Celebrating Women’s History Month with Women in Construction:
Meet Aida Collins, Goldfinch Brother’s Estimator & Project Manager.
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What are some words of wisdom for women in the construction industry?
“Use your strengths, whatever they may be. Multi-tasking, organizational skills, vocabulary, education, these are all strengths that will serve you well in the industry. Use them to your advantage.”
What are some challenges that come from being a woman in the construction industry?
“One of my biggest challenges is the perception by many in the industry that my role is as support staff or that my job is not as important as another in the same position who is male. This perception comes from both males and females.”
What are some advantages that come from being a woman in the construction industry?
“Personally, I believe that some advantages that come from being a woman in the construction industry are the ability to process and manage multiple projects or aspects of projects at the same time. I also see a larger percentage of people readily accepting of women working in this business that was not there 20 years ago.”
What made you choose to pursue a career at Goldfinch Brothers?
“Great question! Before moving to Washington 7 years ago, I lived in Santa Cruz while raising my 5 children on my own. When my youngest two graduated from high school (twins), my boyfriend (now husband) planned our move to Washington. I worked in residential sales of windows, doors, hardware, and skylights and had a great relationship with my outside sales reps. I asked each of them for recommendations. They contacted their counterparts in the area we were moving to and every single one of them came back with the recommendation to try working for Goldfinch Brothers. They all reported an outstanding reputation in the industry and that the employees they worked with all had good things to say about management and the company overall. I kept my eyes open for job opportunities with Goldfinch, but whenever I was looking there wasn’t anything available at the same time. That finally changed when I saw Jeff’s advertisement for the Tenant Improvement department and was eventually hired on in 2017.”
What trends/changes do you see in the future for women in construction?
“I am optimistic about the future for women in construction and think we will see more and more women in all positions and roles.”
Stay tuned to learn more about the incredible women at Goldfinch Brothers Inc. as we celebrate Women’s History Month.