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Sharing Viable Construction Careers with Women and Girls Alike

In the past few months, Mel Taylor, vice president of manufacturing for Bildt (formerly known as Boldt’s prefab and modular division), has seized the opportunity to share her love of construction with women and girls through a college program and in a 4K classroom, respectively.

Back to the Classroom, Part 1
In the fall, Mel signed on to lead a new, semester-long, one-credit course for the University of Wisconsin-Madison College of Engineering called Construction by Women in collaboration with Professor Awad Hanna and Alexa Rademacher, a graduate student in the school’s construction engineering and management program. The opportunity: To combine classroom learning, real-life experiences shared by women leaders in the industry and opportunities to build connections – all to set up women for success in the construction industry.

“We showcased many women who are high-level professionals on topics meaningful to them and related to the industry,” said Mel. “Women have a unique responsibility and opportunity to show the path to other women. The path is always easier once it’s already walked.”

The syllabus included sessions on “Networking is Working,” “Level Up Your Leadership – The Missing Advice,” “The Power of Process,” “Lean Thinking & the Power of Innovation,” all of which were shared through the lens of women, Mel said. She tapped into a range of women in leadership roles in their careers, including Holly Lifke, Stacy Robben, Maribeth Achterberg, Jenny Han and Kate Olson from Boldt, among others in the construction, architectural and engineering industries.

“The point was to give students perspective on the professional industry, and for students to build a network, get exposure and take advantage of opportunities to build their own network,” said Mel.

It resonated with her graduate assistant.

“The class introduced me to many career paths I hadn’t known about beforehand. Meeting successful people in the industry taught me I can find success in unexpected areas and that there isn’t one ‘right way’ to be a leader,” said Alexa.

As a UW-Madison student, Boldt intern and aspiring construction engineer, Erin Rice found it particularly meaningful to see Boldt representation at her university.

“I was impressed by how accomplished the women from Boldt are and how much their contributions matter to the organization,” said Erin. “Each shared her own unique story about her journey in the construction field and held her own distinct role within the company. This helped highlight the diverse opportunities available within a large organization such as Boldt.”

Mel believes that women in construction have a running start on becoming leaders compared to their peers in architecture or engineering because project management roles are inherently multifaceted. She likens running a construction project to running a small business.

“You naturally get that exposure and can lean in hard, managing financials and people alike, writing contracts, accommodating change orders,” said Mel. “I’ve found it has been easier for me to advance in my career because I naturally had those financial and business leadership skills as a result of being a project manager, whereas architects and engineers have to seek that out.”

In addition, she found being a project manager (PM) to be a great training ground for solid planning and effective communication. She’s found that to be an asset regardless the role a woman seeks in construction, which she says is a changing industry.

“When I came out of school, construction had a certain reputation. Now, it is more about Lean, technology, planning and stronger communications, and that’s attractive to women,” said Mel. “As the industry changes, it may intrigue more women to take this class.”

Back to the Classroom, Part 2
Mel may have a future construction manager in the making at home as well. Not long after wrapping up the semester, Mel joined her daughter, Waverly, for careers day in her 4K classroom. Mel, wearing full personal protection equipment (PPE), shared insights into her job in a manufacturing environment, emphasizing that construction is a career for both girls and boys, something her daughter reinforced without a moment’s hesitation.

“When one of the dads came in and said, ‘I’m a carpenter who builds houses,’ my daughter yelled out, ‘My mom builds houses, too,’ as she saw me physically building our home,” said Mel.” I’m so proud she sees women being successful in construction and thought of me first because her dad is also a homebuilder.”

Whether she engages with women at the University of Wisconsin-Madison or girls at a Girl Scout event or in a 4K classroom, Mel said her message remains the same.

“Women can be successful in construction. More than ever, they can say, ‘This is a career for me’ or ‘There’s a place for me here,’” she said.

Read the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s story on Mel’s new course, which is anticipated to be offered each fall.

About The Boldt Company
The Boldt Company (Boldt) is a leading professional construction services firm with customers across the United States and is a subsidiary of The Boldt Group. Founded in 1889, Boldt is a fourth-generation family and employee-owned firm headquartered in Appleton, Wisconsin. Boldt is recognized as a pioneer in Lean construction and in the industrialized construction space. Boldt operates 18 offices across the U.S. that serve customers in healthcare, power, industrial, education, automotive and commercial markets.