At one point in time, it was socially unacceptable to have a woman performing a tradesmen job. To avoid these issues, women laborers were often left off official records or noted only by gender without specifying a proper name or work role. But as time went on and our world evolved so did the concept of women getting their hands dirty and successfully working in a “man’s world” – heavy labor and all. The journey has been long, and adversities do remain. There is a constant need to overcome the conscience and unconscious biases and be validated by our work performance, not the shade of our lipstick. But times are ever-changing, and women are bridging the performance gap in the construction industry, bringing needed perspectives and talent to teams across the trade.
We are extremely proud of our women employee owners who continue to add value to our divisions across the country. Let’s hear from some of them below. How they came into the industry, challenges they’ve overcome and what excites them for the future for Women in Construction!
How Did you Get Into The Industry?
“I started at IT Landes as a customer service rep, with little knowledge in the industry. My career evolved from there!” – Hanna LaCava, IT Landes – Preconstruction Administrator
“2012 I worked for a small Mechanical (HVAC) company, started as a Service Dispatch worked my way up to managing that Service Department with working with 3 technician’s and a Service Manger.” – Michelle Mancilla, Spectrum- Project Coordinator
“I was in the hospitality industry and felt that it wasn’t for me. It became stale and I didn’t feel I was getting anywhere personally. My mentor, Laura, at the time would tell me, “Do what you love.” Well at 22-24, do you know what you love to do? Because I surly DID NOT. So on a whim, a friend proposed a position to me and I applied for it. And that was 10 years ago.” – Nikki Lockard, BBEC- Project Manager Assistant