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These five bold women took their sledgehammers and broke right through the barriers trying to keep them out of the building business: Sashe Ivy of Pink Hard Hatz Construction, Robin Thorne of CTI Environmental, Dudly Etienne-Harvard of Dudly’s Professional Services, LLC, Bridget Booker of Reign Construction Inc. and Amber Lawson of Aspire Construction.
The construction industry is highly competitive, and Black women are severely underrepresented in it. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that only 10.9 percent of people working in construction are women, and only 6.7 percent are Black. These companies are working on shifting those numbers.
Pink Hard Hatz Construction
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Pink Hard Hatz Construction is based in Chicago and is owned by Sashe Ivy. The founder has over 15 years of experience in construction, as well as a background in real estate. After sitting in on too many meetings that were all men, the entrepreneur decided to lead the way in the changes she wants to see in the industry, and Pink Hard Hatz Construction was born.
Ivy told ABC7 NY that certain clientele prefers female contractors. “I always have work coming because what I’m finding out is that people, especially women and seniors, want to see a woman. They’re tired of being taken advantage of,” explained the CEO.
Pink Hard Hatz Construction handles full home renovations, remodeling projects, home improvements and commercial remodeling and improvements.
CTI Environmental
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CTI Environmental is owned by chemical engineer and businesswoman Robin Thorne, who has more than 15 years of experience in regulatory compliance. The firm has branches in Long Beach, CA, Atlanta and Philadelphia. They have two primary divisions – regulatory compliance and construction management – and have relationships with several regulatory parties including the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health, as well as many fire departments.
Thorne is an executive supervisor on all projects and handles recruitment as well as business development for the company.
When interviewed for modern resource management platform WorkMax on obstacles she’s faced in her work, Thorne said, “Early in my career was just the respect level…I’ve gone into rooms where I’ve been ignored because the assumption was that I wasn’t the person in charge.”
The successful pioneer is paying it forward with her non-profit Demo Chicks, which provides resources and mentorship for young women interested in construction, demolition, architecture and engineering.
Dudly’s Professional Services, LLC
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Dudly’s Professional Services, LLC has locations in South Florida and Atlanta. The president of the company is Dudly Etienne-Harvard, who has a bachelor’s in Construction Engineering Technology from Florida Agricultural & Mechanical University in Tallahassee.
Etienne-Harvard decided to start the business after being laid off from one of her early jobs following college. She moved back home into her mother’s house in South Florida and started the business with little more than a printer and a laptop from a bedroom, the entrepreneur told VoyageMIA.
Getting started was not easy. It took four years to turn a profit, Etienne-Harvard explained. “I had to build my network. With the services I provide, companies and people must trust that you have the experience and relationships prior to hiring your company. I had to provide free services, get involved within the community to understand my community again.”
The hard work paid off. Dudly’s Professional Services, LLC has now worked on high-profile projects including the Dewar Restaurant Lounge at the former American Airlines Arena, Broward County Convention Center & Hotel, several schools in Florida and the FTX Arena.
Reign Construction Inc.
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Reign Construction Inc. serves central Illinois and is run by Bridget Booker, a graduate of Illinois Central College who is certified in construction trades. The company handles ironwork and general construction for private municipalities, government agencies and contractors.
Canada’s Building Trades Unions interviewed Booker on why diversity is so important in this industry. The businesswoman told them, “The future of the trades needs diversity and more inclusion…without it we won’t get anywhere. We need growth. The country started that way and it needs to end that way…The industry can really take over and be a model for the country to change and grow.”
Aspire Construction
Website
Aspire Construction is based in Atlanta and was founded by Amber Lawson. Lawson graduated from Southern Polytechnic State University with a major in Construction Management and worked as a property manager before transitioning into construction.
From renovations to new structures, clients can get it all done with Aspire. Lawson said to Rolling Out about Aspire “We’re a one-stop-shop for design, architecture, engineering and construction, so when a client comes to us, they only have to talk to us to get their project done.”
During the pandemic, the multi-talented trailblazer took to building tiny houses, which was of particular significance to her. Lawson said in the same Rolling Out interview, “It’s such a passion project because I feel like there is an opportunity in our community to benefit greatly…What if you could put a tiny house in the backyard and create passive income, or an extended family member can live in here, and now you have a stronger family [like] we grew up with where my grandma lived down the street and auntie around the corner. You can create an ecosystem that sets people up for success.”
