March 21, 2025 • 26 mins
In this She Builds Nation special episode, Irene Garcia shares her unique career path from an electrical apprentice to a project manager of a 60-story high rise, and how her experiences led to her founding a successful women in construction coaching business. Irene offers invaluable insights into overcoming challenges, building relationships, and leveraging opportunities for women in construction. Tune in to learn about emerging industry trends, essential career advice, and the steps to empower women in this dynamic field.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hey everyone, i'mlu Perez, your host of The Builder Upper Show,
a podcast where we talk about everything in construction and trades.
We have a special co host today, Jennifer Hires, who
will be interviewing women in Construction for Women in Construction Week.
Hey Jen, how are you doing?
Speaker 2 (00:16):
Hi lud, Thanks for having me.
Speaker 1 (00:18):
Who is your special guest today?
Speaker 2 (00:27):
All right, welcome to the show.
Speaker 3 (00:30):
I am beyond excited to introduce our guest to The
Builder Upper Show, Irene Garcia. Irene has worked in the
construction industry for over twenty five years and her career
really started as an electrical apprentice and then one year
after completing her apprenticeship, she transitioned into estimating and project
(00:53):
management and her first project as a project manager was
a sixty story commercial high rise and left on her
own without the support that she needed, she had to
really figure out what it takes to be a project manager.
Speaker 2 (01:10):
And she ended up doing it.
Speaker 3 (01:12):
So it is this experience in the many projects since
then that really became her catalyst for her successful Women
in Construction coaching business and so Irene has been coaching
and mentoring women in construction for over ten years and
there's nothing more than lights her up to be able
(01:33):
to do that. So I want to welcome to the show, Irene.
Speaker 4 (01:37):
Thank you, thank you for having me.
Speaker 3 (01:39):
Absolutely, let's just jump right into it. So I want
to hear Irene, can you share your journey into the
construction industry, and with that, like what inspired.
Speaker 2 (01:49):
You to pursue this field?
Speaker 4 (01:51):
Great question. So I didn't seek out construction to start with.
I went to the traditional route, the route I was
told to growing up. I went to college, changed majors
a couple of times, ultimately graduated with a degree in
criminal justice with a plan to go to law school.
That was what I thought I wanted. I interned at
a law firm my senior year and by the end
(02:12):
of it, I was like, oh, this is not for
me and so I but I didn't know what was next.
Right I graduated, I needed to start making a living.
I didn't want to go back to working at Starbucks,
and so I was like, Okay, what could I do
at this point without going back to school. My sister
had started her electrical apprenticeship around the same time, and
(02:34):
she liked it. She was making good money, and I thought, well,
you know, if my little sister can do it, right,
maybe this is something I could consider. And I'm someone
who I believe, you know, in fate, right, if if
I try something it's meant to be, it'll be, and
if not, you know, the door will close.
Speaker 2 (02:51):
Right.
Speaker 4 (02:51):
So I'll apply, I'll see what happens, and you know,
we'll go from there. And I applied and I got in.
I started pretty quickly into the electrical apprenticeship program, and
I just that's how my career construction got started. It
wasn't wasn't playing out. It was just needing an opportunity
to start making a living. So construction found you, then
(03:14):
it did, and I felt like it knocked on my
door a while. Like my sister was the fourth generation
of electrician in our family. So it wasn't that I
didn't know it was an option. I just didn't know
as an optionally for women until my sister did it.
And once she did it, I was like, oh, okay,
I guess it's not just for the guys, right, And
that allowed me to see it as an opportunity.
Speaker 3 (03:36):
So then, how did that early experience of starting that
apprenticeship really like shape your passion for the construction industry?
Speaker 4 (03:45):
You know what? It's it still took a while. I
you know what, I got through my first year. It went,
you know, went pretty well. I got into my second
year and I started to doubt my path. I was like, okay,
like this is okay. I don't hate it, but I
don't see myself doing this until retirement. And so actually
I went back to school, even though I said I wantn't,
(04:08):
I went back to school, and while I was doing
my apprenticeship program it's a five year program, I went
back and got a second degree. I got a degree
in math mathematics with a thought, I'll be a teacher.
I'll have summers off. That sounds great, That's what I
told myself at the time. So that was I was
already putting together another plan and until until I finished
(04:30):
the apprenticeship and and the bachelor's around the same time.
And thankfully, you know, State would have it. I was
enjoying my job more. By that time. I was working
for a general foreman who who really challenged me in
a positive way and gave me opportunities and helped me
see that this could be a future. And then ultimately
he asked, you know, if I if I had ever
(04:52):
considered project management or estimating and at that point I
had considered it, but I still didn't know for me, right,
he because the project managers who came out, we were men,
they were twenty plus years in the industry. I was like,
I don't think I can do this for twenty years before,
you know, making that transition. He assured me it wasn't necessary,
(05:14):
and I'm like, oh, okay, So that was what it was.
It was that conversation that that pretty much brought me
to where I am like, that was what shifted for
me to allow me to change my path into a
full career in construction. All right.
Speaker 3 (05:31):
And in speaking of construction, I mean we are recording now,
this is Women in Construction Week, so you know, I
really want to talk about empowering women in construction and
I want to hear about your coaching business successful women
in Construction.
Speaker 4 (05:48):
Thank you. So Like my business came about because after,
you know, after I left the field, I became an
estimator and a year later I was a project manager
and I found myself the project manager, as you meant,
on the sixty story high rise with no project management experience.
I don't recommend it, but that's the situation I found
myself in and I wasn't well supported. I truly had
(06:10):
to figure it out as I went. I grew exponentially
as as a person and a project manager throughout the
three year project, and I really I had to figure
things out quick and and by the end of it
I did. I felt I truly have just a transformation
during that process and to the point where, like afterwards,
(06:33):
you know, certainly you know, more confidence and all that.
I started having conversations on you know, subsequent projects with
women in the industry, usually women working for general contractors.
Their were early career, and I saw them struggling a
lot of the same ways, and so I would reach
out and say, hey, you know, let's let's grab lunch,
let's grab coffee and just have a conversation. And I
(06:53):
because I wanted to be the support for other women
that I didn't have. I would have given my left
arm to have a conversation or to be mentored by
another woman in the industry during that first project that
I had wasn't available. So again, I truly believe in
trying to be the person for other people that you
wish you had, and through those conversations, those lunches, et cetera,
(07:16):
I realized that, like I, that my experiences truly were
help for other women, and not only was I helping them,
but I loved helping them. Like at the end of
those conversations, like I was invigorated, I was just kind
of on fire, and I was just like yeah, like I,
And a lot of the conversations were similar. There's the
(07:36):
women were struggling being taken seriously. They're working just as
hard as the guys next to them, but they weren't
getting that promotion. They weren't sure how to navigate their
review process to get paid what they should be And
so I was able to help and support them through
those different experiences so that they can go back and
get paid what they wanted to get paid, get their
promotion they were working towards, and just feel better about
(07:59):
their careers industry.
Speaker 3 (08:01):
Sure, yeah, and you mentioned, you know, women were having struggles,
and you talked about a few of them, so you know,
when it comes to that, what unique challenges do women
face in the construction industry? And then I'm gonna second
that question and say, well, what are they?
Speaker 2 (08:20):
But then how can they also be addressed?
Speaker 4 (08:24):
Of course, so I do want to just take a
step back and acknowledge that depending upon where you're working
in the construction industry, it really affects the different types
of struggles and experiences you have. So what I what
I experienced in the field, those challenges are very different
than the obstacles I faced as being in the office side.
Right So on the office side, though, what I'm finding
(08:48):
is that a lot of women are applying kind of
their same strategy I guess to what they did to
succeed in everything else up to that point. So you know,
a lot of timing in each and every one of them.
You know, super smart that they got. You know, they
got the a's, they did all the right things, they
did everything that they were told. But then you get
out into the job site and you're not measured the
(09:09):
same way on a job site, you know, as an
employee as you are as a student. Right so, and
and a lot of it there is kind of that
that that social piece that you know, you're you're working
with other people and you need to figure out a
way to stand out and as a woman, like you know,
what I what I found is that they're they're they're
(09:30):
doing amazing, Like they're doing everything they're taught to do.
They're doing it super well, they're they're excelling it in
every single way, but they're not seeing it. They're they're
they're expecting if they if they do the right things,
that that that their work will be recognized and they'll
be promoted. And that's how it should be, right, Like
that makes sense. You work hard, you get the recognition,
you're promoted. But when the people working next to you
(09:53):
are are you know, grabbing a beer after work with
the boss because they've connected right for you know, the
two men, what have you and so, and they're saying
they're able to say, hey, I killed it on the
presentation or like, you know, you won't believe what happened
in the change order meeting. And those women are not
having the same conversations, and they're not actively advocating for themselves,
(10:15):
and they're waiting for their annual review. Right, So a
big piece of it is don't wait. I strongly recommend
to have at least a quarterly touch point where you're
sitting down with your supervisor boss and saying, you know,
this is what I'm working on, this is what I've accomplished,
this is maybe what I'm struggling with oh, and also
this is what I want to accomplish in my career,
(10:36):
Like I want to be, you know, get to the
next level by this point, you know, what do I
need to do to get there? And don't just assume
that it's going to happen because you're doing what again,
are what are the right things? But you have to
be having those conversations and making it known that you're
doing all the things. And when something goes amazing, like
take credit for it and don't just know. Again, a
(10:58):
lot of women are like, oh, you know, my it
was a team effort and not saying it's not, but
a lot you know, but if your counterpart is taking
all the credits and you're not, who's getting their promotion? Right,
So just just having just really you know, real conversations,
real honest conversations, and don't make any assumptions about what
is going on or that you're just going to naturally
(11:19):
get that promotion. Don't leave anything to chance.
Speaker 2 (11:23):
That's good. So that's in the office, and then what
about it out in the field.
Speaker 4 (11:28):
That's a whole other thing.
Speaker 2 (11:30):
Let's dive in. Let's unposs it.
Speaker 4 (11:33):
Yes, right, So so the office or sorry, in the field.
It's more challenging because certainly I feel like there were
things that I did that that helped me overall, right,
But I a lot of the challenges are outside of
the women's control, right, So if they don't have the
proper ppe, if they don't have the proper restroom, if
(11:54):
they're being sexually harassed, like, there's not necessart of things
that they can actively do to come back that. There
are organizations like Chicago Women in Trades who are working
very hard to put in make recommendations for policies to
better support than women in the trades. So there's that piece.
But that being said, things that I did to help
(12:16):
just make that really good first impression that I feel
contributed to my success in the long run. And these
are things I kind of came across. Some of them
on accidents, some of them just you know, because I
have a family in construction, right, So you know before
when I got acception to the apprenticeship program, I ran
into my cousin. He goes to shake my hand, and
I'm like, I don't shake my cousin's hand, right, But
(12:38):
it goes to do it, and I didn't have a
very good handshake at that time they's like, oh no, no, no, no.
He told me straight out. I was like, you need
a solid handshake. You're going you're starting a career where
you're working with your hands, and the first impression is
at handshake. If you don't have a solid handshake, they're
going to think you've got weak hands and can't do
the job. So just like something like so simple that
(12:59):
I never would have considered. It just is just making
that you know, great first impression, right and certainly you know,
showing up on the job, you know, ready to go,
all the proper tools, gear boots, you know, and nothing
that I mean, certainly a woman's going to stand out regardless, right,
we can't not stand out. That's just kind of the
nature of this. But making sure you're not standing out
(13:19):
for any other reason. And so my you know, my dad,
you know, having been in the electrical trade for almost
forty years, you know, he he gave me some additional
tips and one of them was like, you know, get
to the job early. You know, as an apprentice, you
need to be the one unlocking the game box, setting
up the ladders, getting the tools ready for the guys,
Like just be proactive in everything that you're doing and
(13:40):
don't wait for someone to tell you to do it
good And and when you're waiting, like when you're working
with a journey person and learning the trade, anticipate and
that really I feel it was a great piece of advice.
So my first journeyman I worked with, we were working
up on lifts, We're running racks of conduit and so
you know, we're there was a process, right, there's a process.
(14:02):
So I didn't wait for him to tell me the
next step in the process, like I you know, so
I grab whatever the next tool was that we would
need to speed things along. I didn't wait for him
to tell me the next thing. And so that like
there was always just anticipate, anticipate, and just in never
you know, never staying around with your hands in your
pockets or you know, sitting down. Just always be like
actively engaged in the process and then just having a
(14:25):
fantastic attitude because it's easy not to. It's really easy
not to. There's a lot of different situations that come up.
But I would show up every day is if it
was gonna be an amazing day, and just like setting
that tone, I truly feel created just a better day
for me. I wasn't looking for problems, I wasn't looking
(14:46):
for situations. I was just going to show up and
give it my all every single day.
Speaker 2 (14:51):
Good advice.
Speaker 3 (14:52):
That's really good advice I think anybody can take away,
regardless of you know, uh, gender or who you are,
just in the field and.
Speaker 2 (15:03):
In the workplace as well in the in the office.
Speaker 3 (15:08):
Let's I want to get your insights on the construction
industry as well. So what emerging trends do you believe
will significantly impact the construction industry in the next five years.
Speaker 4 (15:24):
I know, technology, like it seems like every step of
the way, this technology is just becoming a greater and
greater factor depending upon this type of project. And I'm
fortunate my my husband is a coordinator, so he works
on the CAD and the BIM programs, and so you know,
he tells me a little bit on the technology side
that I'm not always you know, in the no on
(15:44):
but it just in terms of the amazing the using
a GPS locators to like lay out your conduit in
the field. And and I know, actually I think I
saw something on LinkedIn this morning. A company is just
doing full blown like drone technology, right, So monitor like
the job sites.
Speaker 2 (16:02):
You know.
Speaker 4 (16:03):
Another thing is like they're using like the VR technology.
So not only are they creating this model and coordinating
between the trades to be able to, you know, make
sure everything fits before you're building it, but something where
you put on the headset and you're in the model,
like you are in the building, looking around and seeing
what is going in the walls and in all of that,
(16:23):
and it's it's really amazing and and all of that. Hopefully,
hopefully if you use properly and correctly, will it should
enable us to build more smoothly and to recognize problems
before they occur, and to hopefully just have a smoother process.
You know, certainly early on in some of these I
should say, I mean it's been around, but in terms
(16:45):
of it being implemented on a regular basis, is still
early on.
Speaker 2 (16:48):
Yeah, absolutely, all right.
Speaker 3 (16:51):
I want to get your advice also personal reflection as well.
So you know, what advice would you give somebody starting
their career in the construction industry today?
Speaker 2 (17:06):
Oh?
Speaker 4 (17:06):
Wow, you know, I mean, I guess first, I I again,
I didn't seek out this career path, right, but I
could not be more grateful for it in so many
different ways. So one just showing them that there's more
opportunities in the industry than they can even know on
day one, regardless of whatever path they take. So if
(17:29):
they're starting from the field, like that's such a great
foundation to be able to build everything before you know
you're managing it or whatever else, that's that's a fantastic path.
And certainly a path that you know, kind of skips
the student loans and all of that, right, but then
realizing like it's not it's it's not an easy industry.
(17:52):
All the things said, right is it's not easy. So
I know some of the things for me is just
like I had to learn not to take things personally
at all ever, no matter what it was. And if
someone had a problem with me being there for you know,
being a woman like that, that was a reflection on
them and not me. And so I was able to
not get super offended my most things that happened around me,
(18:17):
but just to you know, just be you know, you
could have like a really hard day, really hard week,
month project. Eventually it comes to an end. Eventually you
move on to the next one. Eventually, once you get there,
you are more experienced and you know, better and it
doesn't have to be as hard the next time. Yeah,
you know, another thing would be just really check your
(18:38):
ego at the door. I've seen you know that get
in the way and for me personally, right like, I'm
not I'm not above that. I struggle with it sometimes,
but I'm I'm pretty quick to check it. So get
you know, because things can get very heated. And I've
seen this, you know, many times around my career where
you know, you think things are going to come to blows,
you know, because just the the you know, the stress, right,
(19:00):
It's just it's very stressful. And just to realize, like
you know, I've been in situations where you know, we're
both escalating the situation and then I I kind of
have the realization like if I continue doing that, like
it's not going to get better, And so I needed
to kind of step back, reassess the situation and then
you know, say, Okay, I recognize this is not the
(19:21):
right way, and then to offer the person I'm working
with a different way and just and own my part
in whatever the situation was. And and that's you know,
been a big part of what I've done. And I
you know, I always said, like I I need people
to want to work with me, right, Like I'm I'm
you know, five to four on a good day, and
(19:42):
no one's gonna be intimidated by me.
Speaker 1 (19:44):
Right.
Speaker 4 (19:44):
So, Like there's some people who pound the pound their
fists and yell and and all, and they just get
really angry. And I know that that's never gonna get
me the result that I want. And so I've always
like just built those relationships. It so relationships really, right,
So build those relationships so if I have an issue
on a project, say like I forgot to order that
(20:05):
fifty fifth life fixture, right or whatever it is, that
that I have developed a relationship or people like me
and trust me and know I'm not be throwing them
under the bus, just so I can say, hey, you
know I would, I messed up, I made a mistake.
What can you do to help me out here? Really
appreciate it and then just do it in just like
a humble way and just own the situation right, own
(20:28):
your mistake in it. And that's the best path forward
to fixing any given situation. And then also you know construction, right,
we build things like so a lot of people focus
on like that what the end result is whatever it
happens to be. But really it's about people and relationships.
And so if you know how to interact with people,
you know how to build your teams, you know how
(20:48):
to be a leader. Like the building part just kind
of just comes in a place like it's really it's
so much better when you treat the people around you.
Speaker 3 (20:56):
Well.
Speaker 2 (20:57):
Sure, now what about women entering the construction industry.
Speaker 3 (21:03):
Where we have our you know, teens looking at getting
into the trades and then looking at you know, what
is it if they do decide to go to college?
Speaker 2 (21:11):
What what does that look like for them? So like
that age group.
Speaker 4 (21:16):
So on again, you know, the college route or the
any any path into construction has the potential to be
a great career, right it It pays wug on my
house because of it, you know, all those things going
the on the If you're going the college route, you
definitely want to do whatever you can. So you get
on a job site, okay, you want you're gonna be
(21:36):
taken more seriously if you actually able to walk around
seeing what it's all about, talking to the foreman out
there getting it. You know, if you have questions, ask,
and I know they can be intimidating when you when
you truly don't know you know what you're doing, or
you haven't been out there before. But just do whatever
you can to either you know, maybe work a little
bit as a superintendent. Once upon a time that wasn't
available to the college kids, and now it is. But
(21:59):
that's the best way to get time on job sites
and and and just to learn and learn from the
people who are building the things, and to ask the
questions and in respect to them, like, you know, respect
what it is that they're doing and making sure that
again developing those relationships. But really those who have the
most time like in the field, and again you can
(22:21):
do it from the office side, what you spending. Spending
that time on the field and seeing things and asking
the questions is going to go a long way to
being taken more seriously down the road.
Speaker 2 (22:33):
I like that. I like that.
Speaker 3 (22:35):
So then you know, just reflecting on your journey, what
has been I would say like your most significant learning experience.
Speaker 4 (22:46):
No doubt, hands down, it's the three years I spent
building a sixty story high rise. I uh and and
it would have been challenging even if it was a
smooth project and everything fell into place and all of that,
but it it was there was a challenge with pretty
much every vendor delivering material to the job. There were
all sorts of you know issues there and so in
(23:08):
again not necessarily having the full support of my own
team in the office. And then it was you know,
again it was and it was sixty stories. It just
kept going, it kept building, and so and there were
times during the project where I just stood in my
office and not knowing like which next step I should take.
Do I move towards my desk or you know I
(23:29):
or do I like I would I'd almost be spinning. Yeah,
I just I just didn't know. And and like, you know,
and so I had to you know, accept that, like
I was never going to get to the bottom of
my to do list. That was that was something I
would never see, you know, and just but it was
but through that, right like through that, I overcame, you know, fears,
(23:51):
I so many fears that I somebod I knew I had,
somebody didn't know I had, you know, fear of just
difficult conversations and confrontation. And and by the end of it,
this is this shows how far I blew through my fears.
You know, many years ago before the project started, someone
mentioned the idea of going scuba diving to me, and
at that time, the idea of it made me feel
(24:12):
like I would hyperventilate.
Speaker 2 (24:14):
Oh yeah, it was just.
Speaker 4 (24:17):
Like, oh my gosh, I couldn't possibly ever do that.
Before this project finished, I was a certified scuba diver.
Because I just I blew through it like nothing. Nothing
scared me at that point. I was just like, bring
it on, Like, what's the next thing I can do.
I even had a chance to adjust the exterior light fixtures,
like eight hundred feet in the air on the outside
(24:39):
of this building it and it was hanging off the
window washing rig. I had no fear. I was a
little afraid.
Speaker 2 (24:45):
You did this, You did this.
Speaker 4 (24:47):
I did this, and and it was and I was
a little afraid it might drop something. That was that
was my fear. But I wasn't afraid for myself. I
was like and I was terrified of heights starting out
in the industry, like terrified of heights and by but
I kept pushing it and pushing and pushing it to
the point where again, being eight hundred feet up in
the air and a window watching her at night, did
(25:08):
not face me.
Speaker 2 (25:10):
Wow, what an amazing experience.
Speaker 3 (25:13):
I read how can people find you, especially those looking
at you know, somebody that needs to be coached for
your successful Women in Construction?
Speaker 4 (25:23):
Yeah, so the easiest place to find me, I'm everywhere
as Irene Walsh Garcia. Yes, I've not seen another i
Ream Walsh Garcia out there. So if you look me
up on LinkedIn, you know, shoot me a message and
I'm happy to have a conversation.
Speaker 3 (25:38):
Awesome, fantastic, And I want to thank everybody for joining
us for Women in Construction Week. In the comments, we're
going to put a survey and if you go ahead
and fill that out be helpful for us. So again
I read, thank you so much for being our guest
on the show and we look forward to watching you
in the future, and then hopefully we can set up
(25:59):
additional podcast for the future as well.
Speaker 4 (26:02):
That'd be great. Thank you so much.
Speaker 1 (26:03):
All right, if you're a construction contractor and would like
to appear as a guest on our podcast, write us
an email. It's Lou at lumberfi dot com.
Hey everyone, i'mlu Perez, your host of The Builder Upper Show,
a podcast where we talk about everything in construction and trades.
We have a special co host today, Jennifer Hires, who
will be interviewing women in Construction for Women in Construction Week.
Hey Jen, how are you doing?
Speaker 2 (00:16):
Hi lud, Thanks for having me.
Speaker 1 (00:18):
Who is your special guest today?
Speaker 2 (00:27):
All right, welcome to the show.
Speaker 3 (00:30):
I am beyond excited to introduce our guest to The
Builder Upper Show, Irene Garcia. Irene has worked in the
construction industry for over twenty five years and her career
really started as an electrical apprentice and then one year
after completing her apprenticeship, she transitioned into estimating and project
(00:53):
management and her first project as a project manager was
a sixty story commercial high rise and left on her
own without the support that she needed, she had to
really figure out what it takes to be a project manager.
Speaker 2 (01:10):
And she ended up doing it.
Speaker 3 (01:12):
So it is this experience in the many projects since
then that really became her catalyst for her successful Women
in Construction coaching business and so Irene has been coaching
and mentoring women in construction for over ten years and
there's nothing more than lights her up to be able
(01:33):
to do that. So I want to welcome to the show, Irene.
Speaker 4 (01:37):
Thank you, thank you for having me.
Speaker 3 (01:39):
Absolutely, let's just jump right into it. So I want
to hear Irene, can you share your journey into the
construction industry, and with that, like what inspired.
Speaker 2 (01:49):
You to pursue this field?
Speaker 4 (01:51):
Great question. So I didn't seek out construction to start with.
I went to the traditional route, the route I was
told to growing up. I went to college, changed majors
a couple of times, ultimately graduated with a degree in
criminal justice with a plan to go to law school.
That was what I thought I wanted. I interned at
a law firm my senior year and by the end
(02:12):
of it, I was like, oh, this is not for
me and so I but I didn't know what was next.
Right I graduated, I needed to start making a living.
I didn't want to go back to working at Starbucks,
and so I was like, Okay, what could I do
at this point without going back to school. My sister
had started her electrical apprenticeship around the same time, and
(02:34):
she liked it. She was making good money, and I thought, well,
you know, if my little sister can do it, right,
maybe this is something I could consider. And I'm someone
who I believe, you know, in fate, right, if if
I try something it's meant to be, it'll be, and
if not, you know, the door will close.
Speaker 2 (02:51):
Right.
Speaker 4 (02:51):
So I'll apply, I'll see what happens, and you know,
we'll go from there. And I applied and I got in.
I started pretty quickly into the electrical apprenticeship program, and
I just that's how my career construction got started. It
wasn't wasn't playing out. It was just needing an opportunity
to start making a living. So construction found you, then
(03:14):
it did, and I felt like it knocked on my
door a while. Like my sister was the fourth generation
of electrician in our family. So it wasn't that I
didn't know it was an option. I just didn't know
as an optionally for women until my sister did it.
And once she did it, I was like, oh, okay,
I guess it's not just for the guys, right, And
that allowed me to see it as an opportunity.
Speaker 3 (03:36):
So then, how did that early experience of starting that
apprenticeship really like shape your passion for the construction industry?
Speaker 4 (03:45):
You know what? It's it still took a while. I
you know what, I got through my first year. It went,
you know, went pretty well. I got into my second
year and I started to doubt my path. I was like, okay,
like this is okay. I don't hate it, but I
don't see myself doing this until retirement. And so actually
I went back to school, even though I said I wantn't,
(04:08):
I went back to school, and while I was doing
my apprenticeship program it's a five year program, I went
back and got a second degree. I got a degree
in math mathematics with a thought, I'll be a teacher.
I'll have summers off. That sounds great, That's what I
told myself at the time. So that was I was
already putting together another plan and until until I finished
(04:30):
the apprenticeship and and the bachelor's around the same time.
And thankfully, you know, State would have it. I was
enjoying my job more. By that time. I was working
for a general foreman who who really challenged me in
a positive way and gave me opportunities and helped me
see that this could be a future. And then ultimately
he asked, you know, if I if I had ever
(04:52):
considered project management or estimating and at that point I
had considered it, but I still didn't know for me, right,
he because the project managers who came out, we were men,
they were twenty plus years in the industry. I was like,
I don't think I can do this for twenty years before,
you know, making that transition. He assured me it wasn't necessary,
(05:14):
and I'm like, oh, okay, So that was what it was.
It was that conversation that that pretty much brought me
to where I am like, that was what shifted for
me to allow me to change my path into a
full career in construction. All right.
Speaker 3 (05:31):
And in speaking of construction, I mean we are recording now,
this is Women in Construction Week, so you know, I
really want to talk about empowering women in construction and
I want to hear about your coaching business successful women
in Construction.
Speaker 4 (05:48):
Thank you. So Like my business came about because after,
you know, after I left the field, I became an
estimator and a year later I was a project manager
and I found myself the project manager, as you meant,
on the sixty story high rise with no project management experience.
I don't recommend it, but that's the situation I found
myself in and I wasn't well supported. I truly had
(06:10):
to figure it out as I went. I grew exponentially
as as a person and a project manager throughout the
three year project, and I really I had to figure
things out quick and and by the end of it
I did. I felt I truly have just a transformation
during that process and to the point where, like afterwards,
(06:33):
you know, certainly you know, more confidence and all that.
I started having conversations on you know, subsequent projects with
women in the industry, usually women working for general contractors.
Their were early career, and I saw them struggling a
lot of the same ways, and so I would reach
out and say, hey, you know, let's let's grab lunch,
let's grab coffee and just have a conversation. And I
(06:53):
because I wanted to be the support for other women
that I didn't have. I would have given my left
arm to have a conversation or to be mentored by
another woman in the industry during that first project that
I had wasn't available. So again, I truly believe in
trying to be the person for other people that you
wish you had, and through those conversations, those lunches, et cetera,
(07:16):
I realized that, like I, that my experiences truly were
help for other women, and not only was I helping them,
but I loved helping them. Like at the end of
those conversations, like I was invigorated, I was just kind
of on fire, and I was just like yeah, like I,
And a lot of the conversations were similar. There's the
(07:36):
women were struggling being taken seriously. They're working just as
hard as the guys next to them, but they weren't
getting that promotion. They weren't sure how to navigate their
review process to get paid what they should be And
so I was able to help and support them through
those different experiences so that they can go back and
get paid what they wanted to get paid, get their
promotion they were working towards, and just feel better about
(07:59):
their careers industry.
Speaker 3 (08:01):
Sure, yeah, and you mentioned, you know, women were having struggles,
and you talked about a few of them, so you know,
when it comes to that, what unique challenges do women
face in the construction industry? And then I'm gonna second
that question and say, well, what are they?
Speaker 2 (08:20):
But then how can they also be addressed?
Speaker 4 (08:24):
Of course, so I do want to just take a
step back and acknowledge that depending upon where you're working
in the construction industry, it really affects the different types
of struggles and experiences you have. So what I what
I experienced in the field, those challenges are very different
than the obstacles I faced as being in the office side.
Right So on the office side, though, what I'm finding
(08:48):
is that a lot of women are applying kind of
their same strategy I guess to what they did to
succeed in everything else up to that point. So you know,
a lot of timing in each and every one of them.
You know, super smart that they got. You know, they
got the a's, they did all the right things, they
did everything that they were told. But then you get
out into the job site and you're not measured the
(09:09):
same way on a job site, you know, as an
employee as you are as a student. Right so, and
and a lot of it there is kind of that
that that social piece that you know, you're you're working
with other people and you need to figure out a
way to stand out and as a woman, like you know,
what I what I found is that they're they're they're
(09:30):
doing amazing, Like they're doing everything they're taught to do.
They're doing it super well, they're they're excelling it in
every single way, but they're not seeing it. They're they're
they're expecting if they if they do the right things,
that that that their work will be recognized and they'll
be promoted. And that's how it should be, right, Like
that makes sense. You work hard, you get the recognition,
you're promoted. But when the people working next to you
(09:53):
are are you know, grabbing a beer after work with
the boss because they've connected right for you know, the
two men, what have you and so, and they're saying
they're able to say, hey, I killed it on the
presentation or like, you know, you won't believe what happened
in the change order meeting. And those women are not
having the same conversations, and they're not actively advocating for themselves,
(10:15):
and they're waiting for their annual review. Right, So a
big piece of it is don't wait. I strongly recommend
to have at least a quarterly touch point where you're
sitting down with your supervisor boss and saying, you know,
this is what I'm working on, this is what I've accomplished,
this is maybe what I'm struggling with oh, and also
this is what I want to accomplish in my career,
(10:36):
Like I want to be, you know, get to the
next level by this point, you know, what do I
need to do to get there? And don't just assume
that it's going to happen because you're doing what again,
are what are the right things? But you have to
be having those conversations and making it known that you're
doing all the things. And when something goes amazing, like
take credit for it and don't just know. Again, a
(10:58):
lot of women are like, oh, you know, my it
was a team effort and not saying it's not, but
a lot you know, but if your counterpart is taking
all the credits and you're not, who's getting their promotion? Right,
So just just having just really you know, real conversations,
real honest conversations, and don't make any assumptions about what
is going on or that you're just going to naturally
(11:19):
get that promotion. Don't leave anything to chance.
Speaker 2 (11:23):
That's good. So that's in the office, and then what
about it out in the field.
Speaker 4 (11:28):
That's a whole other thing.
Speaker 2 (11:30):
Let's dive in. Let's unposs it.
Speaker 4 (11:33):
Yes, right, So so the office or sorry, in the field.
It's more challenging because certainly I feel like there were
things that I did that that helped me overall, right,
But I a lot of the challenges are outside of
the women's control, right, So if they don't have the
proper ppe, if they don't have the proper restroom, if
(11:54):
they're being sexually harassed, like, there's not necessart of things
that they can actively do to come back that. There
are organizations like Chicago Women in Trades who are working
very hard to put in make recommendations for policies to
better support than women in the trades. So there's that piece.
But that being said, things that I did to help
(12:16):
just make that really good first impression that I feel
contributed to my success in the long run. And these
are things I kind of came across. Some of them
on accidents, some of them just you know, because I
have a family in construction, right, So you know before
when I got acception to the apprenticeship program, I ran
into my cousin. He goes to shake my hand, and
I'm like, I don't shake my cousin's hand, right, But
(12:38):
it goes to do it, and I didn't have a
very good handshake at that time they's like, oh no, no, no, no.
He told me straight out. I was like, you need
a solid handshake. You're going you're starting a career where
you're working with your hands, and the first impression is
at handshake. If you don't have a solid handshake, they're
going to think you've got weak hands and can't do
the job. So just like something like so simple that
(12:59):
I never would have considered. It just is just making
that you know, great first impression, right and certainly you know,
showing up on the job, you know, ready to go,
all the proper tools, gear boots, you know, and nothing
that I mean, certainly a woman's going to stand out regardless, right,
we can't not stand out. That's just kind of the
nature of this. But making sure you're not standing out
(13:19):
for any other reason. And so my you know, my dad,
you know, having been in the electrical trade for almost
forty years, you know, he he gave me some additional
tips and one of them was like, you know, get
to the job early. You know, as an apprentice, you
need to be the one unlocking the game box, setting
up the ladders, getting the tools ready for the guys,
Like just be proactive in everything that you're doing and
(13:40):
don't wait for someone to tell you to do it
good And and when you're waiting, like when you're working
with a journey person and learning the trade, anticipate and
that really I feel it was a great piece of advice.
So my first journeyman I worked with, we were working
up on lifts, We're running racks of conduit and so
you know, we're there was a process, right, there's a process.
(14:02):
So I didn't wait for him to tell me the
next step in the process, like I you know, so
I grab whatever the next tool was that we would
need to speed things along. I didn't wait for him
to tell me the next thing. And so that like
there was always just anticipate, anticipate, and just in never
you know, never staying around with your hands in your
pockets or you know, sitting down. Just always be like
actively engaged in the process and then just having a
(14:25):
fantastic attitude because it's easy not to. It's really easy
not to. There's a lot of different situations that come up.
But I would show up every day is if it
was gonna be an amazing day, and just like setting
that tone, I truly feel created just a better day
for me. I wasn't looking for problems, I wasn't looking
(14:46):
for situations. I was just going to show up and
give it my all every single day.
Speaker 2 (14:51):
Good advice.
Speaker 3 (14:52):
That's really good advice I think anybody can take away,
regardless of you know, uh, gender or who you are,
just in the field and.
Speaker 2 (15:03):
In the workplace as well in the in the office.
Speaker 3 (15:08):
Let's I want to get your insights on the construction
industry as well. So what emerging trends do you believe
will significantly impact the construction industry in the next five years.
Speaker 4 (15:24):
I know, technology, like it seems like every step of
the way, this technology is just becoming a greater and
greater factor depending upon this type of project. And I'm
fortunate my my husband is a coordinator, so he works
on the CAD and the BIM programs, and so you know,
he tells me a little bit on the technology side
that I'm not always you know, in the no on
(15:44):
but it just in terms of the amazing the using
a GPS locators to like lay out your conduit in
the field. And and I know, actually I think I
saw something on LinkedIn this morning. A company is just
doing full blown like drone technology, right, So monitor like
the job sites.
Speaker 2 (16:02):
You know.
Speaker 4 (16:03):
Another thing is like they're using like the VR technology.
So not only are they creating this model and coordinating
between the trades to be able to, you know, make
sure everything fits before you're building it, but something where
you put on the headset and you're in the model,
like you are in the building, looking around and seeing
what is going in the walls and in all of that,
(16:23):
and it's it's really amazing and and all of that. Hopefully,
hopefully if you use properly and correctly, will it should
enable us to build more smoothly and to recognize problems
before they occur, and to hopefully just have a smoother process.
You know, certainly early on in some of these I
should say, I mean it's been around, but in terms
(16:45):
of it being implemented on a regular basis, is still
early on.
Speaker 2 (16:48):
Yeah, absolutely, all right.
Speaker 3 (16:51):
I want to get your advice also personal reflection as well.
So you know, what advice would you give somebody starting
their career in the construction industry today?
Speaker 2 (17:06):
Oh?
Speaker 4 (17:06):
Wow, you know, I mean, I guess first, I I again,
I didn't seek out this career path, right, but I
could not be more grateful for it in so many
different ways. So one just showing them that there's more
opportunities in the industry than they can even know on
day one, regardless of whatever path they take. So if
(17:29):
they're starting from the field, like that's such a great
foundation to be able to build everything before you know
you're managing it or whatever else, that's that's a fantastic path.
And certainly a path that you know, kind of skips
the student loans and all of that, right, but then
realizing like it's not it's it's not an easy industry.
(17:52):
All the things said, right is it's not easy. So
I know some of the things for me is just
like I had to learn not to take things personally
at all ever, no matter what it was. And if
someone had a problem with me being there for you know,
being a woman like that, that was a reflection on
them and not me. And so I was able to
not get super offended my most things that happened around me,
(18:17):
but just to you know, just be you know, you
could have like a really hard day, really hard week,
month project. Eventually it comes to an end. Eventually you
move on to the next one. Eventually, once you get there,
you are more experienced and you know, better and it
doesn't have to be as hard the next time. Yeah,
you know, another thing would be just really check your
(18:38):
ego at the door. I've seen you know that get
in the way and for me personally, right like, I'm
not I'm not above that. I struggle with it sometimes,
but I'm I'm pretty quick to check it. So get
you know, because things can get very heated. And I've
seen this, you know, many times around my career where
you know, you think things are going to come to blows,
you know, because just the the you know, the stress, right,
(19:00):
It's just it's very stressful. And just to realize, like
you know, I've been in situations where you know, we're
both escalating the situation and then I I kind of
have the realization like if I continue doing that, like
it's not going to get better, And so I needed
to kind of step back, reassess the situation and then
you know, say, Okay, I recognize this is not the
(19:21):
right way, and then to offer the person I'm working
with a different way and just and own my part
in whatever the situation was. And and that's you know,
been a big part of what I've done. And I
you know, I always said, like I I need people
to want to work with me, right, Like I'm I'm
you know, five to four on a good day, and
(19:42):
no one's gonna be intimidated by me.
Speaker 1 (19:44):
Right.
Speaker 4 (19:44):
So, Like there's some people who pound the pound their
fists and yell and and all, and they just get
really angry. And I know that that's never gonna get
me the result that I want. And so I've always
like just built those relationships. It so relationships really, right,
So build those relationships so if I have an issue
on a project, say like I forgot to order that
(20:05):
fifty fifth life fixture, right or whatever it is, that
that I have developed a relationship or people like me
and trust me and know I'm not be throwing them
under the bus, just so I can say, hey, you
know I would, I messed up, I made a mistake.
What can you do to help me out here? Really
appreciate it and then just do it in just like
a humble way and just own the situation right, own
(20:28):
your mistake in it. And that's the best path forward
to fixing any given situation. And then also you know construction, right,
we build things like so a lot of people focus
on like that what the end result is whatever it
happens to be. But really it's about people and relationships.
And so if you know how to interact with people,
you know how to build your teams, you know how
(20:48):
to be a leader. Like the building part just kind
of just comes in a place like it's really it's
so much better when you treat the people around you.
Speaker 3 (20:56):
Well.
Speaker 2 (20:57):
Sure, now what about women entering the construction industry.
Speaker 3 (21:03):
Where we have our you know, teens looking at getting
into the trades and then looking at you know, what
is it if they do decide to go to college?
Speaker 2 (21:11):
What what does that look like for them? So like
that age group.
Speaker 4 (21:16):
So on again, you know, the college route or the
any any path into construction has the potential to be
a great career, right it It pays wug on my
house because of it, you know, all those things going
the on the If you're going the college route, you
definitely want to do whatever you can. So you get
on a job site, okay, you want you're gonna be
(21:36):
taken more seriously if you actually able to walk around
seeing what it's all about, talking to the foreman out
there getting it. You know, if you have questions, ask,
and I know they can be intimidating when you when
you truly don't know you know what you're doing, or
you haven't been out there before. But just do whatever
you can to either you know, maybe work a little
bit as a superintendent. Once upon a time that wasn't
available to the college kids, and now it is. But
(21:59):
that's the best way to get time on job sites
and and and just to learn and learn from the
people who are building the things, and to ask the
questions and in respect to them, like, you know, respect
what it is that they're doing and making sure that
again developing those relationships. But really those who have the
most time like in the field, and again you can
(22:21):
do it from the office side, what you spending. Spending
that time on the field and seeing things and asking
the questions is going to go a long way to
being taken more seriously down the road.
Speaker 2 (22:33):
I like that. I like that.
Speaker 3 (22:35):
So then you know, just reflecting on your journey, what
has been I would say like your most significant learning experience.
Speaker 4 (22:46):
No doubt, hands down, it's the three years I spent
building a sixty story high rise. I uh and and
it would have been challenging even if it was a
smooth project and everything fell into place and all of that,
but it it was there was a challenge with pretty
much every vendor delivering material to the job. There were
all sorts of you know issues there and so in
(23:08):
again not necessarily having the full support of my own
team in the office. And then it was you know,
again it was and it was sixty stories. It just
kept going, it kept building, and so and there were
times during the project where I just stood in my
office and not knowing like which next step I should take.
Do I move towards my desk or you know I
(23:29):
or do I like I would I'd almost be spinning. Yeah,
I just I just didn't know. And and like, you know,
and so I had to you know, accept that, like
I was never going to get to the bottom of
my to do list. That was that was something I
would never see, you know, and just but it was
but through that, right like through that, I overcame, you know, fears,
(23:51):
I so many fears that I somebod I knew I had,
somebody didn't know I had, you know, fear of just
difficult conversations and confrontation. And and by the end of it,
this is this shows how far I blew through my fears.
You know, many years ago before the project started, someone
mentioned the idea of going scuba diving to me, and
at that time, the idea of it made me feel
(24:12):
like I would hyperventilate.
Speaker 2 (24:14):
Oh yeah, it was just.
Speaker 4 (24:17):
Like, oh my gosh, I couldn't possibly ever do that.
Before this project finished, I was a certified scuba diver.
Because I just I blew through it like nothing. Nothing
scared me at that point. I was just like, bring
it on, Like, what's the next thing I can do.
I even had a chance to adjust the exterior light fixtures,
like eight hundred feet in the air on the outside
(24:39):
of this building it and it was hanging off the
window washing rig. I had no fear. I was a
little afraid.
Speaker 2 (24:45):
You did this, You did this.
Speaker 4 (24:47):
I did this, and and it was and I was
a little afraid it might drop something. That was that
was my fear. But I wasn't afraid for myself. I
was like and I was terrified of heights starting out
in the industry, like terrified of heights and by but
I kept pushing it and pushing and pushing it to
the point where again, being eight hundred feet up in
the air and a window watching her at night, did
(25:08):
not face me.
Speaker 2 (25:10):
Wow, what an amazing experience.
Speaker 3 (25:13):
I read how can people find you, especially those looking
at you know, somebody that needs to be coached for
your successful Women in Construction?
Speaker 4 (25:23):
Yeah, so the easiest place to find me, I'm everywhere
as Irene Walsh Garcia. Yes, I've not seen another i
Ream Walsh Garcia out there. So if you look me
up on LinkedIn, you know, shoot me a message and
I'm happy to have a conversation.
Speaker 3 (25:38):
Awesome, fantastic, And I want to thank everybody for joining
us for Women in Construction Week. In the comments, we're
going to put a survey and if you go ahead
and fill that out be helpful for us. So again
I read, thank you so much for being our guest
on the show and we look forward to watching you
in the future, and then hopefully we can set up
(25:59):
additional podcast for the future as well.
Speaker 4 (26:02):
That'd be great. Thank you so much.
Speaker 1 (26:03):
All right, if you're a construction contractor and would like
to appear as a guest on our podcast, write us
an email. It's Lou at lumberfi dot com.
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