Under Construction

April 23, 2019

A news article popped up on one of my social media pages and brought up again the subject of women in construction. I’ve written previously about the need for the construction industry to recruit, hire, and place women in positions of power. It was also the main topic of my Editor’s Comments in the May 2019 issue of Grading & Excavation Contractor. What this recent article from the Huntsville Business Journal does that sets it apart from my own writing is give real-life, real-time examples from a company called Hoar Construction in Birmingham, AL. 

I see this offering of role models as being just as important, if not more so, than spouting the sad statistics that illustrate the lack of women thriving in the construction industry. These women at Hoar Construction are examples of not only “what could be,” but also women who have careers in the industry, right now. 

The article highlights four women. The first is Amanda Black, who is a safety manager. She grew up around construction sites. The 29-year-old tells the Huntsville Business Journal: 

No one should be limited in what they want to be, if they have the heart for it,” Black said. “You have to have a thick skin to be a woman among so many men, but you need a thick skin in life anyway, right?” 

There’s also assistant superintendent, Jessica Yarbrough. The Journal reports that: 

Yarbrough has worked on a Disney World project in Orlando; built a physical fitness facility for the Army in Clarksville, Tenn.; built an outdoor shopping center in Baton Rouge, La.; and a commissary at Naval Air Station Jacksonville (Fla.).” 

Another assistant superintendent for Hoar Construction is Donna Strange. She relayed to the Journal some of the circumstances that led her to her current position: 

“I found myself on a construction project as it was nearing the final stages and I fell head over heels in love with all aspects of the experience,” she said. “I found a profession where every day there was potential for learning something new.” 

Lastly, there’s Sarah Horton. Sarah is a project engineer who just recently joined the team this year. According to the Huntsville Business Journal, she’s quite adept with Building Information Modeling (BIM) software:

“I use BIM and my architectural engineering background in HVAC design, power distribution and design, and structural concepts of building to get that into a 3-D space and coordinate changes from a general contractor’s perspective.” 

The great thing about highlighting these four, real-life role models is that they are able to give you their perspectives and opinions on how they got started as well as insights on the challenges they had to overcome and the ones they still face. They can offer the voice of experience when advising other women entering the construction industry.  

Definitely check out the article. 

Here’s what I would like to have happen: I would like women in construction all across the country to share their stories with other women and young girls. And I would like for those young girls and women to reach out to your fellow females in the construction industry, thank them for blazing a trail and then learn as much as you can from them.