This week, the construction industry celebrated Women in Construction Week, but before we get there, I want to celebrate the first woman who built me — my mom.
🎉 Happy Birthday, Mom! 🎉
My mom didn’t work in construction, but she ran a pretty complex project — raising four kids under 10 while my dad was deployed to Desert Storm. She was the ultimate project manager — organized, resourceful, and always two steps ahead. Everything I know about follow-through, coordination, and handling competing stakeholders started with her.
I talk a lot about veterans being a blue ocean strategy to help close the talent gap in construction. But veterans aren’t the only untapped talent pool — women are another.
With an aging workforce, rising construction spending, and fewer young people choosing careers in construction, we need more creative solutions. Technology will help, but AI can’t replace the human elements of leadership, collaboration, and problem-solving. Women bring natural strengths in all those areas — we just need to show them that they belong.
That’s exactly why I loved sitting down with Barb Allen on this week’s episode of Leadership Blueprints. Barb spent 20 years as a jobsite superintendent — often the only woman on site — before becoming a nationally recognized speaker and advocate for women in construction. Her message is clear: Women don’t need pink hard hats or special treatment — they just need to see themselves in the story.
Because as that quote says:
If you want something said, ask a man. If you want something done, ask a woman.
If we want to build stronger teams — and a stronger future for our industry — we need to highlight the women who are already building with us, and make sure the next generation sees the full picture of what a career in construction can be.
If you want to hear Barb’s story and her advice for companies like ours, listen to this week’s episode:
🎧 https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/building-beyond-barriers-women-leading-the-way-in/id1561090224?i=1000697849118
So here’s to the women who build — our projects, our companies, and in my case, our families.
Happy Women in Construction Week — and Happy Birthday, Mom
BJ
P.S. – If you’re looking for a simple way to recognize the women already on your team, check out Barb’s 14 Percenters Box, a subscription built just for them: 📦 constructionbarb.com
