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Construction teams possess people from different backgrounds with unique personalities, and women hold 15.6 percent of all construction site jobs. Gender balance benefits all workplaces – and in the skilled trades women bring crucial skills, perspectives and work ethic to every job site.
Throughout the month, we had the opportunity to speak with five women from various construction fields who shared their career journeys and experiences in construction.
In this blog, you’ll learn what it’s like to be a woman in construction and some actionable takeaways if you’re looking to enter the industry.
Alexandria Monnin – Virtual Construction Project Manager
NOX Innovations
I started with the company five years ago as a virtual construction admin. I took the job because I was in college and thought “what could I be good at? I’m good at Excel and meeting minutes.” So, “let’s find a little admin gig and just get through college.” That was my mentality at the time.
Two years after I started, I graduated from NYU with a degree in business administration with an emphasis in supply chain. I became a project engineer and got more interaction with people in the field, and got to learn a lot more electrical and field knowledge, installation preferences, etc.
I was doing that for about two, almost three years. And I really enjoyed it! In November I became a project manager.
Samantha Springer – Quality Control Manager
Hensel Phelps
I learned that I really like downtown areas and high rises like the Skyline Group in Dallas. I also knew that I wasn’t artistic and more math-oriented, so I decided to go study civil engineering in Terre Haute, Indiana.
I figured that to design, you should know a little bit about what the builders are doing and what they do, so, I got the opportunity with Hensel Phelps to do an internship. Through that, I learned that construction was the path for me. The general contractor world is a lot of fun because I get to work with mechanics, electricians, structures, and even the owners and architects.
Dyna Mora – Estimator
Door Sales & Installations
My father worked in construction, so I was familiar with the trades, but never imagined myself in them. I attended ASU to pursue accounting and then education. When my husband became a licensed subcontractor in 1999, we started our own business, and I worked in the background tending to the office and general business management.
Then, I spent some time in the field helping with door hardware installation and builder house walks. When we expanded the business to add a small door shop, I took over material purchasing to help make deliveries. But in 2018, we shut down the business – and I started my career in construction elsewhere.
I went to a custom door shop as a sales coordinator/project manager before moving onto purchasing and estimating. I’ve been in the industry for about 20 years now!
Samantha Springer – Quality Control Manager
Hensel Phelps
Whenever we have people that need to go to the site, I’m there to help coordinate with the port of entry, coordinate with local entities and with their trades to make sure that they’re able to get access to the places they need to.
When I’m back here in Phoenix, it’s a lot of making sure we’re getting our quality control program set up correctly, so that we can communicate effectively between our groups and doing design reviews of the documents.
I also coordinate plans at initial setup – such as office trailers, sensors, dumpsters, lay down yards, and all of that. Once the construction really gets going, it is a lot of porting, meeting with the owners, inspectors, and trades, to ensure we are getting all the testing inspections done.
I also help schedule our office and build engineers, making sure that they have all the proper training and tools to be successful.
Alexandria Monnin – Virtual Construction Project Manager
NOX Innovations
Most of the time I report to an office. I’ll come in and check in with the teams on my projects by asking “How are we doing with our modeling content? Is there anything you need to finish your job that you aren’t getting?” I do a pulse check on the project progress and sometimes communicate with project managers on the installation side.
I also go through each of my projects’ budgets, making sure the hours we set are correct, whether we’re trending to go over or under those hours. I maintain budgets, schedules, and a little bit of my own self-development – looking up articles for new projects coming to the valley.
Sashllely Santos – Wireman 1
Canyon State Electric
I get to the job site, put on my tools, sign in, and am told what task I am doing that day. It could be wiring, hot checks, underground work – whatever it is, I go and do it. Some days I will be working with a team, and other days I will work independently.
Alexandria Monnin – Virtual Construction Project Manager
NOX Innovations
There is such a variety of work that you’re never going to NOT be learning., and that’s probably my favorite thing. I’ll never feel like an expert which could be scary, but to me, it’s exciting.
I’ve been here five years and some ways we model stay the same, but every project is different!
Dyna Mora – Estimator
Door Sales & Installations
I enjoy helping homeowners bring visions of their dream homes to reality. I know that a woman’s perspective can bring value to any construction trade and that they can play an integral role in such a male-dominated industry. I enjoy contributing my knowledge and experience to our team, especially to those who are surprised that I know the industry so well!
Samantha Springer – Quality Control Manager
Hensel Phelps
My favorite part is networking or getting to work alongside the craft and the field as a field engineer. You’re working right alongside those guys, and you get to learn about them and their families – building that community. Some of my closest friends are people that I’ve worked with over the years.
Reese Fortin – District HS&E Manager
SUNDT
Start by getting your education, getting your bachelor’s degree in either construction or something similar, and then going out and finding a job in it.
There are so many different types of jobs and positions within the construction industry where no matter what your skill set is, your background, how you carry yourself, what your interests are – no matter who are what you are and what you do – there’s a home for you in our industry.
There are so many cool options from working on computers, IT, flying a drone, building something with your hands, or even being a safety manager like me.
Samantha Springer – Quality Control Manager
Hensel Phelps
(At Hensel Phelps) We’re all people that started either as interns, field engineers, or things like that.
Take your strengths and use them to your advantage, because there’s a lot of opportunity out there. With anything, as long as you have the desire to be there, the willingness to learn and the passion to work alongside anybody, you can do anything.
Alexandria Monnin – Virtual Construction Project Manager
NOX Innovations
Be open to it. I think a lot of times we think of construction as people interested in building things. It is, and that’s a very important part of it, but so much more goes into it. If you’re someone who has an interest in accounting, we need accountants in construction. We need people to estimate jobs. If you like to look at drawings and put elements in, there’s a job for that. There’s such a variety – I think there’s a big misconception around construction – that you have to be physical. But there are a lot of different opportunities.
You can be an expert in like virtual construction or electrical construction, but those experts are still always learning. I would say just having a really good attitude about always learning, and being someone who is adaptable is a good skill to have.
As we’ve heard from just a few of these women, construction really is for everyone. It doesn’t require experience to get started (although college experience can open other doors within the industry), and it doesn’t require you to know exactly what path you want to take – you have time to figure it out! If you’re considering a career in construction, we highly recommend you give it a try. After all, the worst thing that could happen is that you don’t like it – but the best scenario is that you find a lifelong career.
The Greater Phoenix Chamber Foundation‘s Construction Workforce Initiative, Build Your Future Arizona’s mission is to create a sustainable and skilled craft workforce by creating awareness about high-paying construction careers, training opportunities and mapping career paths to employment in these high-demand occupations.
