The Morning Huddle gets a jump start on Women in Construction Week with this episode featuring three successful women working in construction. Each of our guests has their own unique story to share. Through their stories, we’ll explore what can be done to draw more women to the industry and inspire women in construction everywhere to follow their passion.

We also hope to hear inspirational stories from our live audience during the show!

Transcript:

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00:12
Speaker 1
All right, it's morning huddle time. Good morning. I'm not saying it works. I wish you nodding. Godspeed with all of that. I think that's really nice. I'm not sure what kind of success you're going to have with that today because the world, my friend, has changed. Right? A lot of American construction workers, they have completely different.

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00:33
Speaker 2
These awards have a huge, like, criteria that you have to fill out and they usually have a community service or community relations portion, you know, the most.

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00:44
Speaker 3
Productive with a high performance value. And, you know, sometimes it's 11 o' clock at night.

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00:52
Speaker 1
Funny, isn't? Yeah, not for me.

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00:55
Speaker 3
Not for me.

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00:55
Speaker 1
At 11 o', clock, I am guaranteed to be snoring. So foreign. It is morning huddle time. I'm Chad Prinky here as always with co host and producer Stacy Holzinger. Stacy, how are you today?

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01:14
Speaker 2
I'm doing great. I'm very excited for this episode. I got my new red toe boots that I posted yesterday about and looking forward to learning more about space to feel, build and, you know, Morgan's company with her woman work gear. So it'll be a fun episode.

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01:32
Speaker 1
It sure will. I'm excited as well to get into this. I'm gonna work really hard today to be a listener. We have three guests. We've got Catherine Hart, we've got Emily Sulaby, and we've got Morgan Dawson. The three ladies joining us today are Women in construction. We're getting a jump on Women in Construction Week, which is next week. We're first to market. We're first to market on that. But no. So I'm really excited to hear some awesome stories about these women and you know, I, I think put the audience in a position where, you know, they might be inspired, they might be, they might find interesting connections and ways to work with and support the people who we have on the show. So I'm psyched as always, Stacy. You put together a really cool list of guests.

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02:29
Speaker 1
So with that, why don't we go around the horn a little bit and just have each person introduce yourself just who you are and what you do. And I'm gonna want to get into your stories, but let's just orient ourselves, briefly with like a, a, whatever 10 second intro and then we'll go deeper. Why don't we start with Catherine Katherine Hart.

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02:48
Speaker 3
Hi. So my name is Kathryn Hart, Tennis. I recently got married. I am the owner and podcast host over at Space2Build and I also work in business development for D2 LLC out of Rockville, Maryland.

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03:01
Speaker 1
Awesome lot going on. Look at you. You're similarly all over the damn place. Like Stacy and I. I love it.

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03:09
Speaker 2
Good.

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03:10
Speaker 1
And a fellow podcaster. I want to talk more about that. That's great. All right, Emily, why don't you introduce yourself?

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03:15
Speaker 4
Yep. I'm Emily Salaby, founder of Juno Jones. We make stylish safety boots that are made especially for women's feet. I'm also the host of the Hazard Girls podcast, which is a podcast all about women in the construction industry and other industries that are male populated.

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03:32
Speaker 1
I love it. Awesome. All right, cool. I know Stacy talks about your podcast. I feel like I've got a, you know, get invited to join a ladies podcast, maybe. I will definitely check that out, but Stacy has mentioned. All right, and then we have Morgan.

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03:53
Speaker 5
Hi, everyone. My name is Morgan Dawson. I am the founder of Dawson Workwear, and during the day, I am a development associate for Orchestra Partners. So.

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04:01
Speaker 1
Awesome.

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04:03
Speaker 5
No podcast yet, though.

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04:05
Speaker 1
Well, you know, not everybody has to have a podcast, but. But I will tell you, they are extremely stressful if you're interested.

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04:14
Speaker 5
I might have to leave that to you all.

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04:16
Speaker 1
Yeah, thanks. Yeah. All right, well, good. So. So I'd like to, you know, hear your stories. And I think the, the thing that we're interested in this episode and kind of building on is our understanding of the experience of women in construction. How you got involved, how you found your current niche, the space that you like to operate, and what you're doing today, you know, in some more detail. We certainly got the highlights, but I think it would be good for our audience to understand how you got where you are and exactly where you are today. So let's go in reverse order. We started with. We'll start with Morgan.

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05:00
Speaker 5
I got into the construction industry in college. Actually, I went in undecided, and I really didn't know what I wanted to major in. And I met a friend who introduced me to a professor at Kent State University in Ohio. And then I joined the construction management program and it's kind of history. From there, I got an internship with Hensel Phelps, a general contractor in the D.C. area. And as I'm getting into, the construction industry is kind of where Dawson Workwear was slowly born. Along the way, I didn't know what to wear to the job site, so I went just wearing jeans and, you know, whatever boots I could find. And then I got a full time job offer at the end of my internship, which was amazing.

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05:41
Speaker 5
So I went Back to Ohio, finished school, came back to D.C. and the whole thing kind of started again. What do I wear? I tried a couple different options, including little boys pants. And when those still didn't fit, I was like, okay, I'm going to take things into my own hands. And Dawson Workwear was born. So I couldn't really manage the, you know, 12, 13 hour work days and Dawson Workwear. So I started to look around for a new job, which brought me to Birmingham, Alabama. I worked for Orchestra Partners and I'm on site kind of managing the construction, managing the contractors, making sure everything's going smoothly. And then in my spare time, I'm running Dawson Workwear.

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06:22
Speaker 1
Oh my gosh, that's awesome. What a hustle. I love it. And so, and so why construction management? That professor was just something clicked or you know, what happened that made you go from undecided to decided?

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06:36
Speaker 5
I had a little bit of background in construction. My dad's a mason, so I kind of grew up on the job site with him. And then talking to my professor, I knew I didn't want to do something that I'm sitting at a desk every day, same thing over and over. So when he was talking about the problem solving and what goes on at Construction site, I was sold right then and there. And I joined like the next week.

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07:00
Speaker 3
Nice.

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07:01
Speaker 1
That is awesome. So having the story there is having personal experience of being in the field and specifically having this realization that like, I can't find pants, which is something I can't even wrap my head around. But I get, I can only imagine. Yeah. As I think about it, right, there's not a lot of work wear that's particularly, you know, that I think is intended for women. So, so you find that and you become passionate about it. And so you're. How, how long has Dawson Workwear been around?

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07:41
Speaker 5
So it, the idea was born, I believe in May 2021, and then in December I kind of had started production and all of that. And I just launched this July. So I've only been, you know, functional for eight months now or so. And it's been amazing. I love what I'm doing and I can't wait to take it even further and do more than just one pair of pants.

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08:05
Speaker 1
I love it. I love it. That's so cool. All right, good. And one last little question about your day job. Is this, is this a construction management company that you're working for or a third party?

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08:20
Speaker 5
It's a development company. So I Kind of stepped back from the field so much. Like when I was working for Hansel Phelps, I was in the field every day managing the trades directly and then managing our self perform work as well, which I loved so much and I do miss it. But with orchestra partners, I'm kind of more of the ownership role instead of the contractor.

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08:40
Speaker 1
Got it. So you're out there as a representative representing the owner's interests on staff, saying, you know, this looks good, what about this?

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08:50
Speaker 5
That, inspections and stuff like that, reporting progress, all that good stuff.

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08:55
Speaker 1
Awesome. Very good. All right, cool. That's a really interesting background and I totally understand how you got to where you are. It's so exciting to have such a brand new business and I can only imagine the pride and fear that you're experiencing every day at the same time.

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09:12
Speaker 5
Yep.

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09:14
Speaker 1
Well, that's great. So let's hear from Emily. Emily, what's your story? How did you get to where you are?

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09:20
Speaker 4
Yes, very similar to Morgan's story where I needed something that didn't exist on the market. But my background is actually in law. I was a domestic violence victim advocate. I was a lawyer. And so I did that for a while and then ended up switching careers. My husband and I took over a family business in the truck driving industry where we do truck driver and heavy equipment training. So that's triple a school of trucking. But we built that company and shoot from a mom and pop into a larger business with national reach. And so I'd be running from the office to the job site and meeting with clients, traveling, doing all of these different things, being around heavy equipment. And the only boots that I could find that would actually protect my feet were these ugly, clunky, you know what boots that you've seen.

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10:16
Speaker 4
And the problem was twofold. It was they weren't fitting me right, they were too loose and I just didn't feel safe. But also they just didn't look good with what I was wearing. And I, yes, I like fashion and I like to present myself in a certain professional way. And so it just wasn't cutting it. I began to speak to women in trucking, in the Women in Trucking organization and then other industries and people were like, yes, this is a problem. We can never find enough different. Enough different options. So the excitement was there. I have a background in shoemaking and just in shoe loving in general. I've studied shoemaking over the years as a hobby. So everything came together and we decided to launch Juno Jones.

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11:02
Speaker 1
That is amazing. And how long has Juno Jones been around.

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11:05
Speaker 4
Okay, so we launched February 11, 2020 on Kickstarter. And so if anybody doesn't know what Kickstarter is, it's a platform where you can go in and you can sort of pre order things that may never get made, but you just hope they get made one day. So went. But we knew were going to make the boots. So, yeah, we launched on Kickstart 2020. Covid hit. It was right in the middle of our campaign. But we did fund our campaign actually in the first 29 hours.

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11:36
Speaker 1
Oh, my gosh. Is the. The demand, right? Like, what an incredible unmet demand that the moment you brought something to market, it was a matter of hours by the time you were ready to roll.

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11:51
Speaker 4
Yeah, yeah.

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11:53
Speaker 1
That's unbelievable. So. So what I'm hearing, first off, you know, you. You know, sometimes you get a sense that somebody is just way smarter than you. I've had that vibe from you the whole time. Now it. So that you got that lawyer thing. Like I was. Aha, there it is. That that makes.

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12:12
Speaker 2
Right.

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12:14
Speaker 1
But. But, you know, the. Such a varied background and again, so many different things that you're passionate about. Talk a little bit about your podcast.

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12:24
Speaker 4
Oh, sure. The Hazard Girls podcast came about actually during COVID because we had this amazing community that was backing us and wanting to support Juno Jones and get their boots. But because of COVID we had, you know, of course, major delays, supply chain shut down, factories shut down. So, you know, we found ourselves with some time on our hands and people were reaching out to me, asking to be connected to each other. And I knew that there had to be, you know, better. A better way to connect everybody together. And so we formed the Facebook group Hazard Girls. And from there, the podcast grew.

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13:00
Speaker 1
Awesome. And. And what. How, like how many. How often do you do a show and what's the format?

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13:07
Speaker 4
Yeah, we do a show once a week. I work with Jacket Media Co. And they also do the Women in Manufacturing podcast. And yeah, we interview a different woman each week. And the industries vary from, you know, winemaking to finance. It's anything male. It's all about, you know, being a woman in a male populated field. So that's what we talk about.

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13:29
Speaker 1
That I can only imagine the insights that you've gotten from your guests through that experience and the common threads that, like, it really doesn't matter if it's trucking or construction or winemaking. Right. There are some really similar experiences. I want to hear more about those in a minute. Okay, so let's hear from Catherine. Catherine what's your story? How did you end up where you are?

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13:54
Speaker 3
So I did not have any background in construction, and neither did my parents. My mom's an acupuncturist, my dad's a professor. But I really got into HGTV with my mom. So we binged the crap out of it. And looking back, it wasn't healthy. But it did heavily influence how I grew up and what I wanted to pursue career wise. So between HGTV and my parents buying their first and second houses, I really got into just the built environment overall. And I thought that meant I wanted to be a designer or an architect, because that's what you saw all the women doing. But then I did an internship with an architecture firm the summer before my senior year of high school and learned very quickly that I had zero interest in being an architect.

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14:46
Speaker 3
And I already knew that engineer was just not even remotely close to an option. So I went into my senior year a little worried, But I just applied to a bunch of architecture programs and I was like, screw it, you know, it'll all unfold the way it needs to. As long as I'm getting close to that built environment, I will figure it out. So I applied all these schools and ultimately went to community college instead. And I had a friend who mentioned that Virginia Tech had a construction program. And once I started doing some digging and reaching out to an advisor, I realized, like, this is where I was meant to be, and this makes so much more sense for my personality. So then I went to tech. I pursued a degree in building construction and a degree in psychology.

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15:33
Speaker 3
And I did both those things because I have a passion for helping people figure out what they want to do with their careers and just training and mentorship and things that you naturally do in construction anyways. Which saved me from having to go get a master's degree, which is perfect.

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15:51
Speaker 1
Saved. Saved by the bell from having to go get a master's. I love it. So that journey, really, as you're experiencing all these different options in college, you know, you're just trying to get toward the built environment. Really? Why? What was it about the built environment that you were trying to move toward?

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16:15
Speaker 3
I loved, like, taking something from drawings and watching it physically come together. And it might be weird, but I loved, like, the smell of wood studs. I love just seeing, like, the skeleton of a house and then watching it change over time and get to those really nice, pretty finishes. I don't know, it just seemed fun, right? And it was constant activity. It was different day to day. And I just knew that I didn't want to be in an office setting, which is ironic now, but I just wanted to get out there and explore something that involved building the community. And I think construction is the perfect way to do that.

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17:00
Speaker 1
So talk about what you're doing Today, talk about D2 site work and talk about space to build.

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17:08
Speaker 3
All right, so I guess I need to give you a little bit more backstory. So once I left college, I went to go work for a general contractor and so I ended up working my way up to a superintendent under gc and then I moved over into subcontracting for a year and was a project manager. So I have always been very big on wanting to get a good perspective on the industry overall because we all have these different pain points, we don't understand one another. So I had the opportunity to transition out of operations and move into business development and at the same time balance a new company. So I was able to work with D2 or am able to work with D2 as a business development manager. They do site work out of Rockville, Maryland.

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17:56
Speaker 3
So I got to utilize a lot of my on site knowledge and my network that I had to just continue to help build their network and continue to be a part of that construction industry while I was building up the space to build brand and building up the podcast, which is very stressful, like you mentioned.

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18:15
Speaker 1
Yeah, yeah. Podcasts are a lot of fun except for, you know, they're a constant panic attack.

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18:21
Speaker 3
A lot of fun. You learn a lot.

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18:24
Speaker 1
I love it, I love it. I really do. And, and talk a little bit about space to build in general. Like, what, what's the. What's the. How long have you been doing it and what's the mission?

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18:37
Speaker 3
So much like what Emily and Morgan have done, they've found a spot where they weren't finding what they needed and they created it. So I was in a similar situation where I felt burnt out, I felt alone, and it was really weird and I was just like, you know what? I think I need an online community of women in the industry. So this all sat in the back of my head for years and I didn't feel confident enough to pursue it. And then about the end of 2019, I was like, screw it, I'm going to do it. I'm going to make this happen. Launched a website Covid hit. And all of a sudden people just felt so frantic and disconnected from one another.

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19:12
Speaker 3
And I realized that it just made so much more sense for people in this industry to have a podcast to listen to. So what I started doing is inviting different women from the industry into the podcast to talk about their career paths so we can talk about the opportunities that are available in the industry. We talked about their challenges, we talked about the trades that they were tackling. And at the end of the day, it's to create these takeaway items that blend together a sense of representation, relevant information, and just a way to introduce different people to the industry and talk about the jobs that no one else talks about to that extent. So I've had plumbers, electricians, lawyers. I've actually had Stacy on the podcast and her episode actually airs in April. And we talk specifically about marketing in the construction space.

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20:02
Speaker 3
So the idea is to share with emerging construction professionals that there are all these opportunities to be incredibly successful in the industry and you don't have to follow what school tells you is the common path. There's so many cool opportunities. And then outside the podcast, I'm creating different resources, building community, hosting events. You name it, I'm working towards it.

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20:25
Speaker 1
Awesome. Awesome. All right, so I've got some specific questions that I want to ask to each of you, given your different backgrounds that, you know, really will speak to the experience of women in construction, women in this environment. And the first question I'll ask is to Morgan. When you came through and you know, obviously leaving company names aside, all that type of stuff, just when you came through, your experience entering the construction industry out of college, spending time in the field, actually hands on, when it was at its best, what, you know, what was the experience for a woman in construction that made you feel included, welcome, things like that. And, and maybe what were some of the moments when it wasn't at its best? You know, how did that experience kind of show up?

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21:20
Speaker 5
That's a great question for inclusion. My team, like my project management team, was so supportive, which was honestly what made me feel so comfortable in the industry. If I had any issues, they were like, come to me, we can talk this out. I had a female mentor in the construction industry, which really helped as well. So I would just go to my team, you know, talk about any issues. It doesn't have to be women related or not. And they were just a constant support system to me, which was amazing. Also, the trades out there were so supportive as well. I mean, as long as you're willing to learn and respectful out there, they will have your back, which I learned right away and I took advantage of.

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22:04
Speaker 5
When I have felt a little disrespected as a woman, I noticed it's like typically the older men, you know, the men that are closer to the retirement age, which no offense to anyone that age, but the younger guys were always super supportive and the older men were the ones that were kind of uncomfortable with me in their space. But again, having a support system, having a mentor is definitely something I would recommend to any woman in the construction industry.

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22:30
Speaker 1
What I, what I love about that two big takeaways I have there is, you know, is you just double underlined is having a woman as a mentor, finding a woman as a mentor. So if you're a young person, a young woman in construction, being able to partner up with somebody who's kind of been through it, experienced it, can give you a little bit of the lay of the land. That sounds immensely valuable. And then the second thing that I took away from that was it really is all about how you show up. Like I don't know how to explain it, but you know, you have to be respectful, you have to be willing to learn, you have to be right.

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23:01
Speaker 1
All these types of things, which is the same rule for anybody if they want to be treated well in, you know, in whatever as a new person in whatever industry they're entering into. And so there is that aspect of it that it's a two way street and you have to have personal ownership for how you show up.

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23:16
Speaker 5
Right. The worst thing you can do is go out there and pretend like you're a 22 year old that knows everything. That will very far right though.

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23:24
Speaker 1
Though. My guess is, in all honesty, my guess is that 22 year old guys get away with that easier than 22 year old women. Right. You know what I mean?

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23:33
Speaker 5
Like, because right away, but after, you know, after you gain the respect of these men out there, they will have your back. So they were actually a little more lenient with me than some of the men out there.

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23:45
Speaker 1
Aha.

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23:46
Speaker 5
Well, the young men out there.

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23:47
Speaker 1
Interesting. Interesting. All right, cool. Okay, so that was. I'll shift gears over to Emily and I want to hear from all of the conversations that you've had with all of these women in male dominated fields. What feels to you like the, the most common threads of how these women are thriving and being successful in these male dominated fields.

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24:18
Speaker 4
Yes, I. It's a great question because I've done about 120 episodes now and that's about how many women I've spoken to and who have told me their stories. And I would say that a really interesting common thread is that many of these women have figures in their past, in their childhood or in their upbringing, or in their young part of their career who are men who have supported them to reach their goals, to know that they had these careers as options or even just, it doesn't even have to be about career. A lot of times women tell me about their dads who taught them how to fix bar cars and doing that gave them that confidence to know that there were not limitations on them because of their gender.

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25:08
Speaker 4
So I would say that common thread really is having men in their lives over the years who have supported them and taught them that they could do it too.

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25:22
Speaker 2
Oh, Chad, you're muted because I don't.

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25:25
Speaker 1
Want everybody to hear me while I'm going like, oh, that's cool.

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25:27
Speaker 2
Yeah.

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25:31
Speaker 1
So, so than you. That was, that was a really interesting thought. And as a, I think, you know, we have this sense in general as humans, regardless of, you know, who you are, that you're, the interactions that you have with people, particularly young people leave a mark, they make an imprint, you know, and so my big takeaway from that is like be really conscientious about leaving good imprints and you know, make sure that I'm not in any way passing along self limiting beliefs or negativity to people. And, and it is, you know, there, the only rules are the ones that we've made up in our own cultures and our own heads. And, and if we pass along stupid rules, they'll continue to be there. Right. So anyway, lots of thoughts going on in my mind on that. So Catherine, question for you on this.

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26:25
Speaker 1
When it comes to doing business development in the construction industry, do you feel that there's any specific advantage or disadvantage to being a female in that role?

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26:39
Speaker 3
You know what, I've never really thought about it that way. I see a good mix of both men and women, but I do think business development falls typically more. You find more women in these roles. And I think that comes down to relationship building skills and communication skills, which women statistically have a better hold of and bring into the industry. Which I think actually if you think about those two skills alone and see how it trickles across all the different fields within construction, you really see where that growth starts to happen. So I think those two would be the biggest benefits to being a woman in the business development space.

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27:21
Speaker 1
Such a good lead in to a question that I want to have each of you answer in your own way. You know, one by one, obviously. But, but that I and I tend to agree with you that there are some distinct advantages that statistically. Right. Not as, not as a law, but statistically you find across the, you know, versus men in terms of skill sets. Why should we want. What would you say to somebody who's asking the question, why should we want more women in construction? What's the benefit? Why. Why is this something that we should be striving for? And I'll toss that over to Emily first.

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28:09
Speaker 4
Yeah. So I think there are a lot of answers to this question. I'm just going to take one answer because there's other people answering. But for me, I mean, I'm going to let the others talk about the bottom line and diversity. But in general, it is a great career. Okay. So there are so many opportunities in construction. There are. It's a lucrative career. It's an empowering career. Why shouldn't women have access to it just like everyone else?

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28:40
Speaker 1
I love it. Yeah. Okay, so we should want more women involved because quite frankly, it's a fantastic career path. And you know, we want to, we should want to encourage people into that line of work. Awesome. All right, cool. Let's. Let's hear Katherine.

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29:00
Speaker 3
So she said on the workforce development, I guess transition more on that bottom line. Like, women bring to the table different perspectives that I don't think have really been discussed. And we're really fantastic at disrupting the status quo. You know, we're talking about our well being on site, in the office, work, life balance, parenthood, maternity leave. And we're starting all these conversations, which a lot of guys actually appreciate. And they're like, oh, wait, I do want more time off or I see the benefits of that. And so women are starting this movement of belonging in the industry and creating community and having those open discussions. And honestly, like a sense of belonging in a company actually increases job performance by 56%.

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29:51
Speaker 3
It reduces turnover by about 50, and it decreases the amount of sick days because sometimes, I mean, people take sick days simply because they don't want to go to work that day. And they're just in a bad head space. Right. And so by creating these good communities with good strong communication, these relationships, you're able to encourage people to meet their potential at work, which affects that bottom line.

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30:17
Speaker 1
Love it. Love it. Great stuff. Morgan, what would your answer be? Why do we want women in construction?

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30:22
Speaker 5
Yeah, I mean, I agree with both of these ladies have said, first of all, why not? And second of all, it's a different skill set that women bring to the TABLE I mean, like Catherine kind of stated earlier, the relationships, the organization, communication, that is all such a vital part of construction that women have mastered. And a lot of my superintendents that I've worked for have actually preferred working with women. So it's super exciting to see the percentage of women in construction increasing year over year. So I'm really excited for the next couple of years and to see even more women coming into the construction industry and showing off their skill sets.

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30:58
Speaker 1
Same here. And so all I do is I don't work for any construction companies, but I have lots and lots of different clients who are construction companies. And I will tell you unequivocally that when there are no women on the leadership team, it's like one of my first priorities is to get women to be a part of the leadership team. For all the reasons that you guys are saying, like, yes, all the points that you're making are so right. But purely selfishly, the team desperately needs a difference of opinion. And everybody gets into this really monolithic way of thinking. And if I can have, if we just have to have diversity of thought.

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31:39
Speaker 1
So, so, and what I found is that an all male leadership team is not nearly as intelligent, not nearly as capable as they would be with, you know, more equal representation that way. So anyway, I, I, I love the question. I love your answers, I think great points. So Stacy, what do we have in terms of additional questions? Heck, you probably have like a dozen. So what other questions do we have?

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32:10
Speaker 2
Well, for Emily or Catherine, actually. So your podcasts feature guests for women. Are the women that come on your show when they say that they're attracted to the industry, is it because they already had typically a family member already in the industry? Or do you see more of that being the reason of people, of women joining the industry because they're influenced by family members?

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32:39
Speaker 4
I'd say it's, for me it's 50.

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32:40
Speaker 2
50.

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32:41
Speaker 4
A lot of people are. But just as many people, you know, learn it, learn about it in different ways. Usually in school, they learn about it in college as an opportunity.

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32:50
Speaker 2
Okay.

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32:51
Speaker 3
Yeah. I think more of the women that I've talked to, they gravitate towards it because it is comfort. It's what they grew up with.

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33:00
Speaker 2
Do you have any, or hear of any suggestions on how we can promote the industry with people that are completely kind of like how you shared your story, Catherine, where you weren't, you know, even considering construction as an option, really, because people in your family didn't you weren't brought up around construction. So how can we reach people outside of the industry to come in?

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33:29
Speaker 3
So it's starting young, right? We in school, we talk about, you know, what do you want to be when you grow up? And you've got all your normal stereotypical answers, you've got the high paying answers like lawyer and doctor, but no one brings to the table opportunities in the construction industry which are really high paying as well. It's fantastic. So it's just embedding it more into curriculum. It's after school programs, it's camps, it's just really showing up for the high schoolers, the middle schoolers and the elementary school students and showing them that yes, they learn about architecture, they learn about engineering, but there's this like amazing middle ground that brings all this stuff together and is such a hands on opportunity.

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34:14
Speaker 3
And this caters towards the people who don't want to sit in offices, who want to get their hands dirty, who need the movement, who can't. They don't enjoy that constant day in, day out routine and they want to be able to mix it up while having a very successful career.

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34:31
Speaker 2
We talked on a prior episode about mentorship and sponsorship and how to gear towards looking for a sponsor to help you in your life. Who or how did you go about finding a sponsor or a mentor? I'm sure that's challenging because we already have limited women, you know, in the field. So how do you navigate that in finding someone?

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34:58
Speaker 3
Honestly, most of my sponsors ironically have been men. I think it is funny because Andrea, who talks about the mentorship and the sponsorship, she tends to say that men sponsor other men, but they don't sponsor women. And through conversations with her and just reflecting back, I have been part of that small percentage that's been really lucky to have men who actively have my back and advocate for me, even when I don't even know them. Right. Like I've got one of my mentors, Jeff McCoy, he literally went up to bat, told different people in the company, hey, you're gonna lose her unless you bring her out into the field, let her come work with me, let me teach her what she wants to learn and let's see where she grows from there. And I mean, he constantly pushed me out of my comfort zone.

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35:47
Speaker 3
But I've also had women sponsors and usually those people who are more sponsors versus mentors, they actually seek me out and they actively get involved in my life and ask me what I need and take a front row seat in my own success.

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36:02
Speaker 5
Love to hear that for me, I was lucky. One of my friends was transferred onto my job site, and it kind of turned morphed from a friendship into a mentorship. So she was kind of my sounding board. Like, if I had anything construction related, personal related, I would go to her, talk to her, hear her experience, because she was more experienced than I was. And that helped me out so much.

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36:25
Speaker 1
And it speaks to what you were talking about earlier, Emily, with that. You know, the idea that this common thread was that actually there were men in these women's lives who played a significant role in, you know, help. And so, you know, whether they were sponsors or mentors at that age or whether they were just role models, and that's a different thing. You know, it's an extremely powerful lesson.

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36:52
Speaker 3
Yeah.

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36:53
Speaker 4
I think it's really important that we don't get. We don't depend on just women to be mentoring women, because, of course, just frankly, there aren't enough, and if we do that, we're just doing ourselves a disservice. So we really do rely on men. We need all of the men to be allies in order to move us all forward in the industry.

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37:11
Speaker 1
Awesome. Love it. Stacy, any other questions?

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37:15
Speaker 2
Just selfishly, I'd like to know for Morgan and Emily. So Morgan does the work pants. Is there any other gear that you see coming down the line in the future?

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37:30
Speaker 5
I see all the gear coming down the line in the future. We did start off with pants, just because that was the first thing that I noticed when I was in the industry. We are launching a second pant this spring, so I'm super excited for that. It's called the relaxed pant. It's more of, like a cargo take rather than a carpenter pant. But then this winter, we're gonna come out with some winter lines, which I'm super excited about. So, like, fleece line pants and a really cool work jacket, which I'm really excited about. And that's just kind of the start of it. So I'm really excited for what comes in the future, and I love all the feedback I'm getting from women with their stories and what they want to see me create. So there's a. There's a lot coming.

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38:12
Speaker 2
Yeah. And I'm sure the same with you, Emily, Right?

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38:14
Speaker 3
Yes.

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38:15
Speaker 4
We have some new styles coming out this year. We have one coming out in a couple of months. It's a comp toe. Many people have asked us, yes, we like steel toes, but some people need comp toes. So we're creating a composite toe shoe that should Be out in the next few months. I'm very excited about that. And then we have some other styles as well. Just going by feedback from our. I would say our audience, but it's not just our audience, it's our whole community. People are always reaching out, letting us know what they're looking for, what they can't find on the market. So we have at least three new styles that will be coming out later in the year and early 2024 that we're super excited about.

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38:52
Speaker 2
Do you guys both work with companies like Red Wing Boots does, where you can give a, like a fee, you know what I mean, to the workers or, you know.

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39:05
Speaker 1
Yeah, it was actually. It's a really good point. I wonder about that. You know, what's the best way for a company.

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39:12
Speaker 2
Yeah.

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39:12
Speaker 1
To help their employees to get access to, you know, this as a part of what they offer their employees?

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39:21
Speaker 3
Yes.

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39:21
Speaker 4
Yeah. If you're. Well, if you're a person working at a company, the best thing to do is ask your tell your employer that you would like to use Juno Jones boots or Justin Workwear on, you know, on site. And you can often get reimbursed for. For what it is because maybe they don't have it necessarily at. In their, you know, at the company for you to buy there. So they may reimburse you to do that. But if you're a company and you're looking to support women in construction and industries in general. Yeah. The best thing to do is reach out to us and we can help you. We provide discounts to companies so. Especially with volume so they can supply their workers and give them access to Juno Jones boots.

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40:01
Speaker 5
I agree with that 100%. Just reach out. The company stores are really important. That was one thing when I was working for a general contractor is the men have pages and pages of company merch that they can buy on the company website and the women's. All their stuff fits one page. Page. So if, like Emily said, reach out to us, we can give you like bulk discounts and stuff like that. And then you can supply it to your women on your company website. And we can do branding and stuff as well. So your logos on it.

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40:30
Speaker 3
Yeah.

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40:31
Speaker 1
Cool.

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40:31
Speaker 3
I want to chime in there real quick.

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40:34
Speaker 1
Yeah.

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40:34
Speaker 3
For the people who are responsible for finding their PPE and looking at. Finding material for their company sites, even. Don't wait for the women to come to you. Go to the women. Every single woman who's ever set foot in the field will have an issue with Some kind of ppe. They'll have recommendations. We're all struggling with it. Right. We're constantly sidebarring with each other. So don't wait. Just be proactive. Go ask these women what they need and source it.

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41:03
Speaker 2
I really like that point because a lot of women also feel uncomfortable. So speaking up and asking for things, so going to them would show a huge way of support.

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41:16
Speaker 1
Well, and I can. And I gotta imagine that just so many people don't even know that there are options. So, you know, creating awareness. Hopefully this does that. Hopefully our viewers will spread the word and have, you know, have some light bulbs go off, you know, and bring this back to their companies. Not just. Not just. I mean, I hope they all go onto your stores and that they use the codes that you've shared for women in Construction Week and that they get, you know, boots and that they get pants, but that I also hope that they bring that message back to their company.

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41:51
Speaker 3
Yeah.

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41:53
Speaker 1
Awesome. Stacy, anything else?

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41:55
Speaker 2
That's all we have.

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41:57
Speaker 1
Catherine, Emily, Morgan, Anything before we jump?

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42:00
Speaker 5
Thank you for having us.

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42:02
Speaker 4
Thank you so much. It's been a lot of fun.

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42:04
Speaker 1
Yeah, thanks for joining us. Agreed. You guys are awesome. Thank you so much for taking the time and for joining us to talk about your stories today. I think Happy Women in Construction Week to you next week, again, first to market, and we'd welcome you back anytime. And we'll certainly spread the word about your podcasts and about your companies and about the great work that you're doing. So thank you.

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42:34
Speaker 2
Thank you. See you. Have a great day.

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42:36
Speaker 1
See y'. All. All right, Stacy, let's do a little bit of cleanup here and. And talk about next week. So first things first, as I always reiterate, and. And I think it's so important to build that list of people who aren't reliant on getting a an invite from LinkedIn. Please send Stacy an email right here. Stacey H. Steeltocom.com to get access to our mailing list, which will keep you in the know and make it really easy for you to register for our live episodes, as well as click on links to get access to the recorded episodes. Next week, we have episode number 43, which is. We're bringing back a guest from our very first season, which is a friend of mine and a really smart economist. The economist for.

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43:30
Speaker 1
He's the official economist for the Associated Builders and Contractors Nationally, and I want to say one or two others, but his name's an Iban Basu. Very, very dynamic speaker. A lot of fun and he'll be giving us the rundown on what exactly is going on with the economy and how that is impacting the construction industry in 23. That'll be an episode that you don't want to miss. So please do come and check us out for that. Stacy, what else am I missing?

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44:01
Speaker 2
Nothing else. But you know what? I wish I asked the girls if they were attending the NAWA conference, that we're going to be in person. I believe some of them are. But that's May 15th, right?

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44:12
Speaker 1
Yep. That is. It's May. It's May 5th. You know what? Let me double check that. But, yeah, I believe it's May 5th. Nope. Not. Not 15th. May 6th. May 6th.

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44:21
Speaker 3
Oh, May 6th.

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44:22
Speaker 1
May 5th and 6th. So it's the Friday, Saturday, May 5th and 6th in Washington, D.C. is the NAWIC Northeast Spring Conference. And we'll be running a show live there. And I'll actually be doing a keynote the following morning.

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44:37
Speaker 2
I'll reach out to the girls after we get off here and include it in the E. Newsletter to see if there'll be an attendance. So if you're attending, you can meet them in person.

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44:49
Speaker 1
Yeah, I wouldn't be surprised to. To hear that they are and that maybe even they're, you know, featuring some of their products. So, yeah, awesome stuff. I. I can't wait to. To hear the review. Stacy, on the Juno Jones boots.

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45:03
Speaker 2
They're awesome.

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45:04
Speaker 1
They're just already.

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45:05
Speaker 2
Materials nice. It's super comfy. I haven't done too much walking in them yet. I have to get out to some more job sites, but so far, so good. They're beautiful boots. And were talking earlier. My dad's been in the shoe business his entire life, his career, and Emily's down in Philly, so I'm going to set the two of them up because he was in the orthopedic shoe business. Definitely not sexy shoes by any means, but it she. He could probably, you know, provide a lot of knowledge when it comes to people with feet issues working on the field and how to make that comfortable while she can bring the sexy to the shoes.

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45:45
Speaker 1
Telling you, I'm gonna get your dad as a guest one day. I'm just gonna be like, we have a special guest.

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45:51
Speaker 2
No.

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45:53
Speaker 1
All right, Stacy, thanks so much as always for creating such a fun show, such a good dynamic. So we. It was. I definitely would. It would just be me talking at the screen without you. So thank you.

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46:05
Speaker 2
Thank you so much. Have a wonderful day, guys.

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46:08
Speaker 1
You too.

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46:08
Speaker 2
See ya.

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