3 min read December 2022 — In an interview with Invest:, Barb Lau, executive director of the Association of Women Contractors, discussed her organization’s main areas of focus, projects to increase the skill sets among women business owners and the association’s focus regarding advocacy.
What has been the main focus of the Association of Women Contractors over the past year?
Our measures of success are membership retention and the value of services to our members. We are always trying to increase what we do here. The focus this year has been dealing with getting our members paid. The price escalation and supply disruptions from the pandemic have left many contractors caught in a bubble. Prices have gone up anywhere from 300 to 400% and some commodity prices are still going up. Glass, for instance, is up 50% as of July 2022. When a contractor bids on a project, they are being held to the bid price and are not being paid the difference between what they bid and the current prices. I’ve been involved in working groups with the public agencies in town and the governor’s office to try and find solutions so this doesn’t fall solely on the backs of small businesses.
Another focus is our scholarships to women in construction. We were able to bring back our golf event, which helps us fund this initiative. We were filled up within 10 days and as a result, we were able to give $12,000 worth of scholarships to women both for academia and apprentices.
What projects are in place to bolster skill sets and create a stronger workforce?
We have some programs, such as Elevate, that are focused on the growth of the business owner and helping them achieve their long-term goals. It can be seen in the form of how they are going to exit the business or grow their business. We’ve always been a well-oiled machine in what we do for newer businesses under five years old, so Elevate was created for businesses five years or older to be an intermediate training for them.
Next year, we are going to be doing a six-course series that will help new businesses with a variety of topics, including how to read a SPEC, how to read a contract, what insurance looks like and much more. That is something new members are constantly looking for, so we are creating programs to help them. We do mentoring, networking and introductions to aid in the process; however, education is one of the backbones of this organization.
In terms of workforce development, there are programs that are feeding the pipeline. For example, the Department of Labor has The Construction Careers Foundation. That program exposes people to different trades and works with schools to get people aware of the opportunities. Similarly, Construct Tomorrow is a program where union members go to high schools to show the students what they do. A newer program called Building Strong Communities works to get people ready for apprenticeships.
The YMCA and other organizations are actively working on how to feed people into these programs, especially because trades are rarely an option for those whose families have never been involved in those opportunities. People of color were kept out of the trades historically, so they don’t have a family where their parents or grandparents were electricians, giving them a connection to the trades. We are intentional about touching those communities who haven’t gone through this.
What is the organization’s focus when it comes to advocacy?
There is still a lot of resistance to using businesses you haven’t worked with before. If you are doing public work in the industry, there are goals for using women and minority businesses and the related workforce. I have been challenged by people stating that it is not fair to give part of their work to women and minority-owned businesses considering their companies have been in business for a century. I use that as a teaching moment, recognizing that while it might not be fair it wasn’t fair that women and minority-owned businesses couldn’t legally exist. In the 1980s, women still couldn’t get a loan for themselves without a man.
The resistance is a result of people not understanding the struggle of businesses trying to break into the market. Contractors are used to working with subs that they have an existing relationship with. It is also difficult for women because people presume that they are a front, meaning the business is in the woman’s name only but the husband owns/runs it. Legitimate women business owners must work harder to dispel rumors and misunderstandings.
From an association standpoint, we are doing well. We work very hard and are the go-to person whenever someone has questions about diversity and equity in the industry. We are well-respected and since I don’t have a personal horse in the race, I can do a better job in advancing all businesses and partnering with entities to aid the process.
What opportunities does construction provide for women entering the industry?
Construction as a career allows you to work without the debt of a four-year college. It is good pay with benefits. As a woman, you can provide for your household in a way where you can do things that you didn’t even know were possible. If you are artistic, you can be laying tile, creating with wood or welding pieces. It’s a career, not a job and we’ve seen women choosing this as a career.
There is a good feeding ladder to becoming business owners. In fact, many businesses are created by ex-trades people. So a woman who is a welder, for example, can eventually open her own business. People need to know this opportunity exists; it is not just a bunch of white men pounding hammers.
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