October 19, 2025 • 27 mins
Two-time Emmy and Three-time NAACP Image Award-winning, television Executive Producer Rushion McDonald interviewed Monique Strong.
President of the Atlanta Chapter of the National Association of Black Women in Construction (NABWIC). Here's a breakdown of the key highlights and takeaways:
🔑 Key Themes & Takeaways 1. Breaking Barriers in Construction
- Monique Strong is a trailblazer in a traditionally male-dominated and white-dominated industry.
- She leads NABWIC’s Atlanta chapter, advocating for leadership, equity, and professional development for Black women in construction.
2. What “Construction” Really Means
- Construction isn’t just hard hats and manual labor—it includes:
- General contracting
- Project management
- Estimating
- Safety coordination
- Architecture and engineering
- Business ownership and development
3. Legacy and Inspiration
- Monique’s passion for construction was inspired by her grandfathers and her grandmother, who helped build the home she grew up in.
- Her journey includes a degree in engineering from Clark Atlanta University and further training in construction management.
4. Challenges and Triumphs
- Faced skepticism from family and industry peers.
- Overcame stereotypes and isolation as a young Black woman in construction.
- Emphasizes the importance of knowing who you are and embracing your identity as a woman in the field.
5. The Power of Mentorship and Community
- NABWIC provides a supportive network for women at all stages of their construction careers.
- Weekly calls, mentorship, and shared resources help members grow and succeed.
6. Why Diversity in Construction Matters
- Diversity reflects the makeup of the country and brings innovation and detail-oriented excellence to the field.
- Inclusion in leadership and contracting opportunities is essential for equity and community development.
💬 Notable Quotes
- “You don’t have to be hard. You just have to be hungry.”
- “We are the unicorns people are looking for.”
- “I like to take something that’s nothing and make it something.”
🎯 Advice for Women in Construction
- Get involved with a community like NABWIC that supports your growth.
- Seek mentorship from women at all stages—beginning, middle, and end of their careers.
- Embrace your uniqueness and use it to lead and innovate.
#SHMS #STRAW #BEST #AMI
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome. I am Rashawn McDonald.
Speaker 2 (00:02):
I host the weekly Money Making Conversation Masterclass show. The
interviews and information that this show provides off for everyone.
It's time to start reading other people's success stories and
start living your own. If you want to be a
guest on my show, please visit our website, Moneymaking Conversations
dot com and click the be a Guest button. Now
(00:23):
let's start this show. My guest is the Atlanta Chapter
President of the National Association of Black Women in Construction.
Speaker 1 (00:32):
She is committed to.
Speaker 2 (00:33):
Empowering and advancing Black women in construction through leadership, advocacy,
and professional development. Please welcome to Money Making Conversations Masterclass.
Monique Strong. How are you doing, Monique?
Speaker 3 (00:47):
Hi, Rashon, I'm doing. Grading you pretty good, pretty good.
Speaker 2 (00:50):
I've tried many times to get you on the show
because I felt what you do is important for people
to understand, because it's a very unique journey. When you
say unique, when I say women in construction, let alone
black women in construction.
Speaker 3 (01:04):
Absolutely just imagine right, a force of unstoppable leadership innovation
where Black women in construction don't just participate, but we
are the standards. And so this is the essence of
what the National Association of Black Women in Construction is.
(01:24):
We're a powerhouse of trail blazers. We build legacies, breaking
barriers and the driving force in the industry. And so
this is opportunity for women in this industry to gain
like unparalleled opportunities of advancement, high power, networking, and a
(01:45):
community that empowers you to lead.
Speaker 2 (01:49):
You know, it's really amazing when I think about it, Monique.
You know, because you're breaking stereotypes. Because everybody go construction.
You all see the you know, life looking women walk
about construction women because workers they flirting in whistling, cat
call and all that. You guys are the individuals. Can
you give us a sense of when I say the
word construction, what does that entail? When I say black
(02:13):
women involved in the model of construction industry that's very
much male dominated and very much white male dominated.
Speaker 1 (02:21):
What is construction when I said.
Speaker 3 (02:23):
To you, construction to me is women owned businesses where
they are whether they have they're the tradesmen for mechanical
electrical plumbing that are able to have contractual opportunities, that
are building that own projects where they can be probably
(02:44):
like a million dollar projects or let's say they're the GC,
the general contractor that's actually the prime that's handling these contracts.
Is when you look at construction now, it's not just
about the seal, it's also now about the office, the
corporate part. Whether you're a project manager, whether you're an estimator,
(03:04):
or if you decide to even go into the safety aspect.
We're dominated in the safety. There are so many avenues
and construction that it is beyond It blows people's minds
to know how we have infiltrated this system and that
the image of the old has now transformed into what
you see now in the future. Wow, when you look
(03:26):
at us, you won't even you can't even tell but
that we are a woman in construction. It might be
because we weren't a red bottoms, but don't let the
red bottoms for you.
Speaker 1 (03:36):
I love it. I love it. I'm talking to Monique Strong.
Speaker 2 (03:39):
She is committed to empowering and advancing black women in
construction through leadership, advocacy and professional development. I got to start,
what inspired you to get into construction and what has
your journey been like as a black woman in this industry?
Speaker 3 (03:55):
Great question and thank you for asking that. So It
started with my my grandfather. Both my grandfather's on my
mom's dad, and also my father's dad were in construction.
And so my grandfather, my mother's dad, built the house
I grew up in, and so he was a carpenter
(04:19):
and he and my grandmother actually did the concrete for
the house. And so that was the house that my yeah,
my and I learned that recently through my grandmother not
knowing all this time, that that was always a part
of my history, a woman in construction. And so the
(04:39):
house that my mother grew up in, I grew up in,
and and then I was around it because my grandfather,
I'm originally from Memphis, Tennessee, and so he actually had
a towel company and so he would get contracts through
the city of Memphis and to do cow whether it's
residential or commercial. And I I remember one time where
(05:01):
my father would take me to. At this time, it
was called the Mall of Memphis. It was like a
really affluent mall, and my father would walk me down
in the mall and he would point out different stores.
I remember him pointing out the gap and he said,
your grandfather did that. Just looking at the different towel
(05:22):
on each of the floors, and he says, I want
you to remember that your grandfather did that. And I
would sit sometimes even after school instead of going to
the after school program. My father worked for my grandfather
and would take me and I would sit, you know,
not of course in the near the construction, but I
will watch my grandfather and my father work, and so
(05:43):
I was always around it, not really knowing that that
was something that I was supprised I was gonna do,
because at that time it was meant for the boy
cousins to actually go into that field. But surprisingly the
person that actually went and two construction later alone ended up.
Speaker 1 (06:02):
Being me, right right.
Speaker 2 (06:04):
You know that's the stereotype. You think that's a male feel.
The boys are gonna do it, and you send you
know they are miscuriosity. You taking in the stories. You're
embracing the stories that your father's telling you about. And
now you know it's all about information because I can
remember a lot of things I was told and now
I remember them now at the old age, I go, wow,
(06:26):
I can remember when that information was given to me,
and now how it translates in my life now. Because
I always tell people between the ages of eighteen and
twenty two. That's that period where you feel you can
do anything. And when you get out of that twenty
two then life can kind of take over. You know,
you might go, you might graduate from college, get a job,
(06:47):
get married, may have children, and then your dreams can
get altered. That But if you really think about it,
between the ages of eighteen twenty two, if that's what
you want to do, and you want to go back
and say what I want to do with you'ut what
my life? Go back to that period because that's what
you're going to be doing now. And that sounds like
that's what was happening in your life, was it, Monique?
(07:08):
It was?
Speaker 3 (07:09):
I actually did have so originally when I went to school.
When I went to college, I actually attended the illustrious
Clark Atlanta University, and I graduated with a baskets of
science and engineering. My concentration was electrical, so I was
on a different path. And it wasn't until one day
I was I had this this moment where I felt
(07:31):
like I needed to pisit. I just didn't figure I
was trying to figure out exactly what's the next step?
And you said engineering, right, that is correct?
Speaker 1 (07:40):
Now is an engineering construction?
Speaker 3 (07:44):
You know it's tied.
Speaker 1 (07:45):
So is it not?
Speaker 2 (07:48):
Because my early degree plan was civil engineering and we
all know that's the basis of engineers, the basis of
what you do outside of architect Okay, that is correct,
and so for you just set up on this interview
with me, Monique and go, well, you know, I got
my degree in engineer.
Speaker 1 (08:05):
That's not really like construction.
Speaker 2 (08:06):
You know, that's not really like dealing with building models
and moving things. You need to stop talking to me.
I might end this interview earlier, miss Strong, who you
advocate for?
Speaker 1 (08:18):
Is it because I'm a man?
Speaker 3 (08:19):
No, it is not. Yes, So I would say that
it does help me definitely, will reading of drawings and
plans and feel like you go, I am. I am
grateful for it, absolutely because it gave me the stepping
stone where I didn't have to struggle as much when
(08:42):
I entered this industry. I did. I did end up
going to trade school, and so I actually attended Atlanta
Technical College and went and was a part of the
construction management program. And that's really how I got introduced
to the National Association of Black Woman in Construction because
(09:02):
I actually met a young lady that introduced me to
the Atlanta chapter and and also there was a chair
there named mister Sellers. He introduced me to an internship
where this young lady was and so I served my
first internship as Skyline Engineering and that's where I.
Speaker 2 (09:27):
Engineering popping back up there and that's where I met
my first.
Speaker 3 (09:33):
My first mentor, and I did an internship there for
a while, and one of the the ladies of one
of the sisters of the membership of Natwig share with
me on another opportunity for a company called Yujama Construction,
and I interned there and that ended up being where
(09:55):
my career took off.
Speaker 2 (09:57):
Well, you know, when you think about this, okay, socially okay,
just the word construction, it feels dirty.
Speaker 1 (10:05):
You think of a hard hat.
Speaker 2 (10:06):
And where are you with your friends when you are
embarking in this direction, because it feels like that's just
a dirty job. That feels like a very hard, unattractive
job and not a job that every let alone a
woman but a man may not want to do. Where
are you at when you're starting to tell people this
(10:28):
is your dream, this is the path you're going to follow.
Speaker 3 (10:32):
I must have met my family, thought I had you know,
made a mistake, and they were kind of really concerned
at first because they thought, you know, thinking of the
stereop type. You know, it's a hard type of industry,
you know, very dirty. I think it was just more
(10:52):
so where I just had to you have to navigate
right because there's so many lanes in construction and I'm
not And I also I did through the field. I
actually came into my career where I actually spent some
time on my projects in the field because I feel
that's the best place to kind of learn and grow
(11:13):
and develop. But you know, something I must say is
that you you identify in this industry when you come in,
is that you have to identify who you are and
who you're not. And then also as a woman, you
have to acknowledge and embrace that you are a woman
and you are different. And so no, you don't have
to be hard. That's the past stereotype, because when you
(11:36):
look back in the past, it shows the women are
hard and you know, and different things, and so it's
a lot of stereotypes with that. But there is a
new generation that has entered this industry that has shown
that you don't have to be hard, you just have
to be hungry.
Speaker 1 (11:56):
Well, I think also a relationship player role in that.
Speaker 2 (11:58):
But before we go to break, I just want to
give everybody the definition of engineering. Since my good friend
Monique Strom said, you know, between the years of eighteen
and twenty two, she got a degree in engineering, but
it had nothing to do with the construction future. The
branch of science and technology concern with the design, building,
and use of engines, machines, and structures.
Speaker 1 (12:21):
I think construction.
Speaker 2 (12:24):
Falls in line with that terminology what you got your
degree in.
Speaker 1 (12:28):
Don't you agree that, my friend?
Speaker 3 (12:30):
Absolutely? Absolutely, I am an agreement of that.
Speaker 4 (12:35):
We know.
Speaker 3 (12:35):
You know.
Speaker 2 (12:35):
The great thing about when I'm talking to I call
you a trail baser, Monique because of the fact that
when everybody wants everybody I always say, people want you
to live the path they think you should live, you know,
and then when you start deviating from that path, people
tend to start questioning your own dreams.
Speaker 1 (12:59):
Tell me about that moment.
Speaker 3 (13:01):
H Wow, When I first entered into this industry, I
must say, it was a very hard season for me.
It I was young, I'm a young black woman in
(13:22):
the industry surrounded by men. I didn't at that time.
It wasn't I went to I worked in the field
with men. I worked on my projects were men. When
I even went to some of the walkthroughs where we
were competitively bidding, I would be surrounded by nothing but
white men. I remember a time when I went to
(13:42):
did a job and I walked up and it was
these older white men and they were looking around to see,
you know, number one, who am I and why am
I there? And not knowing that I'm there to also
competitively bid for this for this project as well. And
so it was really an eye opening moment for me.
(14:04):
And it was if I even go back to the
struggle it took to to get to where I am now.
It was not easy because you're fighting let's just say, fear, doubt,
and unbelief. Right, you're jumping into something that you don't
know what you don't know. You're also hoping that you're
(14:26):
getting the right advice for those that support you, right,
But then there's those that support you, but they don't
know either, right, they don't know. They just want you
to succeed and and and and want the best for
You're not sure exactly what that looks like. So I
think in that moment, you really have to go within yourself.
(14:47):
And every time I kept telling myself because I kept
I kept feeling, this is what I was supposed to do.
Those those those instances where I was going having visions
back in the past. Was my dad and my granddad,
and you know when I was one of them was
in the house with my grandfather, which was the carpenter
(15:08):
they built the home. It was just reminding me that
this was something you was supposed to do.
Speaker 4 (15:14):
Please don't go anywhere. We'll be right back with more
money Making Conversations Masterclass. Welcome back to the Money Making
Conversations Masterclass, hosted by Rashaan McDonald. Money Making Conversations Masterclass
continues online at Moneymakingconversations dot com and follow money Making
(15:38):
Conversations Masterclass on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Speaker 1 (15:42):
Construction, that's right. Construction. You know hard hats. You drive down, you.
Speaker 2 (15:47):
Look at these big old buildings. You see these cranes.
You see people with these back holes digging in the ground.
You see people going working in the sun. Is hot
out there. You're going, that's a job I don't want
to do. Let alone, see a woman doing it and
she's happy.
Speaker 1 (16:05):
On the phone.
Speaker 2 (16:06):
I have the president of the Atlanta chapter of the
National Association of Black Women in Construction, beating.
Speaker 1 (16:13):
The drum saying, come on down, this is the place
to be.
Speaker 2 (16:16):
Their opening is their opportunity, is that the attitude is
that the person I'm talking to more Nick.
Speaker 3 (16:21):
Strong, absolutely, absolutely, I believe that we as women do
very well in this industry because we are very detailed.
And that is the number one thing when you're working
with your client that even though you do you've done
all the construction, the thing that your client looks at
(16:43):
when they walk that project, it's not the construction and
how it's done, it's the finish. It's the detail in it. Right,
did you bring their vision to life that you manifested
this way that they showed it to you? And we
women were so detailed that we ask questions to make
sure that we actually created the vision.
Speaker 2 (17:00):
Well, you know, it's really interesting because there are a
lot of opportunities for just black people in general and construction.
There are a lot of jobs to be bid on
because I you know, I'm always being RFPs. You know,
where they you know, they request for a proposal, that's
what RFP means, and you have to compete with a
(17:21):
lot of people. And I'm in that marketing, I'm in
that design studio, graphic design, social media. There's a lot
of people to do that. Now, what happens is if
you are a general contractor and you get a government contract,
then the government will force people to bring on other vendors.
In other words, they just kind of like it really
(17:44):
is a diversity, equity inclusion. The government has always been
that when it comes to government contractors, otherwise it will
be controlled by just two or three companies because they
got the pot. But they've always said, you got to
do business with other people, and it's all and that's
where the opportunities and blacks being able to get into construction.
You just have to have the relationship. And that's what's
(18:07):
why it's important to be with organizations like your organization,
because it's who you know that helps you get to.
Speaker 1 (18:14):
Know with the right people.
Speaker 3 (18:16):
Correct, Monique, Absolutely, I think this whole industry is really
about relationships and when you can find an organization that
can support you and actually is rooting for you and
wants you to succeed, because when you win, they win, right,
And then not only that, we reach you back and
(18:37):
pull up the next sister.
Speaker 2 (18:40):
Now now when we talk about women. Okay, my first job,
I was unloading boxes fifteen years old in the summer
of July. I was driving a forklift and that son
was beaming down on my back on Nick.
Speaker 1 (18:56):
I said, I.
Speaker 2 (18:56):
Will never ever do this kind of work again. This
wasn't for me, just wasn't for me. That he was
killing me and I have I have never went back
out there unless I was just out there having fun. Okay,
So so it's not a dream job all the time.
Speaker 1 (19:11):
But what drives you?
Speaker 2 (19:13):
What when at that moment when that heats on you,
When when the air condition is not available, when you're
out there and you and you and the clock is
ticket what what is motivating you? Because I'm trying to
find out how you are so happy working in construction.
Speaker 3 (19:32):
I like to build.
Speaker 1 (19:34):
I love it. I love it.
Speaker 3 (19:36):
I like I like to take something that's nothing to
make it something. You know. I like to build and create.
I love it. I love the satisfaction that I get
is that when I get an opportunity to have a
client and I and with the various different projects I've done.
I love working with entrepreneurs. I love working with small
business owners, whether it's their first coffee house or whether
(20:00):
and it's their first gym or uh, you know, retail space.
They had this vision, this dream. They stepped outside of
the norm and decided that they wanted to go into
business for themselves, and they were getting ready to uh
and they want to create a space where they can
be able to showcase that. And they come to us
(20:20):
and say, this is my vision, and then being able
to manifest that and walk them through the stages of construction.
And then you stand in the space when you get
ready to do the ribbon cutting and you look around
and in this the vision that they actually saw in
their mind. That's why I do it.
Speaker 2 (20:38):
I'm gonna tell you something made me jump in line.
You go from like that, you know, the little tossing
the other dirt with the shovel when you break the ground.
Speaker 3 (20:49):
It's exciting. It's exciting because they get a chance to get,
you know, share with their family members and they built legacy.
Right so now they're family members, whether it's they're children
or their mother can see the manifestation of that vision.
And so that's what it is. Shout out to all
the women that are in the trade that or whether
(21:12):
they are you know, poor in concrete or whether they're
doing the mechanical, electrical, plumbing or the other part of
it is that they might not be so much hands
on in the field, but they may be the project
manager or the estimator, or the safety coordinator, a director,
or they're the CEO. Right are they the designer? Because
(21:36):
we have women in this construction is so vast, you
can be the architect.
Speaker 1 (21:41):
Well, you know.
Speaker 2 (21:42):
The beauty of this is that every last one of
the jobs from welder, plumba electrical you know, construction laborer,
a well paying jobs that have help benefit's tied to it.
These are outstanding jobs that really can give you a
lifestyle that can be very very healthy and also can
(22:02):
lead you to other opportunities. But it's all about willing
to put in the work. As we go near this
interviews in I would need you to answer a couple
of questions for me. Why do you believe diversity and
inclusion and construction leadership are so important and how can
the industry do better?
Speaker 3 (22:22):
I believe it's important because the country is diverse, right.
I believe it's important because one of the things that
so that makes us great at who we are is
our diversity and being able to be in spaces where
you can utilize your skill, especially being in construction to
(22:44):
design and build is needed. I believe that women in construction,
we are the unicorns that people are looking for. You
see it well in the federal contracting industry, right, they
have to have a certain prince percinach because of to
to be able to employ diversity and even now. I
(23:06):
understand that things are changing based on the administration, but
it's so important because it makes us who we are.
It also inspires us to continue to be leaders of
our communities and to be able to build and grow.
We were being able to increase the unrepresentation, the lack
(23:26):
of divisibility. It's important to be able to expand the
workplace culture. And then number one, it's important to be
able to have mentors and sponsors, right sponsorships. I think
the challenges are there, but I believe we can overcome them.
(23:47):
We overcome the stereotypes because it's already changing. What we
look like years ago is different for what we look
like now.
Speaker 1 (23:55):
I can attest to that.
Speaker 2 (23:56):
I remember in high school, I'm a good friends who
classmates there were the Sloans and they told me, they
dad run a Cemen truck. Now you were you own
the Cemen truck, you were making money, okay, and they
was living in the same neighborhood. I still don't understand
that because we weren't living in a good neighborhood. But
they would have the Seamen truck. And and you're on
(24:19):
the Seamen truck. That's like white gold. That's like that's
like almost like printing money. And that was the first
time I heard construction and it was tied to black people.
And I could never wrap my head around that because
it is so unique. And but but that's back then,
like you were saying, today is not unique. And as
(24:41):
you talk to women doing this interview, what advice and
how would you tell me to advance their careers in
the construction and what advice would you give them?
Speaker 3 (24:51):
Okay, Well, I still think that it's still unique, right
because when we're we are better than we we was
years ago. When we still have you know, we still
have some ways to go, right, And I think the
most important part about it is that what this organization
does it advocates for fair contracting opportunities and connecting members
to procure and resources. And also we educate. If you
(25:15):
are a woman in construction or you are a woman
that would like to be in construction, the number one
thing I would say is get around a community that
supports that so that it can be able to create
a pathway for leadership and mentorship for you. Because you
don't know what you don't know, and there are women
that will share their nuggets with you. They'll share there.
We would have something every week in the chapter where
(25:37):
we would get on the call and talk about roses
and thorns, our wins, and even our losses, because your
losses can educate someone right, it can help them to
be able to steal events. Because if if you're saying
you've been there, there's always people at the beginning, the middle,
and the end, and each one of them have nuggets.
(25:59):
And so my advice would be is connect yourself with
individuals that are in the middle of the beginning of
the end of construction that you can grow.
Speaker 2 (26:09):
Wow, I'm talking to she's special Monique Strong. She is
the president of the Atlanta chapter of the National Association
of Black Women in Construction. You heard it first right
here on one and making conversations Mastercreli. She's doing it
down here Black Women in Construction building ground laying the
groundwork and building. Like she said, Rashan is when you
(26:30):
somebody bring a dream to her and she take that
dream and make it happen. That's why she do it.
She don't care how hot it is outside or how
long the days are. Is being able to build somebody's
dream and then for them to shake her hand and
say thank you.
Speaker 3 (26:46):
Yes.
Speaker 1 (26:47):
Sound like some engineering to me, Miss Clark, Atlanta University.
I appreciate you coming on myself on Nick Strong.
Speaker 2 (26:56):
You keep dreaming girl eighteen to twenty two, because you're
doing it now.
Speaker 3 (26:59):
Okay, thank you so much. Thank you for having me.
Speaker 2 (27:03):
We'll talk soon with my friend Monique Strong, the Atlanta
chapter president of the National Association of Black Women in Construction.
Be Strong anytime you Nabe, please call me.
Speaker 3 (27:12):
Okay, all right, thank you.
Speaker 2 (27:14):
This has been another edition of Money Making Conversation Masterclass
posted by me Rashaun McDonald. Thank you to our guests
on the show today and thank you o listening to
audience now. If you want to listen to any episode
I want to be a guest on the show, visit
Moneymaking Conversations dot com.
Speaker 1 (27:30):
Our social media handle is Money Making Conversation.
Speaker 2 (27:33):
Join us next week and remember to always leave with
your gifts.
Speaker 1 (27:36):
Keep winning,
Welcome. I am Rashawn McDonald.
Speaker 2 (00:02):
I host the weekly Money Making Conversation Masterclass show. The
interviews and information that this show provides off for everyone.
It's time to start reading other people's success stories and
start living your own. If you want to be a
guest on my show, please visit our website, Moneymaking Conversations
dot com and click the be a Guest button. Now
(00:23):
let's start this show. My guest is the Atlanta Chapter
President of the National Association of Black Women in Construction.
Speaker 1 (00:32):
She is committed to.
Speaker 2 (00:33):
Empowering and advancing Black women in construction through leadership, advocacy,
and professional development. Please welcome to Money Making Conversations Masterclass.
Monique Strong. How are you doing, Monique?
Speaker 3 (00:47):
Hi, Rashon, I'm doing. Grading you pretty good, pretty good.
Speaker 2 (00:50):
I've tried many times to get you on the show
because I felt what you do is important for people
to understand, because it's a very unique journey. When you
say unique, when I say women in construction, let alone
black women in construction.
Speaker 3 (01:04):
Absolutely just imagine right, a force of unstoppable leadership innovation
where Black women in construction don't just participate, but we
are the standards. And so this is the essence of
what the National Association of Black Women in Construction is.
(01:24):
We're a powerhouse of trail blazers. We build legacies, breaking
barriers and the driving force in the industry. And so
this is opportunity for women in this industry to gain
like unparalleled opportunities of advancement, high power, networking, and a
(01:45):
community that empowers you to lead.
Speaker 2 (01:49):
You know, it's really amazing when I think about it, Monique.
You know, because you're breaking stereotypes. Because everybody go construction.
You all see the you know, life looking women walk
about construction women because workers they flirting in whistling, cat
call and all that. You guys are the individuals. Can
you give us a sense of when I say the
word construction, what does that entail? When I say black
(02:13):
women involved in the model of construction industry that's very
much male dominated and very much white male dominated.
Speaker 1 (02:21):
What is construction when I said.
Speaker 3 (02:23):
To you, construction to me is women owned businesses where
they are whether they have they're the tradesmen for mechanical
electrical plumbing that are able to have contractual opportunities, that
are building that own projects where they can be probably
(02:44):
like a million dollar projects or let's say they're the GC,
the general contractor that's actually the prime that's handling these contracts.
Is when you look at construction now, it's not just
about the seal, it's also now about the office, the
corporate part. Whether you're a project manager, whether you're an estimator,
(03:04):
or if you decide to even go into the safety aspect.
We're dominated in the safety. There are so many avenues
and construction that it is beyond It blows people's minds
to know how we have infiltrated this system and that
the image of the old has now transformed into what
you see now in the future. Wow, when you look
(03:26):
at us, you won't even you can't even tell but
that we are a woman in construction. It might be
because we weren't a red bottoms, but don't let the
red bottoms for you.
Speaker 1 (03:36):
I love it. I love it. I'm talking to Monique Strong.
Speaker 2 (03:39):
She is committed to empowering and advancing black women in
construction through leadership, advocacy and professional development. I got to start,
what inspired you to get into construction and what has
your journey been like as a black woman in this industry?
Speaker 3 (03:55):
Great question and thank you for asking that. So It
started with my my grandfather. Both my grandfather's on my
mom's dad, and also my father's dad were in construction.
And so my grandfather, my mother's dad, built the house
I grew up in, and so he was a carpenter
(04:19):
and he and my grandmother actually did the concrete for
the house. And so that was the house that my yeah,
my and I learned that recently through my grandmother not
knowing all this time, that that was always a part
of my history, a woman in construction. And so the
(04:39):
house that my mother grew up in, I grew up in,
and and then I was around it because my grandfather,
I'm originally from Memphis, Tennessee, and so he actually had
a towel company and so he would get contracts through
the city of Memphis and to do cow whether it's
residential or commercial. And I I remember one time where
(05:01):
my father would take me to. At this time, it
was called the Mall of Memphis. It was like a
really affluent mall, and my father would walk me down
in the mall and he would point out different stores.
I remember him pointing out the gap and he said,
your grandfather did that. Just looking at the different towel
(05:22):
on each of the floors, and he says, I want
you to remember that your grandfather did that. And I
would sit sometimes even after school instead of going to
the after school program. My father worked for my grandfather
and would take me and I would sit, you know,
not of course in the near the construction, but I
will watch my grandfather and my father work, and so
(05:43):
I was always around it, not really knowing that that
was something that I was supprised I was gonna do,
because at that time it was meant for the boy
cousins to actually go into that field. But surprisingly the
person that actually went and two construction later alone ended up.
Speaker 1 (06:02):
Being me, right right.
Speaker 2 (06:04):
You know that's the stereotype. You think that's a male feel.
The boys are gonna do it, and you send you
know they are miscuriosity. You taking in the stories. You're
embracing the stories that your father's telling you about. And
now you know it's all about information because I can
remember a lot of things I was told and now
I remember them now at the old age, I go, wow,
(06:26):
I can remember when that information was given to me,
and now how it translates in my life now. Because
I always tell people between the ages of eighteen and
twenty two. That's that period where you feel you can
do anything. And when you get out of that twenty
two then life can kind of take over. You know,
you might go, you might graduate from college, get a job,
(06:47):
get married, may have children, and then your dreams can
get altered. That But if you really think about it,
between the ages of eighteen twenty two, if that's what
you want to do, and you want to go back
and say what I want to do with you'ut what
my life? Go back to that period because that's what
you're going to be doing now. And that sounds like
that's what was happening in your life, was it, Monique?
(07:08):
It was?
Speaker 3 (07:09):
I actually did have so originally when I went to school.
When I went to college, I actually attended the illustrious
Clark Atlanta University, and I graduated with a baskets of
science and engineering. My concentration was electrical, so I was
on a different path. And it wasn't until one day
I was I had this this moment where I felt
(07:31):
like I needed to pisit. I just didn't figure I
was trying to figure out exactly what's the next step?
And you said engineering, right, that is correct?
Speaker 1 (07:40):
Now is an engineering construction?
Speaker 3 (07:44):
You know it's tied.
Speaker 1 (07:45):
So is it not?
Speaker 2 (07:48):
Because my early degree plan was civil engineering and we
all know that's the basis of engineers, the basis of
what you do outside of architect Okay, that is correct,
and so for you just set up on this interview
with me, Monique and go, well, you know, I got
my degree in engineer.
Speaker 1 (08:05):
That's not really like construction.
Speaker 2 (08:06):
You know, that's not really like dealing with building models
and moving things. You need to stop talking to me.
I might end this interview earlier, miss Strong, who you
advocate for?
Speaker 1 (08:18):
Is it because I'm a man?
Speaker 3 (08:19):
No, it is not. Yes, So I would say that
it does help me definitely, will reading of drawings and
plans and feel like you go, I am. I am
grateful for it, absolutely because it gave me the stepping
stone where I didn't have to struggle as much when
(08:42):
I entered this industry. I did. I did end up
going to trade school, and so I actually attended Atlanta
Technical College and went and was a part of the
construction management program. And that's really how I got introduced
to the National Association of Black Woman in Construction because
(09:02):
I actually met a young lady that introduced me to
the Atlanta chapter and and also there was a chair
there named mister Sellers. He introduced me to an internship
where this young lady was and so I served my
first internship as Skyline Engineering and that's where I.
Speaker 2 (09:27):
Engineering popping back up there and that's where I met
my first.
Speaker 3 (09:33):
My first mentor, and I did an internship there for
a while, and one of the the ladies of one
of the sisters of the membership of Natwig share with
me on another opportunity for a company called Yujama Construction,
and I interned there and that ended up being where
(09:55):
my career took off.
Speaker 2 (09:57):
Well, you know, when you think about this, okay, socially okay,
just the word construction, it feels dirty.
Speaker 1 (10:05):
You think of a hard hat.
Speaker 2 (10:06):
And where are you with your friends when you are
embarking in this direction, because it feels like that's just
a dirty job. That feels like a very hard, unattractive
job and not a job that every let alone a
woman but a man may not want to do. Where
are you at when you're starting to tell people this
(10:28):
is your dream, this is the path you're going to follow.
Speaker 3 (10:32):
I must have met my family, thought I had you know,
made a mistake, and they were kind of really concerned
at first because they thought, you know, thinking of the
stereop type. You know, it's a hard type of industry,
you know, very dirty. I think it was just more
(10:52):
so where I just had to you have to navigate
right because there's so many lanes in construction and I'm
not And I also I did through the field. I
actually came into my career where I actually spent some
time on my projects in the field because I feel
that's the best place to kind of learn and grow
(11:13):
and develop. But you know, something I must say is
that you you identify in this industry when you come in,
is that you have to identify who you are and
who you're not. And then also as a woman, you
have to acknowledge and embrace that you are a woman
and you are different. And so no, you don't have
to be hard. That's the past stereotype, because when you
(11:36):
look back in the past, it shows the women are
hard and you know, and different things, and so it's
a lot of stereotypes with that. But there is a
new generation that has entered this industry that has shown
that you don't have to be hard, you just have
to be hungry.
Speaker 1 (11:56):
Well, I think also a relationship player role in that.
Speaker 2 (11:58):
But before we go to break, I just want to
give everybody the definition of engineering. Since my good friend
Monique Strom said, you know, between the years of eighteen
and twenty two, she got a degree in engineering, but
it had nothing to do with the construction future. The
branch of science and technology concern with the design, building,
and use of engines, machines, and structures.
Speaker 1 (12:21):
I think construction.
Speaker 2 (12:24):
Falls in line with that terminology what you got your
degree in.
Speaker 1 (12:28):
Don't you agree that, my friend?
Speaker 3 (12:30):
Absolutely? Absolutely, I am an agreement of that.
Speaker 4 (12:35):
We know.
Speaker 3 (12:35):
You know.
Speaker 2 (12:35):
The great thing about when I'm talking to I call
you a trail baser, Monique because of the fact that
when everybody wants everybody I always say, people want you
to live the path they think you should live, you know,
and then when you start deviating from that path, people
tend to start questioning your own dreams.
Speaker 1 (12:59):
Tell me about that moment.
Speaker 3 (13:01):
H Wow, When I first entered into this industry, I
must say, it was a very hard season for me.
It I was young, I'm a young black woman in
(13:22):
the industry surrounded by men. I didn't at that time.
It wasn't I went to I worked in the field
with men. I worked on my projects were men. When
I even went to some of the walkthroughs where we
were competitively bidding, I would be surrounded by nothing but
white men. I remember a time when I went to
(13:42):
did a job and I walked up and it was
these older white men and they were looking around to see,
you know, number one, who am I and why am
I there? And not knowing that I'm there to also
competitively bid for this for this project as well. And
so it was really an eye opening moment for me.
(14:04):
And it was if I even go back to the
struggle it took to to get to where I am now.
It was not easy because you're fighting let's just say, fear, doubt,
and unbelief. Right, you're jumping into something that you don't
know what you don't know. You're also hoping that you're
(14:26):
getting the right advice for those that support you, right,
But then there's those that support you, but they don't
know either, right, they don't know. They just want you
to succeed and and and and want the best for
You're not sure exactly what that looks like. So I
think in that moment, you really have to go within yourself.
(14:47):
And every time I kept telling myself because I kept
I kept feeling, this is what I was supposed to do.
Those those those instances where I was going having visions
back in the past. Was my dad and my granddad,
and you know when I was one of them was
in the house with my grandfather, which was the carpenter
(15:08):
they built the home. It was just reminding me that
this was something you was supposed to do.
Speaker 4 (15:14):
Please don't go anywhere. We'll be right back with more
money Making Conversations Masterclass. Welcome back to the Money Making
Conversations Masterclass, hosted by Rashaan McDonald. Money Making Conversations Masterclass
continues online at Moneymakingconversations dot com and follow money Making
(15:38):
Conversations Masterclass on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Speaker 1 (15:42):
Construction, that's right. Construction. You know hard hats. You drive down, you.
Speaker 2 (15:47):
Look at these big old buildings. You see these cranes.
You see people with these back holes digging in the ground.
You see people going working in the sun. Is hot
out there. You're going, that's a job I don't want
to do. Let alone, see a woman doing it and
she's happy.
Speaker 1 (16:05):
On the phone.
Speaker 2 (16:06):
I have the president of the Atlanta chapter of the
National Association of Black Women in Construction, beating.
Speaker 1 (16:13):
The drum saying, come on down, this is the place
to be.
Speaker 2 (16:16):
Their opening is their opportunity, is that the attitude is
that the person I'm talking to more Nick.
Speaker 3 (16:21):
Strong, absolutely, absolutely, I believe that we as women do
very well in this industry because we are very detailed.
And that is the number one thing when you're working
with your client that even though you do you've done
all the construction, the thing that your client looks at
(16:43):
when they walk that project, it's not the construction and
how it's done, it's the finish. It's the detail in it. Right,
did you bring their vision to life that you manifested
this way that they showed it to you? And we
women were so detailed that we ask questions to make
sure that we actually created the vision.
Speaker 2 (17:00):
Well, you know, it's really interesting because there are a
lot of opportunities for just black people in general and construction.
There are a lot of jobs to be bid on
because I you know, I'm always being RFPs. You know,
where they you know, they request for a proposal, that's
what RFP means, and you have to compete with a
(17:21):
lot of people. And I'm in that marketing, I'm in
that design studio, graphic design, social media. There's a lot
of people to do that. Now, what happens is if
you are a general contractor and you get a government contract,
then the government will force people to bring on other vendors.
In other words, they just kind of like it really
(17:44):
is a diversity, equity inclusion. The government has always been
that when it comes to government contractors, otherwise it will
be controlled by just two or three companies because they
got the pot. But they've always said, you got to
do business with other people, and it's all and that's
where the opportunities and blacks being able to get into construction.
You just have to have the relationship. And that's what's
(18:07):
why it's important to be with organizations like your organization,
because it's who you know that helps you get to.
Speaker 1 (18:14):
Know with the right people.
Speaker 3 (18:16):
Correct, Monique, Absolutely, I think this whole industry is really
about relationships and when you can find an organization that
can support you and actually is rooting for you and
wants you to succeed, because when you win, they win, right,
And then not only that, we reach you back and
(18:37):
pull up the next sister.
Speaker 2 (18:40):
Now now when we talk about women. Okay, my first job,
I was unloading boxes fifteen years old in the summer
of July. I was driving a forklift and that son
was beaming down on my back on Nick.
Speaker 1 (18:56):
I said, I.
Speaker 2 (18:56):
Will never ever do this kind of work again. This
wasn't for me, just wasn't for me. That he was
killing me and I have I have never went back
out there unless I was just out there having fun. Okay,
So so it's not a dream job all the time.
Speaker 1 (19:11):
But what drives you?
Speaker 2 (19:13):
What when at that moment when that heats on you,
When when the air condition is not available, when you're
out there and you and you and the clock is
ticket what what is motivating you? Because I'm trying to
find out how you are so happy working in construction.
Speaker 3 (19:32):
I like to build.
Speaker 1 (19:34):
I love it. I love it.
Speaker 3 (19:36):
I like I like to take something that's nothing to
make it something. You know. I like to build and create.
I love it. I love the satisfaction that I get
is that when I get an opportunity to have a
client and I and with the various different projects I've done.
I love working with entrepreneurs. I love working with small
business owners, whether it's their first coffee house or whether
(20:00):
and it's their first gym or uh, you know, retail space.
They had this vision, this dream. They stepped outside of
the norm and decided that they wanted to go into
business for themselves, and they were getting ready to uh
and they want to create a space where they can
be able to showcase that. And they come to us
(20:20):
and say, this is my vision, and then being able
to manifest that and walk them through the stages of construction.
And then you stand in the space when you get
ready to do the ribbon cutting and you look around
and in this the vision that they actually saw in
their mind. That's why I do it.
Speaker 2 (20:38):
I'm gonna tell you something made me jump in line.
You go from like that, you know, the little tossing
the other dirt with the shovel when you break the ground.
Speaker 3 (20:49):
It's exciting. It's exciting because they get a chance to get,
you know, share with their family members and they built legacy.
Right so now they're family members, whether it's they're children
or their mother can see the manifestation of that vision.
And so that's what it is. Shout out to all
the women that are in the trade that or whether
(21:12):
they are you know, poor in concrete or whether they're
doing the mechanical, electrical, plumbing or the other part of
it is that they might not be so much hands
on in the field, but they may be the project
manager or the estimator, or the safety coordinator, a director,
or they're the CEO. Right are they the designer? Because
(21:36):
we have women in this construction is so vast, you
can be the architect.
Speaker 1 (21:41):
Well, you know.
Speaker 2 (21:42):
The beauty of this is that every last one of
the jobs from welder, plumba electrical you know, construction laborer,
a well paying jobs that have help benefit's tied to it.
These are outstanding jobs that really can give you a
lifestyle that can be very very healthy and also can
(22:02):
lead you to other opportunities. But it's all about willing
to put in the work. As we go near this
interviews in I would need you to answer a couple
of questions for me. Why do you believe diversity and
inclusion and construction leadership are so important and how can
the industry do better?
Speaker 3 (22:22):
I believe it's important because the country is diverse, right.
I believe it's important because one of the things that
so that makes us great at who we are is
our diversity and being able to be in spaces where
you can utilize your skill, especially being in construction to
(22:44):
design and build is needed. I believe that women in construction,
we are the unicorns that people are looking for. You
see it well in the federal contracting industry, right, they
have to have a certain prince percinach because of to
to be able to employ diversity and even now. I
(23:06):
understand that things are changing based on the administration, but
it's so important because it makes us who we are.
It also inspires us to continue to be leaders of
our communities and to be able to build and grow.
We were being able to increase the unrepresentation, the lack
(23:26):
of divisibility. It's important to be able to expand the
workplace culture. And then number one, it's important to be
able to have mentors and sponsors, right sponsorships. I think
the challenges are there, but I believe we can overcome them.
(23:47):
We overcome the stereotypes because it's already changing. What we
look like years ago is different for what we look
like now.
Speaker 1 (23:55):
I can attest to that.
Speaker 2 (23:56):
I remember in high school, I'm a good friends who
classmates there were the Sloans and they told me, they
dad run a Cemen truck. Now you were you own
the Cemen truck, you were making money, okay, and they
was living in the same neighborhood. I still don't understand
that because we weren't living in a good neighborhood. But
they would have the Seamen truck. And and you're on
(24:19):
the Seamen truck. That's like white gold. That's like that's
like almost like printing money. And that was the first
time I heard construction and it was tied to black people.
And I could never wrap my head around that because
it is so unique. And but but that's back then,
like you were saying, today is not unique. And as
(24:41):
you talk to women doing this interview, what advice and
how would you tell me to advance their careers in
the construction and what advice would you give them?
Speaker 3 (24:51):
Okay, Well, I still think that it's still unique, right
because when we're we are better than we we was
years ago. When we still have you know, we still
have some ways to go, right, And I think the
most important part about it is that what this organization
does it advocates for fair contracting opportunities and connecting members
to procure and resources. And also we educate. If you
(25:15):
are a woman in construction or you are a woman
that would like to be in construction, the number one
thing I would say is get around a community that
supports that so that it can be able to create
a pathway for leadership and mentorship for you. Because you
don't know what you don't know, and there are women
that will share their nuggets with you. They'll share there.
We would have something every week in the chapter where
(25:37):
we would get on the call and talk about roses
and thorns, our wins, and even our losses, because your
losses can educate someone right, it can help them to
be able to steal events. Because if if you're saying
you've been there, there's always people at the beginning, the middle,
and the end, and each one of them have nuggets.
(25:59):
And so my advice would be is connect yourself with
individuals that are in the middle of the beginning of
the end of construction that you can grow.
Speaker 2 (26:09):
Wow, I'm talking to she's special Monique Strong. She is
the president of the Atlanta chapter of the National Association
of Black Women in Construction. You heard it first right
here on one and making conversations Mastercreli. She's doing it
down here Black Women in Construction building ground laying the
groundwork and building. Like she said, Rashan is when you
(26:30):
somebody bring a dream to her and she take that
dream and make it happen. That's why she do it.
She don't care how hot it is outside or how
long the days are. Is being able to build somebody's
dream and then for them to shake her hand and
say thank you.
Speaker 3 (26:46):
Yes.
Speaker 1 (26:47):
Sound like some engineering to me, Miss Clark, Atlanta University.
I appreciate you coming on myself on Nick Strong.
Speaker 2 (26:56):
You keep dreaming girl eighteen to twenty two, because you're
doing it now.
Speaker 3 (26:59):
Okay, thank you so much. Thank you for having me.
Speaker 2 (27:03):
We'll talk soon with my friend Monique Strong, the Atlanta
chapter president of the National Association of Black Women in Construction.
Be Strong anytime you Nabe, please call me.
Speaker 3 (27:12):
Okay, all right, thank you.
Speaker 2 (27:14):
This has been another edition of Money Making Conversation Masterclass
posted by me Rashaun McDonald. Thank you to our guests
on the show today and thank you o listening to
audience now. If you want to listen to any episode
I want to be a guest on the show, visit
Moneymaking Conversations dot com.
Speaker 1 (27:30):
Our social media handle is Money Making Conversation.
Speaker 2 (27:33):
Join us next week and remember to always leave with
your gifts.
Speaker 1 (27:36):
Keep winning,
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