THREE Women Changing the Face of Cincinnati’s Construction Industry
by Lynne Hayes
Every day, more than 314,000 women head to construction sites and management positions where once only men could be found. Interest in trade careers is growing among young women in the U.S. each year. In fact, the number of women considering and entering into trade careers reached its highest level in 2021.
ACI and its member companies, through programs like SheBuilds, are inspiring more females to join the commercial construction workforce through training, mentoring, and connection. Meet three women who’ve followed their dreams and found success in their chosen trade paths.
The Safety Manager
Dawn Yates, Turner Construction Company
At the tender age of five, Dawn Yates loved to be outside playing in the dirt. Later, as a single mom, she found a way to turn her fondness for getting her hands dirty into a well-paying career.
“My dad wasn’t happy about my career choice,” Yates said. “His reaction was, ‘Why do you have to do a guy’s job… what do you want to prove?’ A few years later, my dad saw my tax form and was blown away by my earnings. He realized it wasn’t about me proving anything.”
“I found that construction paid very well with plenty of room for growth if you’re a go-getter willing to work hard and learn new things,” she said. “I wanted a career that would allow my son and me to enjoy life, not just live paycheck to paycheck. Plus, it fits my personality to a ‘T’ since I’ve always been a critical thinker and a problem-solver.”
Yates began as a laborer, and within four years had progressed to journeywoman pipefitter.
“I spent 13 years performing boilermaker work in power plants. My true passion was as a pipefitter,” she said. “Our only tools back then were a plumb bob and a tape measure — and your brain. That’s what I liked about the work.”
The move into safety came during a stint for Ranger Steel. A colleague, now the operations manager, needed someone to handle safety for a power plant outage. Yates jumped at the opportunity. Fast forward to today, Yates is celebrating 11 years as a Safety Manager.
“I’m responsible for all things safety,” Yates said. “From the beginning bid review to client pre-construction meetings, onsite support, tech planning, all the way to completion. I also handle safety auditing and coaching, as well as development and implementation of safety training, safety policy updates and drug screening.”
Being a woman in this position doesn’t come without challenges, Yates admitted.
“As a female, you need to prove yourself every day,” she said. “Getting the guys to trust you and understand that you’re capable is a process. I’ve demonstrated that I understand what they do because I’ve done it myself. That goes a long way toward building trust.”
Yates’ message to girls and their parents about the trades: “The opportunity to climb an endless ladder of success is there, waiting for you.”
“The days of a woman’s job vs. a man’s job are over. If you are interested, then try it!” she added. “I see young women entering the trades that are killing it — they’re knocking it out of the park (and are thinking), I am going to be working for her some day!”
The Journeyman Ironworker
Saria Gwin-Maye,
cHc Fabricating
The welding helmet that Saria Gwin-Maye wears on the job for CHC Steel Fabricating would seem like a great equalizer, but the veteran ironworker with more than three decades behind her said that being a woman in the field still has its frustrations.
“The work that we do is very challenging and very physical. And as a woman in a male dominated trade, I find it hard sometimes to understand why there aren’ more female fore[wo]men or general fore[wo]men in ironwork. But I do know a change is coming. I hope that before I retire I will get that opportunity. If not, I still know my work wasn’t in vain and that it will impact the next female whose vision is the same.”
Gwin-Maye said she feels valued by her employer, even if the path forward isn’t quite as easy as it might be for men.
In 2022 she was nominated by her company and received Allied Construction Industries’ She Builds Excellence Construction Career Award.
“cHc owners, project managers, and general foremen were at my table. The fact that they took time out of their very busy day to come and witness the ceremony meant so much to me.”
Gwin-Maye’s other memorable moment was being chosen by her Local 44 to introduce the President of the United States when he visited in January. She also had the honor of speaking on behalf of women in the trade at the event. Later, she was invited to attend the State of the Union address. She called the experience “one of my proudest moments.”
Asked if she would choose the same profession if she had to do it all over again, Gwin-Maye didn’t hesitate to say “absolutely.”
She said she loves how she has “grown as a person, a woman, and as an individual” from her experience. Her passion for ironwork, she added, comes from “the adrenaline seeking side of me, as well as knowing that I can build and create something from nothing — and being able to step back and see the finished project, just knowing I had a part in the creation.”
Gwin-Maye’s other passion is being able to lift up young women through She Builds (formerly known as Rosie’s Girls, a summer camp named for Rosie the Riveter) in which girls aged 11-13 can learn carpentry, plumbing and other trades.
“It’s a privilege to volunteer and help girls realize there are options for women in the trades,” she said. “I’m helping to teach skills that they can take with them as they grow which helps them to find an interest at an early age that marinates in their minds for years to come.”
Gwin-Maye is quick with a list of dos and don’ts for young girls wanting to pursue a trade career.
“My advice is ‘go for it!’ but respect the choice and respect yourself,” she said. “Don’t allow anyone to make you lose focus on the reason you chose this as a career and never give up. Don’t hesitate to ask questions when you don’t understand, and don’t be afraid to talk or tell someone when something isn’t right or if someone does something that you aren’t comfortable with.”
Gwin-Maye is always thrilled to run into past [She Builds] participants who have landed careers in construction.
“They still had the excitement in their eyes and the eagerness to learn,” she said. “It did my heart proud that I impacted them enough that they remembered me and what I taught them. My words to live by are ‘believe in yourself and anything is achievable.’”
The First Woman CEO
Michele O’Rourke,
O’Rourke Wrecking
In the early days of her career at O’Rourke Wrecking Company, Michele O’Rourke’s job description included everything from managing billings and collections to cleaning, ordering supplies, and answering phones. In her words, there were few jobs she didn’t do, something she says definitely served her well.
Over the next 30 years, O’Rourke was able to learn the wrecking business from the ground up. She was promoted to project manager and then business development director, and today serves as the company’s first female Chief Executive Officer.
“In those early years, it wasn’t easy for a woman in the demolition business,” O’Rourke said. “Today that kind of treatment is absolutely unacceptable. In fact, it’s refreshing to see the next generation of young professionals viewing all of their counterparts as their equal. It took a generation, but we’re making great progress.”
Looking back at her career, O’Rourke said she knew there would have been easier roads to take, but it’s the “hard” road that made her who she is today.
“In the past five years I have seen a big shift in the mindset of men with women in the trades. I think men (young men in particular) value what women bring to the team. Women are viewed far less on what they can’t do, and far more on what they can…and what they add to the team. This is progress.”
As for her advice to young women interested in pursuing a career in the skilled trades, O’Rourke believes in laying the right groundwork.
“Shadow as many people as you can in the trades to see what you gravitate to; what makes you happy,” she advised. “Attend a trade school and get into an apprenticeship program. And don’t be afraid to ask questions.”
“Above all,” O’Rourke added, “find a female mentor to ask questions of and guide you. This is a stable, lucrative, fulfilling career. Every day, I get to dismantle stereotypes. It gives me hope that I am inspiring more young women to consider the field.”