HOW DOES IT FEEL TO BE SELECTED AS A WOMAN TO WATCH?
It is such an honor. I would love to be able to get women in the trade more in the spotlight and let other women know that breaking through the glass ceiling is possible and being equal in a male dominated field is as well.
WHAT IS ENRICHING ABOUT YOUR WORK AS A BUSINESS OWNER AND RUNNING A NON-PROFIT?
I feel like I get the best of both worlds in both my profit construction company and in the community nonprofit I run. In both organizations, I pride myself on dedicating time to the underprivileged, the minorities (race or gender), and people that sometimes may not get a fair first glance. It is rewarding in both industries to invest back into the community you work in, and I hope to one day grow big enough to start making a positive impact and change not just in our zipcode, but on a national level.
WHAT ARE SOME CHALLENGES THAT YOU HAVE FACED AS A WOMAN IN CONSTRUCTION AND AS A BUSINESS OWNER?
To this day, nine years into owning this business, I STILL deal with hardships and barriers for being a woman. It is almost a double whammy that I am a woman in the construction field. Whether it is a client assuming I am the secretary, or a client telling me “how cute” I look with a tape measure, I get my daily dose of the reality of sexism. However, I treat it like my dose of redbull for the day. It energizes me, and makes me want to work that much harder to prove that women are of equal skill and competency, if not more.
WHAT IS SOME ADVICE THAT YOU WOULD GIVE TO YOUNG WOMEN WHO WANT TO OR ARE PURSUING CAREERS IN CONSTRUCTION OR RUNNING THEIR OWN BUSINESS?
I have so much advice that I am not sure I have enough characters! 🙂 Most importantly, be confident in everything you do and don’t let others bring you down. But to that same effect, don’t be
afraid of the stereotypes keeping you from asking questions. It is important to be open to criticism no matter who you are. Break free of stereotypes. Build trust in other women and networks in the industry. Set boundaries…and EMPOWER.
IS THERE SOMETHING YOU WANT TO GET INVOLVED IN BUT HAVE NOT YET?
I always have new things in the works! I am currently taking classes to be certified to teach as I would love to start offering construction related classes (OSHA/blue print reading/ordering/
management) in both English and Spanish.