Ambition Theory’s Post

As a woman & chair of our Construction Law Group, Jacqueline Greenberg Vogt is thrilled to see the U.S. Department of Commerce taking bold steps to foster gender equity in the construction industry. Through the Million Women in Construction Community Pledge, led by Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, several prominent companies are committing to enhance equitable hiring practices and invest in vital supportive services such as childcare. Women are an untapped resource. In an industry where women comprise less than 11% of people working in the industry but women in the workforce comprise 47% of all working individuals, women are absolutely necessary to the continuation of growth in construction. New construction industry jobs expected to rise by the millions going forward and thus is imperative to bring more women into the industry.   The ambitious goal? Doubling the number of women in the construction workforce over the next decade. With only 14.3% of construction workers being women as of April 2024, this initiative aims to make a significant impact. The initiative aligns with the newly launched CHIPS Women in Construction Framework, which sets out best practices for increasing women's participation in CHIPS-funded projects. These include setting recruitment goals, building community partnerships, developing training pathways, providing supportive services, and ensuring safe, respectful workplaces free from harassment and discrimination. Companies like Baker Construction, Gilbane Building Company, McKissack & McKissack, Mortenson, Power Design, Shawmut Design and Construction, and Suffolk have already signed the pledge, recognizing the critical need to attract diverse talent to tackle the industry's labor challenges. This is a pivotal moment for the construction sector, amplified by the surge of federal funding from initiatives like the CHIPS and Science Act. It's heartening to see leaders in our industry stepping up to create more inclusive and equitable opportunities. Women deserve equal access to these good-paying, quality jobs, and this pledge is a significant step toward achieving that. #ConstructionLaw #WomenInConstruction #EquityInConstruction #CHIPSAct #WorkforceDiversity #ConstructionIndustry #FederalFunding #SupportiveServices

I personally am looking forward to the fulfillment of the Million Women in Construction Pledge! This pledge reflects a commitment to increase access to training, jobs, and leadership opportunities for women. Many companies are pledging to focus on or scale up equitable hiring and workforce development efforts that create broader pipelines and opportunities for women. John Fish, Chair of The Real Estate Roundtable and Chairman and CEO of Suffolk, said this in responding to the pledge; “The construction industry continues to face significant labor challenges due to the aging workforce and dwindling number of young people entering the construction field. There is a critical need to attract more talent and diversify our workforce to ensure we have the resources to build our cities and grow our economy.” To be successful, the Million Women in Construction initiative will need construction contractors, trade unions, and training institutions to commit to recruit, train, hire, and retain thousands of new and non-traditional workers who will be the next generation of skilled laborers and leaders who are prepared to rebuild US infrastructure and supply chains and complement Federal government investments. Find full article from ContractorMag below… https://lnkd.in/efSYhj3m

Happy Women in Construction Week! About 10% of construction's workforce is made up of women and that number is even higher at 12.5% in the beautiful state of Virginia! This growth can be contributed to changes in employment strategies, adaptable PPE and breaking societal barriers (just to name a few). What other industry changes do you think are needed to grow and attract tradeswomen?

Great Decision

Great Decision

See which three states lead in hiring women in construction. As of 2022, the state with the largest number of women working in construction was Texas (137,000), followed by California (135,000) and Florida (119,000). Read on. #womeninconstruction #construction #constructionindustry

The number of women in construction in the U.S. hit the 1 million mark in 2022. Although this milestone represents progress, the percentage of women working in construction still remains low compared to other industries. Learn more about how to retain women in these roles >> https://bit.ly/3Inz0pK

In honor of Women in Construction Week, we’d like to spotlight Nancy Pacella, Co-Owner and Vice President of Pacella Enterprises, Inc., a Women Owned construction and heavy highway company, and client of EJC’s. With a master’s degree in psychology, Nancy began her career in the service industry. After taking a break to raise her four children, she returned to work, but this time, assisting her family’s heavy civil construction company. Through this experience, Nancy came to the realization that the construction industry “was consumed by ideological barriers seemingly identifying tough hardworking males as a prerequisite for success.” This inspired the establishment of Pacella Enterprises in 2012. Nancy and her mother-in-law Mary Pacella had a vision of creating a versatile union workforce, while maintaining a similar culture of growth, productivity and unified achievements that proved successful in their previous capacities. As a testament to their dedication to diversity and compliance, Pacella Enterprises, Inc. proudly holds WBE/DBE certification in Massachusetts and DBE certification in New Hampshire and Rhode Island. Additionally, they have earned federal recognition as WOSB and WBENC certified demonstrating their commitment to fostering inclusivity in the business industry. “𝑀𝑦 𝑏𝑒𝑛𝑐ℎ𝑚𝑎𝑟𝑘 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑠𝑢𝑐𝑐𝑒𝑠𝑠 𝑎𝑠 𝑎 𝑤𝑜𝑚𝑒𝑛 𝑜𝑤𝑛𝑒𝑑 𝑏𝑢𝑠𝑖𝑛𝑒𝑠𝑠 𝑖𝑠 𝑛𝑜𝑡 ℎ𝑜𝑤 𝑚𝑎𝑛𝑦 𝑜𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑜𝑠𝑒 𝑑𝑜𝑜𝑟𝑠 𝑤𝑒 𝑐𝑎𝑛 𝑘𝑒𝑒𝑝 𝑜𝑝𝑒𝑛 𝑏𝑢𝑡 ℎ𝑜𝑤 𝑚𝑎𝑛𝑦 𝑑𝑜𝑜𝑟𝑠 𝑤𝑒 𝑘𝑒𝑒𝑝 𝑜𝑝𝑒𝑛 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑡𝑒𝑎𝑚’𝑠 𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑚𝑖𝑡𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑡𝑜 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑢𝑜𝑢𝑠𝑙𝑦 𝑑𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑙𝑜𝑝 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑔𝑟𝑜𝑤 𝑜𝑢𝑡𝑠𝑖𝑑𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝑜𝑙𝑑 𝑖𝑛𝑑𝑢𝑠𝑡𝑟𝑦 𝑠𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑒𝑜𝑡𝑦𝑝𝑒𝑠. 𝐼 𝑠𝑡𝑟𝑖𝑣𝑒 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑚𝑦 𝑑𝑎𝑢𝑔ℎ𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑠 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑚𝑦 𝑠𝑜𝑛 𝑡𝑜 𝑠𝑒𝑒 𝑚𝑒 𝑑𝑒𝑓𝑖𝑛𝑒𝑑 𝑏𝑦 𝑚𝑦 𝑒𝑓𝑓𝑒𝑐𝑡 𝑜𝑛 𝑝𝑒𝑜𝑝𝑙𝑒 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑖𝑛𝑑𝑢𝑠𝑡𝑟𝑦. 𝑁𝑜𝑡 𝑑𝑒𝑓𝑖𝑛𝑒𝑑 𝑠𝑖𝑚𝑝𝑙𝑦 𝑏𝑒𝑐𝑎𝑢𝑠𝑒 𝐼 𝑎𝑚 𝑎 𝑤𝑜𝑚𝑎𝑛 𝑓𝑖𝑛𝑑𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑠𝑢𝑐𝑐𝑒𝑠𝑠 𝑖𝑛 𝑎𝑛 𝑖𝑛𝑑𝑢𝑠𝑡𝑟𝑦 𝑤ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑒 𝑠𝑜𝑐𝑖𝑒𝑡𝑦 𝑠𝑡𝑖𝑙𝑙 𝑐𝑎𝑛 ℎ𝑎𝑣𝑒 𝑎 𝑡𝑒𝑛𝑑𝑒𝑛𝑐𝑦 𝑜𝑓 𝑞𝑢𝑒𝑠𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑎 𝑓𝑒𝑚𝑎𝑙𝑒 𝑙𝑒𝑎𝑑𝑒𝑟’𝑠 𝑎𝑔𝑒𝑛𝑑𝑎.” Nancy’s advice for women in construction: “𝗕𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗳𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝗱𝗼𝗻’𝘁 𝗯𝗲 𝗮𝗳𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗺𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲𝘀. 𝗕𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗳, 𝗲𝗺𝗽𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱 𝘀𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽𝘀.” #womeninconstruction #womeninconstructionweek #womeninbusiness #womenempowerment #womenshistorymonth #womensupportingwomen #womenownedbusiness #womenbusinessleaders #womenbusinessowners

Did you know that 1.2 million women are working in construction? This group makes up about 10% of the industry’s workforce, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Among these trailblazers is our own Gretchen Kinsella, whose leadership at DPR Construction is impacting women in the industry. Featured in Construction Dive, learn how Gretchen fosters a more inclusive culture, paving the way for women in the field. https://lnkd.in/evQvu-Td #womeninconstruction #dprwic #wicweek24 #wicweek #internationalwomensday

Did you know that 1.2 million women are working in construction? This group makes up about 10% of the industry’s workforce, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Among these trailblazers is our own Gretchen Kinsella, whose leadership at DPR Construction is impacting women in the industry. Featured in Construction Dive, learn how Gretchen fosters a more inclusive culture, paving the way for women in the field. https://lnkd.in/evQvu-Td #womeninconstruction #dprwic #wicweek24 #wicweek #internationalwomensday