Production Positives Although they may lack hands-on building experience and detailed knowledge of construction, women can draw on other strengths, such as their organizational skills, to participate in the production process. “Women are good at juggling [tasks] —they make fabulous production managers,” says Ruth Ewing, production manager at Byggmeister Associates. In Ewing’s experience, males moving from field to production have a low success rate. “They just want to deal with what is right in front of them,” she says. “They can’t handle having many items up in the air.” But women “can see the big picture and are organized,” she adds. “They comprehend the actual business of it and the flow of the work.”
Schloegel had a female production manager for three years, before she left his company to move overseas. “She brought a level of organization we had never had,” he says. And her strong personality helped her plow through any resistance she faced from the crew. “We lost lead carpenters,” he acknowledges, but adds, “I was OK with that because we were going in the direction I wanted to go. Now 90% of our projects end on the scheduled date.”
Elizabeth Youhn, executive director of the California arm of Tradeswomen Inc., a coalition for women in the trades, says that company owners tell her that women are more safety conscious than men. “Women don’t bring a tough-guy approach, [whereas] some male crew members will not say something because they don’t want to look weak,” she says.
Similarly, production manager Nancy Madynski with Winans Construction in Oakland, Calif., says that she openly admits when she does not know the answer to a client’s question. “I’m OK with being wrong or not knowing, and that puts people at ease,” she says.
In addition to a knack for organization, women’s communication skills and empathy serve them well in the field. “Some people want to be communicated with constantly. Other clients do not want to be bothered. Being able to cater to individual personalities is a female skill,” Madynski believes. And she brings those skills to her relationships with subcontractors. “I listen to them,” she says. “They are OK with not getting what they want as long as they feel like they’re being heard.”
Ewing believes that clients like having women working on remodeling teams in their homes because it feels more civilized. “They know you’re going to respect their home and their space,” she says. Also, women in remodeling tend to have a higher education level than their male counterparts. “That is very valued by the clients,” she notes. “They treat you more as an equal rather than a worker bee.” But occasionally, she adds, that sense of equality results in clients sharing a bit too much personal information. “Sometimes they ask you about things they would ask a friend.”
In contrast, Paul Eldrenkamp does not think that female carpenters in the field bring anything different to their work. “A good carpenter is a good carpenter,” says the owner of Byggmeister. “From a skills point of view, I don’t see a difference.” However, he does acknowledge that clients may have a different perception. “From a client comfort point of view, they may bring something to the table that a crew of men does not,” he says.
Creating Comfort As with all employees, the key to recruiting and retaining is creating an encouraging work atmosphere. This is especially true for women, and even more so for women in the field. Madynski says she has found a supportive network at Winans Construction. “Everyone talks about teamwork, but this company really works on that. At previous companies, I felt I was by myself in the middle of a war zone,” she says.
Moran echoes those sentiments regarding her employer, McCutcheon Construction. She was hired as an apprentice carpenter by a female project manager at the company. “She was really positive about having other women in our company,” Moran says. Owner Michael McCutcheon has also assembled a diverse team where all employees feel comfortable. Eldrenkamp says that once you hire one woman, other women feel more secure about coming to work at your company.
Lead carpenter Jeanette Wagner actively recruits female carpenters for Neil Kelly Designer/Remodelers “It’s nice to have other women on staff. You lean on each other,” she says. Lakshmi Jackman of Transformations Remodeling in Austin, Texas, says that being a female owner immediately sends the signal that her company welcomes all groups. In addition, she makes it clear to new hires that being equitable is very important to her. “I don’t want to hire anyone who is racist or sexist,” she says. “I want fun and intelligent people who care. When I hire people like that, it makes us all look good.”
Youhn says that the goal of being inclusive is not satisfied simply by having women onboard, pointing out that “you have to support them while they are there.” Trades-women Inc.’s survey of 400 women in the trades in California found that they did not receive as much on-the-job training as their male counterparts. “It’s a downward cycle. If [women] don’t get trained during an apprenticeship, they will have trouble holding the job when they are journeymen,” she says.
Jake Schloegel initially hired sales manager Allmon as an office manager, and slowly eased her into sales. “She was my sales assistant at first, making calls with me,” he says. “She would do a lot of the work putting together design ideas, coordinating with the architect, and working with clients.” He also encouraged her to participate in the local NARI (National Association of the Remodeling Industry) chapter where she serves on the board. “When a woman is in a leadership role in an organization, it makes other women step forward,” Allmon says.
According to Eldrenkamp, it will take businesses with more sophisticated career paths and training roots to attract women. He has the luxury of hiring for both attitude and aptitude. “For every person that has spark and experience, there are 10 to 30 who don’t have experience,” he says. “I get to hire people who will be really good lead carpenters in five years. Other businesses need to hire someone who is good now. That will exclude a lot of women and minorities.” He comments that remodeling companies are a better fit for non-traditional workers than is corporate America because “they can earn a lot of autonomy and take on energizing responsibilities very quickly.”