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2019 WIC Week: Women building innovation through education

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Raven Wiley, pictured here on the roof of Kilgore College’s B.E. Masters Gymnasium.

For this year’s Women in Construction Week (WIC Week), we’re exploring the many ways in which women build innovation at McKinstry. For Raven Wiley (pictured above), education has been key to developing her career. Raven is currently a commissioning intern in our Dallas office through McKinstry’s B.L.U.E. Internship Program, and she’s studying Instrumentation & Electrical Technology at Kilgore College while also working on McKinstry’s energy efficiency project at the very same college.

We recently spoke to Raven about her internship, what drew her to McKinstry, what it’s like to be a woman in construction, and much more. Here are excerpts from that interview:

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2019 WIC Week: Women building innovation through apprenticeship

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From L to R: Michelle, Emily, Mariss, Keyla and Ashley.

For this year’s Women in Construction Week (WIC Week), we spoke with five women—Michelle Wilson, Emily Orona, Mariss Stevens, Keyla Santiago and Ashley Fortune—who work as apprentices in the construction trades for McKinstry.

For those who are unfamiliar, apprenticeship is a system in which workers train on-the-job—earning wages and doing productive work—while also taking courses and mastering their craft. At McKinstry, apprentices on jobsites perform vital work and apprenticeship programs are a valuable source of jobsite innovation.

Below are excerpts from interviews with these five apprentices:

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Celebrating women building innovation

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This week marks two important events: Women in Construction Week, which works to raise awareness for the equal role women play in our industry; and International Women’s Day, which celebrates the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women.

cherylwebsitephotoAt McKinstry, we aspire to a world where there is gender equity in all aspects of the construction industry. This means plumbers and pipefitters, sheet metal workers and site superintendents, project engineers and designers. We know that women and men can work together and thrive in all parts of the industry – helping us to build a more innovative, inclusive, creative, and robust future of construction.

As a leader in the built environment, McKinstry strives each day to innovate, engineer and deliver the best solutions that drive waste from the construction industry, improve buildings and decrease energy consumption. We steadfastly believe that one of the most important enablers of innovation is diversity and inclusion. Diverse ideas, backgrounds, experiences, identities and more help us to think differently and push boundaries. Research has found this to be true – companies with more diverse teams are more profitable, more successful and more innovative.  However, the key to unlocking these perspectives is creating an environment where each person feels they belong and has a voice.  

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Innovation is thriving at McKinstry

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Whether you’re talking about technology, systems, hiring or even building materials, the answer is the same: The construction industry is ripe for innovation. As our computers and phones have gotten more and more sophisticated, our buildings haven’t always kept up. However, this won’t be the case for much longer! As we celebrate International Women’s Day and Women in Construction Week, we spoke with three women at McKinstry who are on the front lines of innovation in the built environment:

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The power of diversity and inclusion

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Studies show that diverse and inclusive organizations have higher-functioning teams, enjoy improved financial performance and attract top-notch talent. While the construction industry has been diversifying for decades, women still make up only about nine percent of people employed in construction. At McKinstry, leaders and team members recognize the importance of continuing to grow and improve diversity and inclusion efforts—and individuals across the organization are bringing their passion, commitment and dedication to fostering inclusivity every day. From serving on advisory committees to bringing unique backgrounds to the table to engaging in tough conversations, these three women are helping to pave the way to greater diversity and inclusion in our industry.

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Who are the Women in Construction?

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Today marks the beginning of National Women in Construction Week. While we regularly celebrate the contributions of all our employees, this is a special time of year where we focus on the measurable difference the women of McKinstry are making in the construction industry—and beyond. It’s not just women in hardhats and work boots, but women who work in all facets of the built environment—from engineering, sales and facility operations to human resources, accounting and technology.

This week, we also commemorate International Women’s Day on Thursday, March 8. This day not only celebrates the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women, but it marks a call to action for accelerating gender parity.

Historically, the construction industry has lagged others in the hiring and advancement of women. We know, for example, that women make up only about 9 percent of the construction industry in the United States. However, at McKinstry, women represent almost 30 percent of our professional staff and 15 percent of our tradespeople. The success of our company is due in no small part to each of us working diligently to create an inclusive [Read more…]

2017 WIC Week: Women in the trades

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From L to R: Lena, Nicole, and Allison, pictured on a jobsite in Bellevue, Wash.

For this year’s Women in Construction Week (WIC Week), which runs from March 5-11, we spoke with three women—Nicole Jetson, Allison Camper, and Lena Rowe—who work in the construction trades for McKinstry. Below are excerpts from that interview, covering their careers in construction, their experiences as women in the trades, and their thoughts on how to increase representation of women in their industry.

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