For National Women in Construction (WIC) week, this week, we are excited to feature some of the amazing Weifield women working in both the office and the field who help to keep our company running smoothly!
First up is a short write-up on what working in the construction industry means to her, from:
AVA STONE, SPECIAL PROJECTS DIVISION PM/ESTIMATOR!
I come from a background in engineering; I spent four years in the corporate world in Highlands Ranch, Colorado — regularly traveling to the West Coast for projects. It was pretty devastating to me when I first realized that I did not like being an engineer, since I thought for so long that would be my definite career path. I left it behind in my mid-twenties with no idea what I wanted to do or where I would end up. I then began looking for a part-time position while I cleared my head and was hired at Weifield in 2012 to be an assistant in the Special Projects/Service Division. From there, I moved into a full-time role as a project coordinator.
Currently, I am a PM in our Special Projects department. What I enjoy most about my role is being a support system to our field supervisors to set them up for success on projects. I also enjoy mentoring and training others in the company. I was lucky to work under Cameo Williams (Service Project Coordinator) for my first year as she took the time to teach me the inner workings of the company and helped me build a solid foundation in doing things the ‘Weifield Way.’ Starting out with that mentorship was advantageous to my success at Weifield. I like to fulfill that role for others and help them be successful here, too.
What I enjoy most about the construction industry is the innovative approach to everything. There is not an area of construction that someone is not looking at and thinking how can we make this better, how can we make this more efficient. My brain naturally processes like that – I am always looking for ways to improve and streamline. This makes the construction industry a great fit for me.
I like being a woman in the construction industry, particularly in the time we are in now, where I see us breaking out of only the traditional roles and really stepping up in a male-dominated industry to show that we can do anything. It feels difficult at times because there are people who are resistant to the change — but overall, I think it’s exciting and very meaningful to be a part of.
What I enjoy most about Weifield is the culture of having fun together and the people I work with. I have worked at companies where it was totally unacceptable to laugh out loud in the office! Our industry is tough and our roles are demanding. Being able to incorporate a little play into the work day makes us all better at we do and makes Weifield an awesome place to work.
