Comeback Stories Series: Eleanor Winants

Careers aren’t always linear. Sometimes, the path forward includes finding your way back. In our Comeback Stories series, we spotlight employees who returned to The Building People and share what inspired them to come back.

In this edition, we’re featuring Eleanor Winants, Human Resources Business Partner, who returned to The Building People after spending time away. In this Q&A, Eleanor shares what first drew her to TBP, the experiences she gained while exploring new opportunities, and what ultimately led her back.

Let’s start with you—what’s your role at TBP and what does your day-to-day look like?

I’m a Human Resources Business Partner, working alongside our People Strategy team. My day-to-day can look a little different depending on the day, which is one of the things I enjoy most about my role. I’m involved in many of our talent development efforts, including career growth and development, employee and manager training, onboarding, and employee engagement. I also support our internal communications efforts, helping keep employees informed and connected to what’s happening across the company. Overall, a lot of my role is focused on strengthening the employee experience and creating opportunities for our people to learn, grow, and stay connected at TBP.

What originally brought you to TBP the first time around?

I first came to TBP right after graduating from college, so it was really the start of my professional career. Having been an athlete my whole life, I knew I wanted to work somewhere that felt collaborative and people-oriented, and finding a company with a strong culture was really important to me. I had a connection to someone at TBP and learned they were looking to hire a recruiter, so I interviewed for the role and ended up joining the team.

I really enjoyed recruiting and getting to bring new people into a culture I was excited to be a part of myself. At the same time, I came into TBP with a mentality of saying yes to opportunities whenever I could. If there was a chance to take on something new, help with a project, or learn a different area of the business, I wanted to do it. Leadership really gave me the opportunity to challenge myself and explore the areas I was interested in, and over my first two years, my role evolved quite a bit. What started in recruiting eventually grew into a mix of employee engagement, internal communications, and marketing, and helped me discover more of what I was passionate about professionally.

You spent some time away—what were you up to during that chapter?

During my time away from TBP, I joined a defense contractor as a Talent Development Specialist. It gave me the opportunity to step into a role that was more specifically focused on talent development, which was an area I had become increasingly interested in during my first few years at TBP.

One of the biggest projects I had the opportunity to be part of was developing the company’s first career guide across several different job families. I was able to see the process from start to finish, helping create clearer career paths that outlined the knowledge, skills, and abilities employees needed at each level and what development was needed to progress in their careers. I was also involved in performance management and helped support the adoption of the career guide as a tool for ongoing career development and conversations between employees and managers.

Although it was a relatively short chapter, I learned a lot and gained a different perspective on talent development and the areas of HR I’m most passionate about. It was an experience I was grateful to have and ultimately one that I was able to bring back with me when I returned to TBP.

What did you enjoy or learn most from that experience?

What I enjoyed most was getting to focus more deeply on talent development and seeing how the work we were doing could directly support an employee’s growth and career. It reinforced for me how important it is for employees to have a clear understanding of what opportunities are available to them, what growth can look like, and how they can take ownership of their own development.

I also really valued the opportunity to experience a different organization and learn from a new team. Being exposed to different processes, perspectives, and ways of approaching HR helped me grow professionally and gave me a better understanding of the type of work I find most meaningful. It confirmed that I really enjoy being in a role where I can help create programs and resources that make a tangible difference in the employee experience.

While you were away, was there anything you found yourself missing about TBP?

Definitely the people and the culture. TBP was my first professional home, and I built a lot of really meaningful relationships during my first two years here. When you start your career somewhere, you learn so much from the people around you, and I didn’t fully realize how much I valued those relationships until I stepped away.

I also missed the opportunity to wear different hats and be involved in so many areas of the company. TBP gave me a lot of room early in my career to try new things and take ownership of projects I was passionate about. I’ve always enjoyed feeling connected to the bigger picture and being able to make an impact beyond one specific area of my role, and I definitely found myself missing that while I was away.

What sparked the idea (or decision) to come back?

While I was away, I still kept up with TBP on social media and stayed in touch with the HR team, so I never felt completely disconnected. I even ran into Lawrence Melton at church one Sunday, and we talked about the possibility of me finding my way back to TBP. Not too long after that, an opportunity on the HR team actually opened up, and the timing felt like no coincidence!

The HR team had grown, and there was a strong focus on career development and creating more opportunities for employees to learn and grow within TBP. After spending my time away gaining experience in those exact areas, the opportunity felt like such a natural fit. I was excited to come back to a company I already loved and help build programs and resources that support employees in developing their careers here and, ultimately, continuing to grow with TBP.

It didn’t feel like I was coming back to pick up where I left off. I was returning with a new perspective, into a new role, and with the opportunity to continue growing my own career while helping create those same opportunities for others.

Now that you’re back, what has stood out to you the most?

What has stood out to me most is how quickly it felt like I was home again. So many of the people and relationships that made my first experience at TBP so meaningful were still here, and from day one, I felt incredibly welcomed back. At the same time, it’s been exciting to see how much the company has continued to grow and evolve, even in the relatively short time I was away.

I think I also have a greater appreciation for the culture now that I’ve had the opportunity to step outside of it and come back. There’s something really special about working somewhere where you feel comfortable raising your hand, sharing an idea, or taking on something new. That was a big part of my experience during my first chapter at TBP, and coming back has reminded me how much I value being part of an environment like that.

What’s been your favorite part about being back so far?

My favorite part about being back has been getting to work on things that I’m passionate about while doing it alongside people I really enjoy working with. When I first started at TBP, I was still figuring out what I wanted my career to look like. Coming back, I have a much better understanding of the type of work that excites me and where I feel like I can make the biggest impact.

It’s been really rewarding to take what I learned during my first chapter at TBP, along with the experience I gained while I was away, and apply it in a completely new way. I get to help create opportunities and experiences that I would have valued as an employee early in my own career, which makes the work feel especially meaningful.

For someone who’s never worked here, how would you describe TBP and the culture?

I would describe TBP as a place where people genuinely want to see each other succeed. It’s collaborative, people are willing to help one another, and there’s an openness to hearing new ideas and perspectives. I think there’s also a real emphasis on giving employees opportunities to learn, grow, and get involved in ways that make sense for them and their role.

I also think there’s a level of accessibility here that makes TBP special. You have opportunities to interact with people at all levels of the company, including senior leadership, and there’s a real interest in hearing from employees. For me, the culture has always come down to the people, the opportunities to grow, and feeling like your contributions matter.