”

With a small workforce, juggling multiple assignments in different states with conflicting standards can be challenging for a company. However, McAndrews mentors team members to tackle tasks with confidence and manage their own time, budgets and projects with ease.

“It helps our business in every way to teach and empower our employees,” McAndrews said. “Sometimes you just need more help, so you teach people to do other things. The scales tip, they are not always balanced. That’s why building a great staff gives us the ability to take time off.”

With the help of her team, McAndrews has been able to search for opportunities to grow the business. More recently, she has formed partnerships with nonprofit organizations and land management agencies, leading to fun and rewarding projects.

“Lately, we’ve been doing some really exciting things, partnering with nonprofits and land management agencies to try to bring more people on board and do some preservation,” she said. “It opens up the door for financing projects.”

The company has ongoing projects with Ute Mountain Ute, Northern Ute, Navajo and Hopi tribes. Woods Canyon also assists with database development and teaches them to use digital tools to simplify data-gathering.

Another partnership with the World Monuments Fund is in the works, as well. McAndrews said the international nonprofit organization is partnering with a regional nonprofit organization in Utah, Friends of Cedar Mesa. The cultural resource project will include sites on Forest Service, BLM and state lands in southeast Utah.

“I enjoy people and learning about people. We are always learning new things and partnering with new people,” McAndrews said.“This is not about me. It’s about cultural resources, and it’s about people. People first, I think.”