NAWIC

Building bridges for women in construction

 

By Sara Kopamees

Eye-opening things happen when you get 500 women in a room at the same time. For one, they talk. At this year’s NAWIC annual conference, not only did hundreds of women talk – but they shared stories, strategies and plans about an industry through which they share a common ground – construction.

Construction is not traditionally a women’s industry but from what ABJ heard from this group of women, things have changed. As the industry moves forward, women are finding more opportunities in a predominantly male sector.

On that note - what an opportunity for us: to listen to a purely female perspective on the construction industry and all its crucial parts. Networking is easy when you’re talking with people that have shared the struggles and the upside of a sector with a huge breadth of variance. The construction industry provides all sorts of jobs, in trucking to logistics, new home construction to civil engineering.

ABJ was fortunate to get a chance to sit down with the entire NAWIC executive committee including  president Pat J. McDonald, CCA, CIT; president-elect Robin Fulton Meyer, CIT; vice-president Debra M. Gregoire, CIT; secretary Judy DeWeese, CIT; treasurer Cindy Johnsen, CDS, CIT and executive vice president Dede Hughes, IOM.

The ladies spoke to ABJ about the conference, the delegates, their own experiences, and most importantly, the future for women in the construction business.

Sara Kopamees: What is something you’re proud of that’s come out of this year’s conference?

Robin F. Meyer: Due the economy and because so many members have lost their jobs, I’ve found the enthusiasm and spirit of the women here really surprising. They have continued to grow still – and it’s awesome to watch them. All of the seminars that have been organized this time have been well-attended and beneficial. So, the fact that they are here despite of the economy is great.

SK: What else has impressed you?

Cindy Johnsen: The passion that everybody has for enhancing the success of women in construction. People are so committed to it; they have come here and are ready to go back out with renewed enthusiasm.

Debra M. Gregoire: I’m going to touch on programs. I’ve talked to many members that have said they took [our programs] to their bosses and said ‘look what NAWIC is offering, it’s all included in the registration’ – and they paid for registration without any complaints because they knew they could get more education than just OSHA 10. A lot of people are happy with the CEUs that we offered this year.

Judy DeWeese: We have never offered such a benefit included in the registration cost. I don’t know how many hundreds of dollars that is to take that course [OSHA 10] separately, but also Construction Project Management, those are fabulous things you can use on the job every day. It’s a big benefit.

Pat J. McDonald: The gentleman who is presenting the Project Management course was very surprised we were not charging extra, and that the event sold out. We started out with 50 [registrants] and raised it to 75 and still had a waiting list and so that’s 20 percent of the women [at the conference] who are in that class. And that really sets the direction for our future conventions. This is where we have the ability to offer those powerful classes.

SK: What are some different benefits, other than the ones you already mentioned, that weren’t offered before?

PM: Well, for one thing, we have had to offer a bigger bang for the buck in this economy, and we have.

RM: Definitely the educational benefits. We’ve got all-day Saturday association workshops but what we keep stressing to members is that leadership classes help them both personally and professionally. So some of these ladies are going to classes that may not be geared to their field right now but it gives them the confidence that they can work in that field. This is something NAWIC excels at.

SK: You are talking a lot about cross-over of the values taught at NAWIC from professional to personal life. That has to be a huge plus for newcomers, as well as the opportunity for them to have their voices heard, even if they’ve never been to a conference before. 

RM: Last night we had board training from 4-7p.m. - not an ideal time - but we had a full workshop and we had several first timers there who got to do mock board meetings. I had a few first-timers come up to me afterwards and say, ‘I didn’t know I could participate in my chapter’s meetings because I’m new’, but this gave them encouragement to go back to their chapter and engage in the meetings.

On of the young ladies here has only been a member for one month.

SK: What else is good for newcomers to take back home with them?

PM: The personal knowledge that you get when you go back to your employer. Just knowing new things about the industry gives you self confidence and that is a huge boost for young women, [chuckling] although they come to us pretty darn self confident already. We are amazing by them. They are several steps ahead of where we were at that age. Things have changed, for sure.

SK: I’ve heard the word passion used a lot in the last two days. Where does this passion come from? Does it come from knowing that this conference is all women? Does that perpetuate a sense of safety?

JD: That is a very unique thing NAWIC offers - the all women aspect. There is so much passion. And yes, maybe we have had to work a little bit harder than men to get where we are, so we’re celebrating that – we are celebrating success.

RM: We are passionate about our jobs because the fact is that you have to be passionate about what you do. Life is too short to be miserable. The women I’ve met at this conference certainly are – from the women out in the field, to the receptionist back home at head office. They like what they do and feel like they have something to offer. And it is not only because we are women, but also because we work in a unique industry.

DG: I remember my first convention, being a first-timer. Someone came up to me and saying ‘Hi Deb, let’s go to this class, let’s hear this talk’. That experience that you have makes you want to bring others along with you. You want somebody else to feel just as important as you are, mentor them, and network with them. When you travel across the country you meet so many wonderful ladies. You have that connection with them. As you continue to go to those forums, conventions, and annual planning conferences you make those connections and help mentor other women.

PM: We have passion for this industry. For instance, I got a new job just recently with Cindy’s company in my area. I’m the night truck boss. Not too long ago I was driving up to the asphalt plant and I smelled the asphalt and thought ‘we haven’t had a night job like this in a while’ – that’s just the best. You’re looking down the street and remember when you were paving this road, that road, and you do have ownership of every job that you’ve ever done – that stays with you.

SK: What are your messages to non-members? To women in construction in general?

RM: The fact that NAWIC is an all-female organization gives you the comfort level to come in and be yourself to start with. It also allows you to grow in ways you have no way to fathom. NAWIC can do that for you.

CJ: If you’re a woman in construction, why are you not a member of this safe network of women who are there to help you succeed? We want you to promote yourself and to be successful in construction.

JD: Members in NAWIC have a lot in common. You don’t walk into a room as a stranger. You walk in with 30, 50, 1000 women that are just like you. They’ve been there, and they’ll help you get there too. It’s an area to mentor, a safe environment to learn, and it’s a safe place to make mistakes. And we are all going to help each other along.

PM: One thing that is very special about NAWIC is that we want everyone to succeed, because we know that with each individual success, we all succeed. But if we allow women to fail, we all fail. And the power of women is we can help each other. The power of NAWIC is we must.

DG: NAWIC gives you an opportunity to continue your education during monthly meetings which focus on the various areas of the construction industry. It also gives you an opportunity to network and to stand in front of a room, if you’ve never stood in front of a room of people before. It also allows you to talk to the people around in your chapter as well as on a regional level. NAWIC is that safe haven to continue to enhance your personal successes which, in return, helps you more on a professional level.

Dede Hughes: I am not in the construction industry, I run the association. However, over the years I have noticed that although we are a business association, there are friendships that have grown among the members. I don’t care where you are located. You might be in California, and your best friend might be in Florida. Through the association, when they need something, all the members come together, whether they know you or not. I’ve watched it. When other members have lost jobs, they are right there to help them, pull them up, and help them find a job. They’ve lost family members, and other members rally around. And I think that is just as important by-product as the rest of what we do. I watch it every day.

JD: This is Judy, and I want to share a story with you. Right after 9/11, one of our members was in New York when 9/11 happened – but she lived in Southern California and needed to get home. She and her husband finally managed to rent a car and they drove across country to go home. She happened to have a NAWIC directory in the car, and as she drove city to city she would look up who she knew in that directory. It gave her a safe feeling that she wasn’t all alone in the middle of the country. That NAWIC connection took her all the way across county and got her home safe.

SK: So it’s clear to me this association has a lot more going on than just a business network. You all seem to be really tight group.

All: Yes.

SK: Anything else you’d like to address, to share with the construction industry, and particularly women, about NAWIC?

JD: I would like to concentrate on showing construction as an attractive career to young women, and young men. The way I see it, the way to get there is to convince the teachers and parents that it is an attractive, lucrative career. I would like to see the industry work in that direction. In Texas, we don’t have many craftsmen anymore because they are all retiring and they want their children to go to college. Well, you need college in some areas of construction, but you can do a lot without a degree. There are just so many phases in the construction industry with great career choices: architects, machinists, project managers, superintendents, estimators, engineers. It’s a huge industry! It is lucrative. But of course, that’s not to say it’s not hard.

CJ: Unfortunately, you see, there is this thought process that every child is going to go to college. Vocational programs exist for children who go straight to work. I had a brother who was just good with his hands. He could fix anything, make anything, and do anything. Those people in construction are the cornerstone of getting things done. We need more people like that.

DG: Look how powerful our industry is. When the market is down, the construction industry is down, the work force goes down, and the economy goes down. But as the economy rebounds, this is the perfect time to build that sharper your skills or learn new ones.

SK: I completely agree. Everyone here is an example of how powerful the industry is when it works together. Thank you for your time ladies.

 

NAWIC HIGHLIGHTS

Since its founding, the National Association of Women in Construction (NAWIC), an international non-profit organization, has grown to a membership of 5,500 women with more than 160 chapters. In more than 50 years of service to its members, NAWIC has advanced the causes of all women in construction whose careers range from business ownership to the skilled trades. With more than 900,000 women working in construction today, the industry is becoming more accepting of their non-traditional roles.

Founding

NAWIC began as Women in Construction of Fort Worth, founded on September 11, 1953 by Doris Efird and 15 other women who were looking for a support system. These women were all actively employed in the construction industry and had been doing business with each other for years when they decided to finally meet face to face. This progressive group of women had the foresight to create an atmosphere where they could network and support each other professionally as well as personally. This support system gave them the confidence to reach for and achieve their goals. When describing this group of women, Alice Ashley said, “We were women with electricity in our veins, cement dust on our shoes, sawdust on our minds … busy, busy, busy, filthy things.” In the first year of its existence, Women in Construction raised more than $2,700 to donate to the Foundation for Visually Handicapped Children. They wanted to branch out beyond Fort Worth in search of other women to join the organization, but they discovered the charter was not adequate and did not have the powers to organize other chapters. Women in Construction of Fort Worth amended their charter to incorporate other chapters in Texas and throughout the nation. In doing so, on May 17, 1955, they became The National Association of Women in Construction.

International Affiliates

NAWIC - Australia.

Canadian Association of Women in Construction (CAWIC)

NAWIC - New Zealand

South African Women in Construction (SAWiC)

NAWIC - United Kingdom

 

NAWIC Education Foundation (NEF)

For more than 30 years, NEF has offered creative and educational programs for students from grade school to high school and adult certification programs. The Foundation’s award-winning Block-Kids program, Building Design Program and the CAD/Design/Drafting Scholarship Awards competitions introduce students to careers and opportunities in construction.

NEF’s adult certification programs include: Certified Construction Associate (CCA), Construction Document Specialist (CDS), Construction Industry Technician (CIT) and Certified Construction Bookkeeper (CCB), which are administered through Clemson University.

NAWIC Founders’ Scholarship Foundation (NFSF)

In honor of the founding members, The NAWIC Founders Scholarship Foundation was created in 1961 to award scholarships to students pursuing construction-related studies. Since its founding, more than $4 million in scholarships have been awarded to students pursuing construction-related studies.

Women in Construction Week (WIC Week) 

WIC Week is held the first full week of March each year and provides opportunities to celebrate women in construction and to increase awareness of their accomplishments and vision for the construction industry. WIC Week 2010 is scheduled for March 7-13, 2010.

The NAWIC Board – Who are they?

Pat J. McDonald, CCA, CIT:  I own a trucking company and have been in NAWIC since 1991. I started on the board in 2000 and have continued being active.

Debra M. Gregoire, CIT: I have been with NAWIC since 1999. I work for a mechanical contractor.

Robin Fulton Meyer, CIT: I became involved in 1991. I own my own company. I do construction defect litigation. I travel throughout, the country and NAWIC enables me to do my job easier. If I need people to do destructive testing, or labs or sub-contractors to repair after we’ve done destructive testing, I use NAWIC members as resources.

Dede Hughes, IOM: I’m the Executive Vice President of NAWIC. I've been with the organization since January 1996. I’m the chief of staff at the office.

Judy DeWeese, CIT: I work for a high-end custom home builder. I have been with NAWIC since 1978. You might say I’m the elder statesman of the group.

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