获得建筑奖项的职业女性如何促进职业发展

每年, the NAHB Professional Women in Building (PWB) awards program recognizes outstanding achievements of women doing great work in the home building industry. 获得最高荣誉可以打开大门, including growing professional networks and gaining exposure toward potential business opportunities. In fact, many award winners keep the momentum going for years to come.

NAHB recently caught up with previous winners to see what they’ve been up to, including:

诺拉斯宾塞 (NAHB’s 2022 Woman of the Year): Founder and CEO of Hope Renovations, 一个位于教堂山的501(c)(3)非营利组织, N.C., that educates women on entering careers in construction — often helping them leave low-wage jobs. 

斯蒂芬·里德 (NAHB的2020年PWB年度成员):定制房屋建筑商, 安克尼的装修商和持牌房地产经纪人, 爱荷华州. She’s also the founding chair of the HBA of Greater Des Moines’ PWB Council, which has done extensive work in teaching young girls about the trades and raising money to fund scholarships for women planning to work in the industry. 

艾莉杰克逊 (NAHB’s 2022 PWB Outstanding Council of the Year): Outside sales representative for Belgard — an Oldcastle company. She was also chair of the California Building Industry Association’s (BIA) PWB Council when it was named Outstanding Council of the Year. 

为了篇幅和清晰度，这些回答经过了编辑.

你是如何加入PWB的?是什么让你一直回来?

斯宾塞: 我在创立希望装修公司之前就和PWB有关系了. I’d met with our local HBA Executive Officer Holly Fraccaro about my idea for a women’s trades training program. 她说, “I’m going to introduce you to the people you need to know” and invited me to a PWB Lunch and Learn. I loved meeting so many like-minded women who were all incredibly excited about the idea. So much of what Hope Renovations is today is because of what PWB gave me, so it was only natural that I would want to give back to PWB by getting involved.

瑞德: 我是在得梅因当地的HBA卡开始做PWB的. I had just finished my first spec home and had amazing support from men, 但意识到这些女人是做房地产的. 她们的丈夫是建筑工, 而且(她们)都是设计师——这很棒, 但2021十大正规彩票平台女性不去盖房子和做承包工作呢? The HBA said they wanted to start a local PWB Council, and I became the first chairperson. 这是我职业生涯中最美好的经历之一. We now have nearly 100 members and have won many national awards from NAHB PWB.

杰克逊: The one and only Terri Everhart recruited me to join California BIA PWB in 2016, 从那以后我就迷上了. 惊人的伙伴关系, 友谊, mentors and memories that come along with the sisterhood of PWB are irreplaceable. Not only are we part of home building, but are making a difference in the industry.

获奖后，你的职业生涯发生了什么变化? 

斯宾塞: I’ve been fortunate to have several great honors and awards in the four years that Hope Renovations has been in existence, but this award is the one that always brings reaction of astonishment and excitement. I think there is something about being recognized in an industry that is traditionally male-dominated that really catches people’s attention. 结果是, we have expanded our reach this year and are now operating in three locations in our region, tripling the number of people we serve (and tripling the number of future workers we’re preparing for our industry). 

瑞德: I was so honored to receive this award among so many amazing women nationally. 我目前在我的地方和州HBA董事会任职, and I have become the NAHB 爱荷华州 State Representative and NAHB 爱荷华州 Delegate. 也, 我被任命为NAHB提名委员会成员, the NAHB Membership Committee and recently chosen to be part of the inaugural NAHB Leadership Academy. I’ve branched out into remodeling on top of my custom building and am really loving that I get to do both now.

杰克逊: The amount of exposure for our small council after winning the awards has been so impactful for membership growth. Being a small council, we are always looking to grow and gain new members. Winning the award helped drive members to see what the end goal is of PWB. 

What advice would you give to the new generation of women entering the industry?

斯宾塞: 试一试! If you’re in the office and you long to see what it would be like to be in the field, 出外勤，反之亦然. 关键是你必须主动要求. As women, we are notoriously slow to ask for what we want in the working world. But we’re fortunate to be working in an industry where asking for what you want is the norm — a perk of it being a male-dominated workforce. I wholeheartedly believe that women can pave any path they want in our industry. We just have to be the ones to go pick up the shovel, because no one is going to do it for us. 

瑞德: 性别与成为一个伟大的建造者或承包商无关. Be teachable, open-minded and find yourself a mentor, as well as an HBA and PWB Council to join. 你得到的每一个机会，都要把它传递给下一个人. 参与其中 员工发展 努力，在委员会任职，在学校与年轻女性交谈. 让他们看到你，让你的光芒闪耀. If we don’t give back to the industry and bring new generations to the table, 房屋建筑和技术行业将成为一个消失的职业.

杰克逊: Don’t ever have your doubts on what you can accomplish as a woman in this industry. 向其他成功女性学习，跟随她们的脚步. The industry is always changing and evolving and being involved is the best way to have continued success and growth both personally and professionally. 

参观 工务局周报 浏览资源和技巧, 比如社交媒体上的帖子, 商店 Talk注册链接, 营销材料等. 订阅 NAHBNow博客 to stay updated on news content about some of this year’s featured women in building. 工务局“年度杰出女性奖”申请表格 现在是开放的.

NAHB的职业女性建筑周是由 安徒生的窗户 & 门.