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W W W. M A I N E B I Z . B I Z 23 J U LY 2 5 , 2 0 2 2 F O C U S R E A L E S TAT E / C O N S T R U C T I O N / E N G I N E E R I N G as a college student, she knew civil engi- neering was for her when a professor asked who in the class had played with Legos as a kid. "at's when I knew it was going to be home." Today she's a general superin- tendent at Consigli though the job hasn't always been easy, like when she pumped breast milk using a wireless device under her safety vest that she now laughs about. She finds the work rewarding and is keen to see more women join the industry. "We need more people in con- struction, and women can be the answer if they see that as an option," she says. "Let's find the girls who like Legos, put them on a job site and see if they like it." Rising to the top While women represent only 1.4% of construction CEOs worldwide and do not lead any large Maine-based con- struction companies, some are blazing trails leading smaller companies. ey include Deirdre Wadsworth, who succeeded her father as presi- dent of Portland-based Hardypond Construction in 2019. e company, currently at 15 employees and 20 open- ings, is working on projects including renovation of the Reiche Elementary School in Portland and of the Westbrook Armory, on behalf of the Maine Army National Guard. While Wadsworth hasn't actively sought out fellow female business own- ers in the industry to compare notes with, she will go over and talk to any woman she spots working on a building site she visits, saying, "I try to make a point of thanking them for getting into the industry because it's important." Similarly, developer Catherine Culley of Portland's Redfern Properties says she finds it "invigorat- ing" to see women on a job site, like the 18-story building currently being built by Landry/French. "ere's a confidence in the project when women are on the job site," she says. Meanwhile at Landry/French, Curley says she eventually wants to end up in a director position, while Wiley has dreams of business ownership — though not in construction, but running a food truck delivering hot lunches to workers at job sites. R e n e e C o r d e s , M a i n e b i z s e n i o r w r i t e r, c a n b e r e a c h e d a t r c o r d e s @ m a i n e b i z . b i z a n d @ r s c o r d e s CONTRACTOR OF THE YEAR Join Our Team – Excellence Works Here Visit pcconstruction.com/careers The employee owners of PC Construction are proud of our innovative work spanning from Maine to Florida that has earned the distinction of ENR Southeast's Contractor of the Year. We truly are Building Stronger, Together. University of Southern Maine Project Team Portland, ME P H O T O / T I M G R E E N WAY Deirdre Wadsworth, president of Portland-based Hardypond Construction I try to make a point of thanking them for getting into the industry because it's important. — Deirdre Wadsworth Hardypond Construction

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