Construction Employers Association Joins National Association of Women In Construction To Celebrate ‘Women In Construction’ Week
CLEVELAND - As Women in Construction (WIC) Week (March 6 - 12) approaches, Construction Employers Association (CEA) and National Association of Women in Construction (NAWIC) Cleveland Chapter joined forces to attract, retain and celebrate women in the industry.
Because the focus of WIC week is to highlight women in construction, the two organizations are holding roundtables and educational sessions across the region to engage conversations with industry leaders about challenges, needs, successes, how to respond to the talent demands and what is being done or considered to bring about more gender equity.
“We recognize the need and opportunity for more women in the global construction workforce and the value of WIC week,” says Glen Shumate, executive vice president of CEA. “Women have demonstrated capability, competency and success yet are under-represented.”
Despite a labor shortage, where tremendous career opportunities exist, women still only make less than ten (9.9) percent of the construction workforce. In fact, women working in construction numbered 1.5 percent of the entire U.S. workforce in 2018.
“Representation is the first step in advancing women in the construction industry,” says Alison Frye, former NAWIC Cleveland president and Construction Manager at Lincoln Electric.
“When women see that there is a place for them in the industry, we start to increase entry into those careers.”
NAWIC is a network for women in the field of construction. Founded by sixteen women working in construction, to create a support network, the association began as Women in Construction in Fort Worth, Texas in 1953. NAWIC remains based in Fort Worth and has 118 chapters throughout the United States that provide professional development, education, networking, leadership training and public service.
“NAWIC’s programming and community helps to retain and advance women in the industry by building their professional skills and certification, providing collaborative peer groups, and establishing business connections across the industry,” says Frye.
For over 100 years, CEA has been committed to leading, learning and making a difference in the Ohio construction industry. Members include construction companies, specialty contractors, suppliers, and associations.
“CEA has been a continued resource to the NAWIC Cleveland Chapter 156 in outreach in all aspects of the industry from architecture, construction, and engineering,” says Susie Chaplin, Director of Safety and Compliance at Redwood Living, Inc. and NAWIC Cleveland 2022 WIC week chair. “They provide NAWIC the opportunity to strengthen our communication network and support as many women in the industry as possible.”
Some WIC week activities include
March 8
- Defying Gravity, Championing Gender Equity, a discussion with Space and Leadership Pioneer Ellen Ochoa.
March 9
- A Dale Carnegie workshop titled, “Organize and Prioritize to Increase Your Productivity.”
- Women in Construction Panel discussion and lunch. The panelists are Heather Baines, HR Construction Services and North Coast Concrete; Sonja Rice, Hahn Loeser & Parks; Cindy Leitson, Cuyahoga Community College; and Rena Suhwail of Turner Construction. Chaplin will be moderating the discussion. Several elected officials, Cleveland Ward 7 Councilwoman Stephanie Howse, Cuyahoga County Councilwoman Distict 7 Yvonne M. Conwell, and State of Ohio Representative District 7 Tom Patton will be presenting proclamations.
Other events throughout the month include
March 23
- Gender Microaggressions: How Women Can Ally for Each Other, a discussion with Kimberly Chapmon-Wynne
March 24
- AIA Women Cleveland Contemporary Life and Work: A Shared Journey and Design Philosophy
March 30
- A Dale Carnegie workshop titled, “Advancing Women in Leadership.”
“By partnering with CEA, we hope to attract and welcome more women to the construction industry and support them through their careers with our combined resources and knowledge of the Northeast Ohio construction industry,” says Kelsea Pohl, senior staff environmental engineer at SME.
“Providing members of both organizations access to training opportunities and discussions will make the events more impactful and diverse, elevating both NAWIC and CEA.”