WEBINARS FROM WOMEN IN CONSTRUCTION WEEK
WOMEN-OWNED CONSTRUCTION FIRMS : A PANEL DISCUSSION
What are some of the biggest challenges faced by women in construction today and how do they overcome these obstacles ? This was the question posed to a panel of professional women by Construction & Public Works Specialist Ed Duarte , who facilitated this webinar for Norcal APEX Accelerator ’ s ( formerly Norcal PTAC ’ s ) 2023 Women in Construction Week series . The panelists , all women who own construction firms and run their own businesses , shared their experiences and challenges , and provided insight and encouragement to others in the field .
Carrie A . Schmidt Poyner , president of BC Schmidt Construction , Inc . shared that when she started her construction company 25 years ago , she knew no other women running construction companies and had to deal with the biased and incorrect assumption that her husband was the one actually running the company , while she just helped out in the background . She noted however , that “ when you can build up your capability to be the expert in your field [… and are ] as informed as possible [… then ] when you go into those negotiations , your reputation will then come before you and they will look at you more as a peer and opposed to someone that they don ’ t even listen to […].”
President of Priority Architectural Graphics , Inc . Juliana Sommer said that many construction industry clients see women as a “ dark horse ” – referring to a longshot in a horse race ; unsure whether they can safely “ bet ” on a woman , they may ignorantly dismiss her instead of giving her a fair chance . However , Sommer said that instead of being discouraged , this can provide “ time to study , to practice , to hone your craft , to prepare , to plan . Because , ultimately , construction is all about planning – it ’ s the most deadline-driven environment and industry you can be in and ultimately , women are inherently better planners than men . Women are very good planners because you ’ ve got to get your kid ’ s lunch packed , you ’ ve got to get them to school [ and take care of all of that stuff …]. At the end of the day , on construction projects , the best planners are those who are rewarded , so if you start out as a ‘ dark horse ’ but you ’ re a good planner , you will prevail in the end .”
Shaune Gbana , president of All Bay Area Glass , Inc ., said that once customers understand your capabilities , it makes a big difference in getting repeat work , and she agreed that women are innately more skilled at multi-tasking . “ We are so good at multi-tasking [ and …] that just makes us so valuable . That definitely carries my company . I think that we work so well under pressure . [ We are the ones who know how to ] make the lunches , take the temperatures and still at the same time say , hold on , let me grab this call .’” Gbana noted that while her company title is “ President ,” this really means juggling being a mother with doing project management , fixing the copier when it breaks , and unclogging the toilet when needed .
Because women have historically handled so many different responsibilities all at once , the panelists all agreed that this gives them an edge in any career requiring multitasking , particularly in the demanding field of construction .
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