Celebrate International Womens Day!
March 9, 2018
Women In Construction On International Women’s Day
According to a 2016’s labor statistic from www.stats.bls.gov , the construction industry employs 10. 3 million people in the US. Of those statistics, only 9% are women. With such workforce disparity for women in construction, there is obviously much room for growth.
In an effort to narrow the gap and provide support for women in construction, and in celebration of International Women’s Day, the National Association of Women In Construction (NAWIC) partnered with sponsoring companies such as Balfour Beatty, Metro, Turner and many other large corporations to host a Groundbreaking Women Luncheon at the LAX Marriott on Thursday, March 8, 2018. This gave Neo Design Concepts the opportunity to network with other entrepreneurs and business leaders from all background.
Key Takeaways From Women Leaders In Construction
We were all inspired by a panel of successful women leaders in the construction industry as they shared their advice and experience in climbing the corporate ladder. The women speaking included:
NAWIC President: Prescilla Chavez, Manager of Diversity & Inclusion, PCL Construction | Co-Chair | NAWIC LA
Moderator: Sophia Cavalli, Senior Inclusion & Diversity Director, Balfour Beatty | Co-Chair | NAWIC LA
Panel Speakers: Cathy Orquiola – District Manager, PCL Construction Services, Samantha Bricker – Deputy Executive Director, Los Angeles World Airports, Veronica Soto-Program Director – Emerald Cities, Miriam Long – Director of Small Business and Construction Career Outreach – LA Metro, Terri Mestas – Vice President & Director – AECOM, Jennie Santoro | AIA | NCARB – Senior Project Manager – HNTB Corporation
Thank you to these ladies and others in paving the way for current and future women who aspire to pursue a career in construction. Here are some key advice for building successful careers in the construction industry from our panelists:
- Know the technical aspect of your work to gain credibility in the industry
- Be courageous to address and solve problems that make a difference for the community, which are not popular
- Stand up for yourself to be recognized for your competence
- Speak up in meetings to have your presence and knowledge be known
- Negotiate and ask for equal compensation as male counterparts performing the same role
- Calmly and steadily lead teams while mentoring and providing support to those that work for you
- Show people that you have their backs in order to build trust and integrity
- Grab opportunities before you, as you never know where it will lead
There were more jewels from the meeting, but these stood out. To all women entrepreneurs, business leaders and individuals in the work force, let us stand together to break the glass ceiling within organizations and raise each other up to succeed, for United We Stand!
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