LCS is celebrating Women in Construction (WIC) Week and learning more about our team’s women.
To understand how we could be more supportive as a company, we decided to ask five women on our team how they got started in the construction industry, what advice they would give to a woman just beginning in the industry, and their favorite part of the job.
Although we celebrate the women in our industry year-round, we’re taking a moment during WIC Week to highlight five amazing women at LCS and learn about their journey.
CASSIE FAIR
ESTIMATOR
YEARS IN CONSTRUCTION: 32
What led you to work in construction?
At 18 years old, I applied at a temp agency to be a receptionist for a public works contractor – and the rest is history. Within the first year, they brought in a female chief estimator who saw my potential and moved me up to bid coordinator. From there, I began working my way up. I went to work for an architectural firm in construction administration.
When the architectural firm closed, I began working for a general contractor as an assistant project manager. I learned to read plans and advanced my knowledge of the construction industry with on-the-job training, beginning with small jobs and then directly working with the Vice President on all the larger projects. Then in 2013, I came to LCS as an Estimator.
What advice would you give to women entering the construction industry?
Don’t be afraid, and don’t be intimidated to work in the construction industry as a female. You’ve got to work hard. As a woman, I had to put in more effort to be taken seriously and show that I was serious about my career path. There’s a lot of potential, and there’s even more opportunity for women now than there was then.
What is your favorite part about working in construction?
Working in construction is rewarding. There’s always learning opportunities and you can set your own limits if you’re willing to put in the hard work and effort to progress in the industry. Don’t limit yourself. It was a woman who got me passionate about construction and got me to see that it could be a great career path for me. From time to time, it gets frustrating and challenging. I’m not saying it’s easy, but it’s definitely rewarding. There’s always room to grow and learn.
DEMI NGUYEN
ACCOUNTING SUPERVISOR
YEARS IN CONSTRUCTION: 23
What led you to work in construction?
I first started in an accounting department for a marketing company. I was involved with paperwork, and it was boring. I had a female friend that started doing accounting with a construction company, and she asked me if I wanted to change industries and work in construction. She opened that door for me and introduced me to construction.
What advice would you give to women entering the construction industry?
When you are a woman working in a male-dominated industry, the key is to communicate well. Be very informative and give a lot of information and always make sure to follow up. You also need to make sure that you use teamwork and that you have your team supporting you. For me, communication and teamwork are so important because you’re not going to be able to do the job without them. I also think your working relationships are so important. Develop a good working relationship with your team.
What is your favorite part about working in construction?
Every day you get to interact with subcontractors and project managers, and even your team. You also get to be more involved with the job; you’re not just paying bills. You have more interaction with the project; you can see the project from start to end and seeing that the job goes smoothly and that we did a good job. It’s the feeling of accomplishment like I helped contribute to that success.
JANET MEYERS
PROJECT MANAGER
YEARS IN CONSTRUCTION: 15
What led you to work in construction?
At 17 I joined the military with the shirt on my back. Scored a 93% on my entrance exam. I had the option of being in military intelligence, a cook, or a truck mechanic, so I chose to be a truck mechanic because I love doing brakes and things like that. I was good with my hands, and I had a photographic memory. I became well versed at reading block diagrams, it’s like learning a completely different language.
After that, I went and interviewed for the General Motors Service Entrance Program. I was one out of out of 235 applicants and only 35 of us got in. I was the only female in school passed with straight A’s. A few years later, I got into real estate, and I learned contracts. While I was doing home loans at 26 years old, my high school buddy called me and said I would be perfect for electrical contracting. I decided to give it a try and went to a local Electrical Contractor and worked my way up from intern to Project Engineer then to Assistant Project Manager. As a result I was able to learn vast electrical systems; start up; commission heavy MEP commercial and industrial electrical. Trained (7) electrical interns. One of which just married his high school sweetheart and last year made ENR magazine for 30 under 30; and continues to shine achieving NECA Electrical Excellence award as an Electrical PM. Now I’m a project manager at LCS and lead a team of 9 electricians in the field, a senior electrical estimator, and an electrical administrative assistant (who is turning into a fine Project Engineer).
What advice would you give to women entering the construction industry?
My biggest message is to be passionate about what you do. Everybody has a chance to shine. It’s also important to remember not to let your ego get in the way, and NEVER LET ‘EM SEE YOU SWEAT. Just because I lead the division doesn’t mean I can’t take off my hat and go figure out problems in the field. Keep the field moving, keep them safe, keep everybody happy, keep everybody healthy, including yourself, and you’ll shine. It doesn’t matter if you’re a man or a woman; everybody needs to adopt that attitude.
What is your favorite part about working in construction?
At LCS, I’m very proud to be mentoring the people on my team and I’m very proud to have been mentored in the field. I love what I do. I’m very passionate about electrical, and I love wires and pliers. It’s rewarding. It’s difficult. I would love to see more women wearing a tool belt. I wish that more people loved electrical because it is such a rewarding career. When those lights go on, and you know that you were the person driving it, it’s a “powerful” feeling.
LIZ TORRES
PROJECT ADMINISTRATOR
YEARS IN CONSTRUCTION: 3
What led you to work in construction?
I met an LCS employee during my work shift at my high school job. He let me know that there was an opportunity to work with LCS as a receptionist. After my interview, I started as a receptionist and was consistently given more opportunities to learn through admin work with the fume hoods and service work. I trained to do project coordinator work so that I could help out other departments.
Eventually, that’s how I got into the electrical department, where I am mentored and trained by Janet to become a project engineer.
What advice would you give to women entering the construction industry?
Construction is not only a man’s field. A woman can do just as good as the guys can in the field. My generation is lucky because there are more women in construction than there ever have been. I would like to see more women in the field; I think that would be very cool.
What is your favorite part about working in construction?
I would say, seeing the job out from beginning to end. I never found the whole building process interesting until I started getting more in the weeds of electrical. Now I’ll go out, and I start looking inside buildings and up at the ceiling because when you work in construction, you start to realize there’s a lot of parts that come together. But I think my favorite part would be seeing the construction process work out; buildings begin with nothing and slowly become something amazing.
BECKY SMITH
PROJECT COORDINATOR
YEARS IN CONSTRUCTION: 17
What led you to work in construction?
My dad was my inspiration. He has been in construction since he was 16 years old. While I was growing up, my dad added a second story to our house. At 15 years old, my first job was with my dad, helping him set plans aside, which taught me where to properly put them. Then I became a receptionist at a construction company. A few years later I found LCS, where I started as a receptionist for about two years and then promoted to the project coordinator position.
Between the influence of my dad and LCS, these are the two main parts of my life that have kept me in construction.
What advice would you give to women entering the construction industry?
Push yourself to learn. You can move up in the industry, learning hands-on. I would also say stick with what you want to do. Don’t push yourself to do things because others suggest, “Hey, you would be good at doing this.” Stick with what you know and what you love to do. That’s something that will help you thrive and continue what you want to do. I pride myself on sticking with what I know I want to do in life. Be true to yourself.
What is your favorite part about working in construction?
I love learning that there is a diversity when it comes to all the different aspects of construction. With LCS, we’re so unique. That’s what I love so much about working with LCS is because we’re so different from any other construction company.
“My experience has shown that the “Women of LCS” consistently set high-performance standards, and actively seek out ways to improve our processes and overall performance. We’re proud to recognize the women at LCS who contribute to our success on a daily basis.”
THE DOOR IS OPEN TO WOMEN IN CONSTRUCTION
We learned that most of the women on our team did not intentionally land in the construction industry during these conversations. It was by chance. They usually either applied for a job or someone shared an opportunity.
Women need to know the door is open. The construction industry needs women to become craft professionals, mentors, leaders, and advocates for future young women. The opportunities are there for success.
