How Women in Construction Keep the Industry Alive (& Thriving)

Hear how women keep their companies profitable and growing despite economic crashes, supply chain delays, and labor shortages (to name a few!) by thinking outside of the box and keeping their teams, and company, growing with the times.

We’ll hear from a Business Owner, a Director of Credit & Collections and an Accountant –  all women, of course! – to hear how they:

• Efficiently secure their payments to keep cash flow healthy
• Successfully grow their businesses
• Thrive in an industry historically dominated by men!

Speaker 1 (00:00:03):
Hi, everyone. Welcome to today’s webinar. How women in construction keep the industry alive and thriving. We are super excited to talk about how women are key players in this industry. That’s historically dominated by men. Before we do move forward, I want to let everyone know that we are recording live session. So you will receive the link with the recording in it tomorrow. If you’d like to watch it again or share it with your team. If you have any questions, comments, thoughts, all of the things during the presentation, remember to drop them in the chat box or the Q and a box, and we’ll get to those questions at the end. So my name is Allie and I’m the ex an expansion account manager here at level set. I help people to empower people. I help empower people like you to really own their roles by utilizing level sets tools. I do have our three incredible co-hosts and panelists here joining me today from very roles and companies in the industry. And of course, they’re all one men. Kate, would you like to start out with an introduction there?

Speaker 2 (00:01:06):
Yeah, absolutely. Thank you. Everyone for logging in today is such an important webinar. Really? It’s great. Again, my name’s Kate I’m president owner and qualifying general contractor of build ventures. We’re a full service general contracting firm. Headquarter in Orlando. We do work throughout the state our primary service offerings, our hotel resort, new construction, conversion, re renovations and refreshes. And we specialize in occupied renovation. I’ve been in real estate management for my entire life of family business. I’m also a licensed real estate broker. But I did pursue a career specifically in construction about thousand 12. I was working as an executive for a hotel health construction company, and then 2015, I opened my own firm with the business partner, managed that company for about six years, but now most recently I’m so excited as the first of this year. I’m happy to say that we have launched build ventures under my GC and as a so owner and we are officially now desert as a hundred percent female owned company which is so, I’m so proud of it and so disruptive to the building industry in such a big and important way. So I’m extremely honored to be here. I’m extremely honored to speak on how critical our involvement as women really is in this industry to transform it for the better and also how level sets really assisting in that process. Two.

Speaker 3 (00:02:26):
Awesome,

Speaker 4 (00:02:27):
Awesome,

Speaker 1 (00:02:30):
Gloria.

Speaker 4 (00:02:31):
Hi, I’m Gloria Macias. I’m the director of credit and collections for action gypsum supply. I’ve been with action since 2013. We’re a building material supplier, the largest independently owned supplier minority and woman own are managing partners or both minority and, and a woman. Action originated as one branch in Houston, Texas in 2003. We are now 21 branches and in five states I started my career in auto finance actually out right outta high school and did that for about just over 13 years left that industry into construction with, with no real path in place at the time. At the time the change really came more just because of the demand that there was in the car business. And as a single parent at the time, it just didn’t fit. My life at that moment and looked out for more, just the other opportunities in credit. I knew that’s where I wanted to stay. Did know that that was my niche in credit management, got a phone call by our co manager Terry King and got the rest is history. We deal with large and small subcontractors, general contractors, builders and right now I’m directing all of it for all five states.

Speaker 1 (00:04:01):
Wow, awesome. Awesome. Viv.

Speaker 5 (00:04:06):
Hi. Well, first of all, I am really excited about being on this panel with these amazing women. As you can hear, they are powerhouses in this industry and just really excited to be here. I am, MeSHs staff accountant and their HR rep along with some other things. But I came into this business about three and a half years ago, almost four years now looking for an accounting job, not knowing that I was stepping into something really awesome and great. And so mesh is a subcontractor. We are located in St. Petersburg, Florida, where Kate is from. And we most of our jobs are a million dollar projects and we are just really, really excited about the work we’re growing. I’ve seen this business grow in the last three and a half years in such an amazing way, and I know that we’re gonna keep growing. And I think that I like to think that the women here have a lot to do with that.

Speaker 1 (00:04:59):
That’s great. That’s awesome them to hear. All right. So in this, if in case this is your first time at a level set webinar, I wanna give you a quick overview of both who we are and what we do. So we all know the construction industry presents all sorts of challenges when it comes to getting paid level set is here to help you get paid. Our lean rights management software helps you track next lie and notice deadlines, verified job site information, and basically just makes it easy to manage your lean rights paperwork. We also provide materials, financing, and access to construction attorneys and other legal services. So in, in celebration of women in construction week, we’re gonna talk through the challenges, successes, and opera opportunities from, for growth for women in construction. And of course the Q and a, of course, I encourage everyone to really put those questions in the chat as we move through content. So let’s get started Back to our panelists. I’d love to have a little bit more information on why y’all chose your fields. So Gloria, can you tell us what led them, what led you to choosing this field?

Speaker 4 (00:06:11):
I, I guess with the way it, it happened, I’d have to say it chose me. I, I mean being completely honest like, as I mentioned in the, in the intro was in auto credit consumer lending for just just about just over 13 years, close to 15 years straight out of high school. And, and that kind of happened after having landed my first job while in high school, I had a car dealership. So I, I liked the, the thrill of it, the fast paced. And, and so I kind of just got into finance from there. I started from the bottom up again. I only got into construction, I think maybe it was just meant to be, maybe it was my path, but at the time I was just looking for something that was more suitable for me as a, as a single parent at the time I knew I wanted to be in credit construction and found me, I, when I found this job, I didn’t even know what gypsum was.

Speaker 4 (00:07:02):
I just knew that was the name of the company. And I found that out pretty quickly. But I can say, I can at least say that once I came in, once I got this job and, and started learning more about construction, I knew it’s where I wanted to stay. I can’t see myself ever leaving the industry now. There’s just so much opportunity here. And as Kate, you know, prefaced, you know, for women and just the future that we have here and the impact that we’re making in this industry you know, what, what companies like you, what level set is doing to highlight that it’s, it’s just been amazing to be a part of it and to see how I’ve been able to grow my network and just learn and be able to have an impact on it and for what the, our future gals are gonna be able to do in this industry. So I can’t exactly say I chose it, but now that I’m here, I wouldn’t wanna be anywhere else.

Speaker 1 (00:07:47):
Yeah. Here to stay. That’s great. All right. Well, Vivian, I’d love to know a little bit about what your career journey has looked like so far.

Speaker 5 (00:07:56):
Oh, wow. So I would say that I actually have been in accounting and bookkeeping and payroll since I was about 16. I got my first job in high school as a payroll clerk. And my most favorite class in high school was accounting. And so it kind of sucked me in being in construction. This is actually my first job in construction, and I was kind of like Gloria, I wasn’t actually looking to get into construction. I was in need of a job. So I did a little study about the business before I had my interview, but once I came on board, I was excited about learning about construction, about fabrication, about just everything. There’s still a lot of things I don’t know. But when I get into opportunity, I’ll speak with others here and find out like what they’re doing. I’ll sneak out into the shop and take a look at different projects and things of that sort. So I I’m with Gloria. It shows me for sure.

Speaker 1 (00:08:51):
I hear you, there is an opportunity and you went for it. That’s great. Yes, me. So Kate, what does your typical day look like?

Speaker 2 (00:08:59):
Oh, man, I think I might be the only glut for punishment in this panelist because I set out to be in construction. So, you know, it’s it has its own ups and downs, but my typical day really is, I mean, managing everything and everyone, and frankly, you know, women really need to be in this industry to start transforming it. We’re so much more detail oriented. We are so much more, you know, contract oriented. And that’s really what I do is I make sure that I’m reviewing everything for compliance, for contract management, for our subcontractors, financial really all of our lean relievers, everything legal and then also managing our field and making sure that our field and our office staff are all coordinated completely. And we are also relaying that to the client and making sure that the client is happy being well serviced and everything is going smoothly. And I really I’m excited to talk about level seven. I really am because integrating level set into our day to day has made most of that so much easier and, or not in completely automated that I don’t have to even do that. So now I can focus more on managing our employees, managing operations, bringing in more clients. And again, of course always making sure the client is satisfied. So it’s been really great implementation for us. I can’t wait to get started to talk about it more.

Speaker 1 (00:10:27):
Thank you all for sharing. All right. Let’s get into the agenda. So back to Kate, again, as a business owner in the construction industry, what are some of the obstacles you’ve faced in an industry mostly dominated by men?

Speaker 2 (00:10:44):
Well, you know, some of the biggest obstacles that I’ve really come to realize, and actually frankly have to admit that never seemed to go away year after year is really proving my confidence and really establishing my role. And not only, only my role as a contractor, but really as like a female business owner and authority figure, you know, I face that constant kind of like back to zero, if you will, every time a new project starts, I have to reestablish all of that amid my clients, subcontractors vendors. And, you know, unfortunately, sometimes even some of my employees the reality is that not only do I, you know, equally deal with all of the typical issues and impedance, you know, already associated with construction, you know, I’ll be at sequencing issues, communication, compliance, and safety as all my male colleagues do. That’s just a given in the industry.

Speaker 2 (00:11:33):
That’s what everyone who’s a contractor has to deal with onsite, but above and beyond that, you know, in the periphery which is inherent, you know, I’m constantly combating like words and feelings of doubt. I literally outwardly get challenged in my role professionals. In my knowledge, I’ll be asked questions in like a very, you know, quizzing way as opposed to an inquisitive way on the job site to make sure that I know what I’m talking about. And my, you know, arguably my male counterparts really have never, will never have to encounter that nor do they really have to think twice about it. So I genuinely feel like as a woman, I have to work double duty on jobs to make them as successful as I have. So it’s just very challenging to keep all of that balanced and to make sure that everything is no balls are being dropped, even though I have to deal with a lot more in the background.

Speaker 1 (00:12:27):
Okay. So we have a question from the Q and a Kate, you mentioned how women will transform the industry for the better. How do you think this will and already is happening?

Speaker 2 (00:12:39):
Yeah, well, I definitely think it’s already happening. I encounter so many more talented women in the industry every day and it, and this is just another precedent of that, which is amazing this webinar. I think we are transforming because like I said, we are a lot more detail oriented. We’re a lot more action oriented. You know, historically construction is a very reactive in market industry and that’s, I think where we kinda a bad rap really, is that a lot of how it’s been going before a little bit more male dominated and centric is just more on the reactive side. So I really have to push my team to be more proactive, to really, you know, push those boundaries, make those phone calls, you know, push things across the finish line. And historically I think that it’s been a little bit more relaxed and that’s been pushing things over budget over time and has really created that, you know, kind of sense that construction’s not, you know, trustworthy or not valued. And I think women I’ve really noticed working with women, we all rally together and we, we push that. We push those envelopes and we push everyone to do things correctly, safely and the proper sequencing. And that’s made a huge difference, huge difference in my projects and how my clients feel about my work.

Speaker 1 (00:14:00):
That’s impressive and makes me so proud to hear it. I know that for us, whenever one woman goes ahead and does it, it gives everyone else permission to do the same. So let’s see Vivian mesh is a worldwide organization as the accountant who holds it all together. What are some unique challenges that you face in your role?

Speaker 5 (00:14:23):
Unfortunately a lot of my challenges are the same as Kate. I’m a woman and I can’t change that. And even though I am the accountant here and the, the only one who really has a background in it I do have an assistant those here. She’s a awesome, she’s actually our, our office manager and she also assists me. But I will be asked all of the questions that you ask your accountant, you, you know, questions about your P and L questions about what do you think, how do you think we can cut costs in this area are on this particular job? And I can give that information and it can be totally ignored, or it will be checked by every other male that has nothing at all to do or have no knowledge about accounting. And their answer will be the one that, that they go with.

Speaker 5 (00:15:05):
But for me I have decided that everyone is on this earth for a reason, and we have a purpose. So I decide to show up every day and to live in my purpose and bring all of me to every situation, to every email, to every meeting and regardless of the response or whether it’s accepted or it isn’t, I am still gonna show up and just give my 100% best. I will balance the books. I will give the best cash projections. I will do whatever it is that I’m called to do. And I’ll do it excellently and let my work speak for itself.

Speaker 1 (00:15:38):
I love that. It’s whenever you do the work you’re showing it and no one else can doubt it’s. This is what I did. This is my work and you can’t deny it. That’s great. All right, Gloria, you are the director over all of credit and collections for a huge supplier. What’s your career journey been like so far? And what were some challenges you faced along the way? Do you still face them in your current role?

Speaker 4 (00:16:01):
Yeah, no, absolutely. Again, when I came into construction in 2003, I was new to construction and this industry you know, in credit and construction’s a lot different than credit for cars. I took you that. But you know, thankfully I did have a great support team and P peers, female peers here who have through the different industries have been able to help me through that part of it. So once I overcame just the challenge of learning what the business was you know, then the next challenge, I think that comes to mind, which is just the growth. As I stated, when I started, we were four branches in one state, we’re now five states in 21 branches, well, different states bring different laws and brings different rules and different deadlines. And I didn’t get any advanced notice to, to, to learn that before we opened, we opened up a ranch and I was expected to, to handle it and take, to take, take it over.

Speaker 4 (00:16:54):
And I’ll throw in that plug there level set was my, the first resource I found when I Googled lean law for California. And it’s been my resource ever since it’s it’s just a quick location for me to go and find simple, easily formatted step by step on how to handle each state. I use it now daily. It’s continued to be a challenge but I use it to educate myself and then turn around and train and educate my team. But still with growth, you know, with, with the growth and it going into new regions, that’s new sales staff, and they’re all eager and zealous to bring in all of their new clients. And that leads to new credit, which leads to sales, which is all new AR. So while growth is a fantastic problem to have. There’s just a lot of challenge that comes with that.

Speaker 4 (00:17:44):
I add, add to that. We were only one at the time. It was my, when we started, it was myself and one other person in the department and we’re now a total of 10. Oh, wow. And that, and that was my first feet was building that team you know, of, of great people who were gonna be able to take this all on with me. I knew it’s not something I could do myself. You know, and then adding to that, you know, I, it was a, it was a goal of mine first, as soon as I on with action was to build a rapport with my sales team. I was the person who was brought in to tighten up processes and the procedures and to protect you know, our credit base and our credit line and our sales team at the time, they weren’t used to that.

Speaker 4 (00:18:23):
It was still, it was very, you know, handshake and a smile type agreements. You know, and I was the, who came in and changed that. But I also wanted to gain their trust. I wanted to make sure that they knew I was on their side, you know, credit is not the anti sales department, as you know, people would like to sometimes refer you know, and I have a little sales gala in my, in me, myself, if I have to admit. So it was important to me that my department, the role that we played and the value the, that we brought to the company was also sold to our customer. And I wanted that to be part of why they wanted to do business with action as well, not just, you know, the product itself. So we’re, and we’re constantly growing action is still expanding. So yes, there are still challenges in my role. Kind of like Vivian said, I, I face some head on handful at a time. Challenge is what drives me. So I welcome it.

Speaker 1 (00:19:14):
I love it that just hearing too, especially the, the expansion of your team and how you are able to take that, make the make that connection with the sales team and show, Hey, I’m here for you. You get us paid, we get you paid. We’re gonna make this work. That’s awesome. Right. All right. Well, Kate, most people in the construction industry are really slow to adopt new technologies and software for new businesses. Most people just try to get right to work and bootstrap business operations, which leaves their business vulnerable to all sorts of things like slow paying customers and inefficient processes. When you laugh, when you left your last business which I know you also owned to start build ventures. You wasted no time in making sure your new construction business had the right tools and infrastructure in place to truly be successful. I’m dying to know what your mindset was going into creating a construction business and how your unique way of doing things helped you overcome those challenges.

Speaker 2 (00:20:11):
Sure. Actually, well, you know, back to the Q and a question, this is another reason why our industry really needs more women in it because I’m not afraid to admit when I’m wrong and I’m not afraid to admit when an SOP is just not working and we need to change it immediately. I mean, if we aren’t learning from what we’re doing, you know, how can we make it better, you know, and what be doing them. So being in this industry for so long, you know, I’ve really learned a lot of the critical bottlenecks, like in the processes and procedures, like when it comes to contract administration lean and legal compliance. And then of course, you know, working with so many layers of businesses and work hands from like your direct subcontractors to your sub of subs, then to your material, men of the sub to the sub even the best oil oil machines can really overlook deadlines releases.

Speaker 2 (00:21:00):
Invoices can get easily thrown to the side. So in my previous company companies that I admit, we, you know, we left ourselves pretty exposed by not filing the proper releases, not filing proper legal documents in the proper timeframes. And, you know, frankly not, I’ll admit not really knowing those third party subcontractors who are on our jobs and their lean rights. You know, the point is, is that these workplace inefficiencies, that seems so because it’s so fast paced and we’re just moving can really be very, very detrimental to the business. So when I launched build ventures I refuse to let such controllable concepts become such damaging issues. So level SETSS really been that pathway to success for us, you know really the power is in the new tech of automation to like electronically manage and store all these things like compliance and payable.

Speaker 2 (00:21:54):
And then of course you’re extremely like, well organized, like user friendly dashboard, honestly, that has been a huge game changer making like the job contract management part. So incredibly easy. I mean, the, our inter like I, a general contractor, like contracting is in the name and I feel like so many contractors forget that a huge part of our job isn’t just implementation, but it’s, pre-construction work and paperwork in legal administration during the job process. And again, that’s where we Excel as women, cuz we can understand that and we know how to manage that. But level set has, you know, really made it so incredibly easy. And really what sealed the deal for me though is you’re vast and deep, but your research deliverables and capabilities, I mean, that was so, so impressive that you have so many people dedicated to just researching our issues are problems, our statutes our legal ramifications, everything all the time.

Speaker 2 (00:22:49):
It’s a really great extension of your company that you never really have to think about again. And your customer service is amazing. I mean I just call and I can get any information that I need to better, better manage my business. So you know, the, my point is at the end of the day in this industry to know things before they happen and to be alerted of things in real time time which level set provides will take your business from good to exceptionally great. And this efficiencies and build ventures already has already allowed me to elevate our brand than what we had before and to actually end up charge more for our services because it just makes us that much better and the competition, cause we can focus more on our clients. We can focus more on the small things that we can’t control because this is already you’re being taken care of. So,

Speaker 1 (00:23:36):
Okay. So you’re, you’re telling me you’re organized, super efficient with what you’re doing and you’re not afraid to utilize that technology to make you, you take yourself from here to there, that’s awesome,

Speaker 2 (00:23:49):
A hundred percent and you need to do that. You know, you need to grow your business. And that’s what I learned from the other company. And that’s why this one, I refuse to make those same mistakes. Cause we were just very bogged down and overlooking things and it really keeps, it makes you very exposed. So making sure that you a, a, a backend that can support that, that will help you will only make this job in business easier.

Speaker 1 (00:24:11):
For sure. Thank you. Well, okay. So Vivian, before you came to level set, mesh was really struggling to front the cash to cover the cost of new jobs that cash crunch we know is especially painful for subcontractors who have high material cost. Can you tell us how you dealt with that reality and what advice you’d give?

Speaker 5 (00:24:31):
I prayed a lot because it was definitely a frustrating situation. Again, coming. This is my first job in construction. So for me, if we, in the past, you issue an invoice, it’s net 10, it’s net 15, it’s maybe net 30, but here we issue pay apps. And then it’s 45 to 60 days after the pay app is approved. And at the end of the day, that means that we’re, I mean, our purchases can be anywhere from tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands at, at one order. So to have to come up with hundreds of thousands of dollars before you ever receive your deposit or a payment on your first invoices cash projections and managing the cash flow here, definitely challenging. And I love, love, love, love level set. Your team has been amazing. Not only is your platform easy to use, not only do you guys like treat us as if we are your only client, you are quick with turnaround, you answer all of our questions and I send multiple emails. A but your, your team has just been amazing and giving us that 120 days to pay $235,000 or $125,000 invoice makes a huge difference. So that 120 days when we’re waiting 60 or so days, or if something got dropped, then maybe it’s a little more than that. It definitely gives us some breathing room.

Speaker 1 (00:25:48):
That’s awesome to hear. I, I think that my favorite thing is with you saying, yes, it gives you the flexibility, but at the same time, it sounds like you’re also able to hold level set as like an extension of your team. Like, you know, oh, yes. Ma’am and we’ve shown you, we’ve got your back there.

Speaker 5 (00:26:03):
You guys are amazing. Yes. Thank

Speaker 1 (00:26:05):
You. Okay, well now onto Gloria action, gypsum has been around since 2003 and it is a huge national SLI. So Gloria, I imagine you have to run a pretty tight ship to keep your department and its functions in line. How have you managed to overcome the challenges you shared with us to keep your department running as efficiently and smoothly as possible?

Speaker 4 (00:26:29):
Well to that, let me first make sure I say what an amazing team that I have. I am so thankful for them. There’s no way that I can do what I do without them. They’ve definitely gone through the change and expansions with me trial and a lot of trial and error along the way. You know, there has been multiple mentions just about, you know, the risk with missing a notice or the risk of signing the wrong waiver and understanding the language in, you know, the joint check agreements and just all of the different legal documents that can make or break a whole deal or even a, an an account. I, I mentioned that there’s 10 of us, we’re spread out between three different locations, but the majority of us are in Houston. So I am present with them, but whether I am in the office with them or our remote employees, I commit to making sure that I’m present and, and available despite the different, the different time zones.

Speaker 4 (00:27:24):
And despite, you know, the endless meetings, the deadlines, no matter how many directions that the growth and expansion has pulled me in, I know that time, as challenging as it is to find is key, I need to be present for my team, the communication, keeping them informed, making sure that they’re in the loop. To me there isn’t of course there’s a level of rapport and what, you know, but I know that it’s important that they know what’s going on in our business. They know what’s going on in our industry. There are no secrets. If I know it, they’re gonna know it and teaching them and empowering them. First and foremost has been the way that I keep them or keep our team, you know, to get other and United and functioning. I’m carving copying on 99% of all email communication from my team.

Speaker 4 (00:28:11):
And I know that sounds super crazy. It is, it drives me insane, but it allows me to stay in the loop. It allows me to identify training opportunities, to recognize achievements and to be a support for my team when they need me, especially for those that matters to that more escalated, or if they need a certain tier of approval. It allows me to be able to give that customer a timely turnaround and be able to support the credit specialists at the same time, so that they’re not kind of put in a corner on something. You know, we have a set schedule for all of our processes. Our processes are the expectations for each process and procedure laid out. It’s clear. You know, we know what we’re doing this week, you know, right now we’re preparing for liens next week. You know, Tuesday’s the 15th in Texas, you know, that’s, it’s an important time.

Speaker 4 (00:28:55):
We all know what our expectations are, so that we’re working towards the same goal. It took a little bit more time than I’d like to admit, but finalizing and updated procedures manual so that our team has resources at their, you know, at their disposal without having to, to stop or ask or look that was, that had been a goal of mine for quite a while. And we finally got that done. You know, I understand that as a team, we succeed or fail. It’s not just me. There is no I, and it’s my job to, you know, continue to empower them and educate them. You know, no matter that amount of change, again, it’s communication, consistency and follow through. And just making sure that we all know what’s happening and keeping them informed and giving them the opportunities to learn as well.

Speaker 4 (00:29:41):
Level set offered a, a great webinar by the Dudley on construction management and that I made every single person on my team take that course. And, you know, they were grunting when we, when I first put it out there, but they all loved it afterwards because there was so much that they were able to learn. And so with so much experience in construction and credit, I mean, there was just an absolute abundance amount of value in there. So just making sure that they have the time to find those resources as well, and to use level sources like level set in order to help educate themselves. I mean, I don’t know what all of their next steps are, but that’s part of what I try to be engaged with as well, because whatever that is, I wanna help them get the

Speaker 1 (00:30:22):
That’s incredible. And I think what we hear from people similar to you every day is that it’s hard to get good people. And I think a huge part of that is also keeping them. And it sounds like that transparency and consistency that you give to everyone makes it a place that other people would want to work at. That’s incredible. So I love to hear it really, you’ve all navigated all of these challenge very well. I think it’s, it’s something that inspires me and all the rest of us here to go out, do more and kind of stay at that same level that y’all are at real quick to our audience here, though. We see your amazing questions coming in. Please keep them coming. We have reserved time if we don’t get to them. And the moment that they’re percent at the very end of the session to address all the questions that have come. Okay. So now let’s talk about how you ladies have had an impact in growing your businesses. I know that we’ve really hinted on growing your revenue and teams, winning those new jobs and becoming more efficient. But we wanna know kind of how you’ve gotten to that point and what you’ve got up your sleeve. Kate, can you get us started here?

Speaker 2 (00:31:27):
Sure. Yeah. You know, at the end of the day, it’s, in my opinion, really very simple, you know investing in automated technology, you know, like level set, of course, but also what Gloria had mentioned too. I really dedicated myself in this new venture to establishing like streamline and scalable S O OS as well for my employees, so that they’re so that they know exactly what to expect, what to do and how to handle things that really makes the business go smoothly. I mean, in this industry, there’s so much that you cannot control, like I said, and I really do have a philosophy. I should really have it written on my forehead, frankly. And this is why I think I’ve been so successful is that, you know, everything I do in my business, the number one objective is to invest in tools that allow us to take control and to actively manage everything that we can control, you know, which allows us to really revolutionize that the building industry that’s historically just been so antiquated.

Speaker 2 (00:32:20):
And like I had talked about before, very active in nature. So in turn you build ventures is becoming a different type of construction company and seemingly everyone wants to work with us because of it. So it’s definitely tried and true, you know, it’s really that automated tech in the organization, organizational like management systems you know, that level set also provides that’s really an allowing us to disrupt the status quo, if you will, like of general contracting to build, you know, my whole objective is to build the more communication focus consumer-centric construction firm and growing the business, you have to have solution driven strategies, and it really starts with standardizing your procedures and, and adopting tools that is going to help you create that and to streamline that for your internal operations so that you can control all of that. So on the external, when we’re doing our implementation things that we can’t control, we can easily pivot and handle cause we have the time do so. And those strategic partnerships will create that environment of confidence, transparency, and value, which is male or female. That is what you’re compat, you’re combating in construction at all times. So really it’s very simple to me, just those technologies and standard operating procedures from the ground floor.

Speaker 1 (00:33:38):
Yeah. Vivian, what about you?

Speaker 5 (00:33:40):
Well for us, it was also automating processes. When I came here, we were still cutting paper pay paychecks to the employees and it was, it took a year and a half to convince them like, let’s just go direct deposit and you know, automate our onboarding and onboarding processes, just different things that would help safe time and make it more efficient. But my biggest thing, honestly, I feel is building relationship, whether it’s building relationship with my coworkers, especially our vendors and customers. I think that that’s it makes a huge difference. And especially before we discovered level setting your materials financing and how I’ve explained, how we get paid. It, it really important that you have good relationships with your vendors so that when I tell them, Hey, we have not gotten paid yet, but I promise we’re gonna pay you. They can take me at my word. They can trust the integrity that I have to say, Hey, this is where we are. This is what’s going on. And without building those relationships and really helping your vendors and others understand and your line of business it, it could be a real issue. So I wanna say that my key superpower is building relationships.

Speaker 1 (00:34:49):
I love that. And I, I think what you just said, it’s like, we’re, we’re maintaining how things are relationship based, but we’re doing it in a way that you’re setting. You’re both setting the expectations in the beginning, which I think is the best way to set up a successful relationship throughout the whole thing. Well, Gloria, it is your turn.

Speaker 4 (00:35:07):
Well, I have to piggyback off of Vivian because she almost said exactly what I was thinking as far as relationships and only we’re on the opposite side, she’s paying and we’re getting paid, right? So from the physician of credit and collections, a lot of times our rules more commonly viewed as protecting the bus this as opposed to growing the business. But obviously that wasn’t gonna be good enough for me. We’re not just a back office position. We have an impact on this business and whether or not it grows and it’s successful our implementation of flexible terms and getting to know our customers, exactly what Vivian was saying. I, a relationship is key. We, we are building relationships with our customers all, all the time, getting to know their business, understanding their business, understanding the way that they’re built, so that we then know how to help them and help them grow their business.

Speaker 4 (00:35:55):
So we do this by opening finding a way to open up our newer, smaller businesses who are just, you know, getting going especially some of our smaller subcontractors, you know, the range of customers that, that we deal with, you know, yes, we have our large general contractors and builders, but we also have our little mom and pop shops and our drywall guys who are one man show, they have an, a clue about how to protect their own lie rights. And I, even though our terms, aren’t paid when paid, that’s pretty much how it works, right. They’re gonna pay us as soon as they’re paid. So we wanna help them make sure they get paid. I direct subcontractors to level set all the time on the daily, when they’re calling me, you know, to negotiate more time to pay because they haven’t been paid.

Speaker 4 (00:36:36):
You know, my first question is, are you protecting your lie rights? You know, are you sending your notices? Are you, and nine times outta 10, they’re not. So redirecting them to, to resources like level set and the simplicity of it so that they can learn and educate themselves and protect their business. It goes a long way. You know, we find ways to try to help the cell by offering ’em these other, so that they can get paid help, which will help us get paid. And it’s helped these, some of these smaller business grow their own business, and they they’re gonna remember that loyalty. They’re gonna remember that we gave them a chance when nobody else would. And they’re gonna return that loyalty. Customer service is the foundation of our business. It’s not only at the time of the sale. We want our us to our customers from the point of the sale, all the way to payment.

Speaker 4 (00:37:22):
So we strive to build that rapport and build those relationships with our customers by, you know, constant communication being available for them when they need us, even some of the tedious requests that they need, that we don’t always have as much time for, as carving out that time, walking them through sometimes their payables and how they’re gonna pay us and them through our statements so that they can, you know, pay us accurately with their remittance or even sometime having to find maybe their mistakes in those payables and helping them work through it. I mean, it just, it just goes a long way. You know, we think about customers buying from action. Of course, they’re looking for pricing, they’re looking for product availability and all that good stuff, but it’s my, I hope and my goal that it’s also because of the ease of doing business with us, for the entire experience all the way through, even to payment.

Speaker 1 (00:38:08):
Sure. It it’s, the whole people do business with people. They like, you seem like you’re nailing it there. Great. Thank you. So I really love how each of yours sponsors vary based on your respective roles in your company and the type of construction company that you own or work for, despite how dynamic and different the workloads are. I can’t help, but call out the common thread of how critical it is to ensure financial security and growing any kind of business. There are so many ways to do that. And like we know there’s really no one sets one size fits all in the construction industry. It’s super nuanced and I love how y’all reflect the power that we as women have been shaping that growth and that success. So next, I’d love to go through a few slides and briefly touch on how you and thousands of others in the industry partner with level set to secure your company’s finances and grow your businesses.

Speaker 1 (00:39:03):
As we’ve already heard, automation is a total game changer here. You, no, you no longer have to spend valuable time doing busy work or creating systems that are time consuming and subject to human error. This is where, where level set can really come into play. We have a variety of products to help your financial department run smoothly and help you grow your business. So you can say kind of say hello to lean Wrights management software. As soon as you give us the project information and the dates that you’re beginning work, we’ll calculate and track all your or deadlines for you based off of the state, you’re working in your role on the project, your customer’s role and what type of project it is from there. You can receive alerts about deadlines and track everything in one central place.

Speaker 1 (00:39:49):
The best part is that there are multiple ways to get your information in the system too. So you can either type it in yourself or set up a very quick direct integration with your E R P or an accounting software. Once jobs are all in the system, job, radar plays a huge part in helping prioritize your collection efforts. You have access to information that clients may not want to be forthcoming with, but is vital when pre-qualifying and working with someone monitoring and not are automated. So once a job is entered, it doesn’t take any manual effort to stay up to date. So Kate, I’d love to hear about how tools like level sets, lean waiver automation, and custom spreadsheets help you secure your company’s finances to achieve growth goals. And then how you use other tools like job radar to protect the business.

Speaker 2 (00:40:37):
Sure. I mean, when it comes to lean waivers and tracking and the collection of the counter signature and notarizing, you know, it’s not only so like technical but it’s monotonous and frankly, it’s just plain hard to accomplish in such a PA fast paced environment as construction is especially we’re on the sites all the time. I mean, a big part of my job is walking the field. I find myself a lot telling clients and other colleagues that, you know, I’m in the field today. I can’t get back to my computer until later tonight, you know, so it’s just becomes very hard to track all of that. And actually that’s how we found level set is when I opened build adventures. I wanted to investigate really electronic notarizing is really where I kind of my head was at and like the middle and like storage of our waiver.

Speaker 2 (00:41:20):
And then we did the tutorial, you know, of the lean waiver automation. You know, it’s exactly what we needed and really more, you know, in your research even taught me that even with Florida lean waivers, you know, by statute don’t actually have to be notarized. And so that was actually really incredible because the most cumbersome part of the process was literally made nonexistent just by a tutorial with you. So I thought that was very, very important and you know, that education we get. So, you know, laser focused in our day to day and that’s great. However, you know, that doesn’t leave us time to, to continuously investigate and continuously keep ourselves apprised of, of legal statutes and requirements and things that, you know, we really do. And we could benefit from knowing, and this was a huge, huge thing, you know, not to mention you know, we can preset those documents and those recipients.

Speaker 2 (00:42:12):
So without even think about it, like our waivers can be sent out, signed, electronically, returned timestamped, and then stored which really was the biggest thing. And the job radar alerts were just, I didn’t really even think about that until you guys really brought that up. And, you know, I just kind of thought that was the name of the game, you know, with all my experience, it’s like, well, you know, we’ll get, we’ll get the lean when we get the lean, you know, and like to keep that on the radar and have that like in real time for us was really that’s. What I’m talking about was really the game changer in our management and how we can command a better brand and some, and higher income and revenue too, off of our projects, because we’ll know these things ahead of time. And again, it’s all about, I can’t say enough being P as a general contractor and controlling, which as you can, and that, I mean, gain insight on what type of financial you know rep reputation and performance that subcontractors have other general contractors.

Speaker 2 (00:43:08):
Oftentimes I find myself working in partnership and even clients like development firms I noticed are on their too. And it gives you a real true ranking of what, of how they pay. If they’ve been late, you know, how many liens have been filed, et cetera. And you can really make some, sometimes the I’ve always been told some of the best jobs are the ones you don’t take. And sometimes, you know, that can be big insight to saving you, you know, your time into putting your fo prioritizing your focus on those clients and projects that you should take, and that are good for you and level set’s really been able to reveal all of that for us. And again, taking the right projects, doing ’em the right way. That’s how you’re gonna continue to grow your business in this industry and be successful. And the course, no we’re chasing subs and vendors and no more delays in payments because when we get bottlenecked and getting the releases back from our subs, getting the releases back from our third party subs and material men, in order to present our pay applications to the owners to get paid.

Speaker 2 (00:44:12):
So that was creating such late payments for us. And as you, I mean, it’s just so tough once you get into that snowball effect, it’s very tough to catch up. And then of course, no more paper, which is a big thing now, too, which has been really great for us. So the, the combination of just those two, and there’s so much more to talk about, but the combination of those two for us in general, as the boots on the ground contractor, really again, the standard operating procedures and the automation tell you what’s really been changing the way that we conduct business. And that’s the whole point.

Speaker 1 (00:44:45):
Thank you. I’d be so curious too, to see, like you were saying, the time that it used to take to receive payment from the owner versus now the exact difference it made in that like payment delay.

Speaker 2 (00:44:56):
And it really stems because, you know, I have to package my pay applications appropriately. I work with, I work with a lot of big projects. We do hotels. So a lot of them are bank finance and the bank is require certain packaging. And a lot of those packages are combinations of, of, of conditional releases, unconditional releases, material men releases, just depending on the trickle down, depending how the job is set up. And those, those banks, they’re not boots on the ground. And they just look at the paperwork, they will not release your funding. They will not release your next draw. And your client expects you to continue moving forward momentum. So how do you, do you dip into your O overhead to try to float those costs? And then you get into a whole nother conversation, you know, so this has really helped us bridge that gap between our clients and our subcontractors to make sure the product is moving for everybody.

Speaker 1 (00:45:45):
Great. Thank you. All right. So I personally, again, am so proud of kind of how you took care of all of that. Our scout, your research team here is something that Kate had mentioned with finding information that would eliminate the gaps in your project information sheets. So this solution gives you access to the job and property stakeholder details. You need to have accurate preliminary notices. We confirm the details you’ve given us, and then we, anything that you’re missing in cases of projects with multiple players or information that is difficult to find scout acts is a massive time saver and ensures you’re sending the right prelims or the prelims to the right people and to the right places. Gloria, I know action Gypson is taking full advantage of the level set scout. Ultimate. Can you talk us through how they’ve oops. Did I hit my mute button? Sorry about that. Can you talk us through how they’ve been able to help improve the accuracy of your Texas monthly notices?

Speaker 4 (00:46:44):
Yeah, definitely. But actually after listening to Kate, I don’t think we’re taking full advantage. I’m gonna have to get on it. I’ve definitely been one of your more stubborn pupils. I have to tip my hat to Michael Clel in on your sales team, because he was very persistent. He did not give up on me. I’ve been a little bit more old school with doing things our way, which is still very, which, which was still very manual. Like Kate mentioned, it’s a control thing. You know, it, it’s a little bit scary to hand your most important duty to, to someone else and not knowing exactly, you know, how it’s gonna work out or how it’s going to, you know, relate to your customer having someone else from contacting them. But I finally gave in Michael was relentless and we agreed to at least start with the job research.

Speaker 4 (00:47:32):
It’s one of the biggest challenges for me and my team with managing our Texas lean notices in a timely manner every single month. It, it definitely, it took us probably a day to three days, one to three days of simply just trying to find information. And we just don’t always have all of the re sources that we need. The appraisal districts aren’t always as accurate as you would like them to be. You would think that you can rely on ’em, but you learn quickly when you know, you get a, a letter from an attorney advising that you’ve noticed the wrong person and it’s not their property. And bam, just like that, you’ve lost lie rights for that period that you sent that notice for finding accurate job information was definitely our biggest struggle with Michael, we started your job research module, and it has just been a lifesaver.

Speaker 4 (00:48:20):
You know, that one to three days of work, like you said, busy work and finding that information is now closer to 24 hours and I’m not doing it. So I, I, I format the spreadsheet that I use each month for the jobs and projects that we’re gonna have to notice. I send an easy spreadsheet to level set, which is already the spreadsheet I’m working out of anyway. So it’s nothing extra it’s no, no additional time needed. I send that to them and they get to work. And I I’ll admit, you know, I was very reluctant about and skeptic skeptical about, you know, these kinds of services, cuz you know, you get so many different calls and they all pretty much offer the same service you need, but you it’s just, it’s scary to venture out. So I did it. I said, okay, fine, we’ll try it.

Speaker 4 (00:49:03):
We’ll do a job research. And I said, and I made it difficult. I said, I can’t give you a lot of notice. I can give you this much notice and I’m gonna need, you know, it made it a little difficult for him. So as soon as I sent that, that first spreadsheet, I said, let me go into my you know, my dashboard and see, and like 20, 30% of my jobs had already been found is like complete, complete, complete, I mean, it just cut our time seriously in half. It, and it also just took away the fear of it, the wrong owner of us sending out the notice of the wrong owner, because sometimes it, it is a crapshoot. You’re just not really sure you go with what you can find and hope for the best. But it’s definitely solidified that accuracy for us.

Speaker 4 (00:49:42):
It’s just made it easier. It’s freed up. You know, like I said, a whole, almost two days of, of us has set up having to look for information. We can focus on the collections and try to actually get that, that, those fund, that funding in prior to even having to send the notice. And we are looking into more of the services now. I was convinced, you know, after only a few months I was convinced so we we’ve looked into more of that now we’ve ventured into a little bit of the waivers into the auto automating the waivers. So that’s gonna be a big deal for us. We probably spend about 25 to 30% of our time, you know, just manually filling out those waivers and sending ’em back. So we’re looking into that and no, I mean, it’s, it’s been great. It’s definitely opened up. The realization that level set is a great resource and we’re going take a lot more advantage of it going forward.

Speaker 1 (00:50:28):
Thanks. I’m excited to see how it changes for y’all. We see a lot of people when they decide to finally kind of let go of that control. It’s a little tougher too, but it pays off for sure. That’s great to hear

Speaker 5 (00:50:42):
Necessary.

Speaker 1 (00:50:44):
All right. So here we, with materials, financing materials financing is something that can empower you and your company to take on new jobs without waiting for those customer payments. So when you finance materials on a job with level set, we ensure that your lean rights on the job are protected just in case you do run into any payment problems, materials, financing can help grow your business by offer pay when paid terms up to 120 days and the flexibility to work with any supplier, we become your partner and offer you the support and empowerment. You need to really get what you earned. Vivian. I’m curious to hear how level sets materials financing has helped mesh secure those finances to ACE achieve your business growth. So like what got you interested in it in the first place? What issues were you ha were you having and how did it help you get through them and then move forward?

Speaker 5 (00:51:36):
Okay. So paid one paid that’s a big issue because we still have to purchase the material. We still have to keep our job going. As Kate said earlier, you can’t stop your job because you don’t have the funds or, or you didn’t get paid. So you still have to stay on top of your schedule. And at times that could be difficult. We were just trying to find other ways of financing, but to be able to just have that 120 day window. And then I can’t say enough about your level set team because you guys are super amazing. Once we submit our portion, which is our invoicing and a few other documents to you guys electronically, your team just takes the ball in their run with it. They are communicating with our vendors. If there’s something missing, they need anything additional.

Speaker 5 (00:52:22):
They are verifying that payments have been sent and received. And your dashboard for materials financing is amazing. And it helps me just verify what I, what I’m tracking that we owe the, the contracts that are out and your, again, your team is just super amazing. And it’s just really helped us because if we’re not able to get paid for 60, 45 60 days, then we’re not having to pay for that material at that time. And we can not have to dip into overhead costs. As Kate stated earlier, we still have payroll. Our payroll is almost a hundred thousand dollars every two weeks. And so that might not seem like a big deal for some companies, but it, it, it’s huge. When you are still waiting for a half million dollars or a million dollars in pay apps to come in and you, you usually get all of your payments one week out of the month, and you’ve been waiting for 60 days to get that million dollars, then it, it could be a real issue, but you guys have helped us be able to navigate that so much easier because we do have that 120 days that we have to, to pay you guys back for paying our vendors.

Speaker 1 (00:53:29):
That’s awesome. I know that you are someone whose name I recognized before we even got to meet, because I’ve heard how much they love working with you too. So I know that’s a, that’s a mutual feeling there. That’s pretty cool.

Speaker 5 (00:53:42):
Thank you. I appreciate that.

Speaker 1 (00:53:44):
All right. So ladies, when it comes to using everything we have discussed here to secure your finances, what’s some other general advice that you have for women in the industry?

Speaker 2 (00:53:56):
Well, I think it’s just really comes down to controlling what you can control. I know I’ve said it so many times in this webinar, but that’s really, you know, the case in point into create the is hard and fast, like standard operating procedures, you know, for your business for women in the industry coming into construction, or even if you’ve been in it for a while. I think that you have to follow your intuition cuz it’s never wrong and follow your gut and that will make you stand out amongst all the men in the dominated field. Really. And I think that it’ll really push the, you know, pendulum and to continue to bring other women into the field too. Really owning your jobs, establishing your roles you know, and you know, just knowing that we are all here together, we’re all supporting everybody together.

Speaker 2 (00:54:47):
And as long as you know, we and invest in those proper tools to create those wins and those hows and those whats with our employees too, especially in my side and general contracting side, if I can make my team happier, less stressed with these different tools and automations a turn creates a more seamless work environment for everybody. And our customers will a hundred percent pick up on that too. And they’ll benefit from that. And you know, that only leads to more growth and success. So keep doing it cuz we are making a difference and we are very important to this industry, especially with you see now in this panel, how we have, you know, made these decisions to commit to these tools. Just as Gloria has talked about as Vivians talked about and you know, we, we are single handedly, even though we have teams, singlehandedly are by dedicating ourselves, creating this business to be better and everyone will be better for it.

Speaker 1 (00:55:40):
Absolutely.

Speaker 4 (00:55:41):
I’ll add, I’ll add to that. Just don’t be afraid to use your voice. You know, any reluctancy that we have as women to step back or to shy away from voicing our opinion or our thoughts on a matter that should be thrown far, far away from you. We have a lot to say, and as Kate mentioned, you know, we are action oriented, we’re detail oriented. We think about the small things that let’s just be honest. We know men don’t think about. And so don’t be afraid to bring it up. You know, it, you have no idea or you won’t, you can’t even imagine how it might change for your business. You know, I, I won’t get too much into it, but again, you know, the credit did not have much of a voice when I came into action, you know, there was a lot of implementation that went into place that didn’t get a good review. You know, our cell, our sales department is predominantly men. Although that’s changed too over the years, I’m proud to save, you know, for, for action, but we are changing the way and we have ideas they deserve to be heard. So use your voice.

Speaker 2 (00:56:42):
Yeah,

Speaker 5 (00:56:42):
I totally agree. I would say, look at being a woman as your superpower, don’t look at it as a disability or Hey, I’m the first one coming into this this environment then. That’s great. That’s amazing because that means that what you’re bringing has not been brought to that room before. And so bring it shine. Like she, like Gloria said, use your voice, speak up, whether it’s her it or it isn’t, that doesn’t mean that you stop speaking, use your voice. If I had not kept pushing for level set material financing we would not be using it. Honestly our different members, procurement manager was a little hesitant. He was afraid that, well, maybe our customers won’t get paid on time. Our vendors won’t get paid on time, but you guys are amazed and awesome, but I kept pushing and saying, Hey, we really need this. This is something we need to help us with cashflow. So had I shrunk back and been quiet and not pushed it, whether it was through an email or whether it was still just bringing it up again in another meeting or when I submitted our cashflow projections, we would not be utilizing this most amazing tool that has change the game for us. So speak up, use your superpower, bring your full self and just live in your purpose even through your job. And you’ll see things change for you.

Speaker 1 (00:57:53):
Absolutely.

Speaker 2 (00:57:55):
On that role

Speaker 1 (00:57:56):
Own it. Yes. I had a teacher in high school who always talked about play up. You’re pretty, don’t shy away from it. You’re a woman. And like you said, that’s your super power. Ooh,

Speaker 4 (00:58:04):
I like that.

Speaker 2 (00:58:05):
I, I wear healed. I wear healed work boots on the job.

Speaker 1 (00:58:10):
Oh

Speaker 2 (00:58:10):
You do? I do. And I, and I refuse to not do that because it makes such a statement and I feel really shows everyone that I’m owning my role. And frankly, the minute when you put out, people will pick up so own your role and keep your head. Hi. And we’re on this together. That’s

Speaker 4 (00:58:28):
Right, right. Good job ladies.

Speaker 1 (00:58:30):
Perfect. Yeah. Well as promised, I know we are at two o’clock now, but we do have some time if y’all would like to put any questions in and answer some of the questions that we’re in the webinar and then just so I don’t miss anything. I believe that we have, who’s gonna help me make sure that we can read them off to answer. Let’s see.

Speaker 6 (00:59:05):
Y’all I was over here just talking away. I did not realize I was on mute. Oh my goodness. I was also reading some of the amazing comments that have come in as we were wrapping up this call, as some people were wrapping up the call and you know, I just call some of these out. This was an inspiring and uplifting call. You know, all of these things I said, I, I, I wanted to, to re reiterate, like being a woman is a super power and all of these things like totally inspired. Thank you for your greatness and paving the way I didn’t want any of our panelists to miss those incredible comments that came through. Okay. We ready for some questions? Absolutely. Okay. I’ve been excited about this one. Brenda here is asking us, are you using any means and methods as a woman led organization that you see as different from other businesses?

Speaker 4 (01:00:04):
That probably,

Speaker 2 (01:00:05):
Yeah. I mean, I think really fundamentally not to simplify it, but just being a female general contractor and bro real estate broker and business owner, I mean that already takes people aback. And frankly, I use that, my advantage when I walk into, to a new construction meeting or a new project meeting, I’m usually with a lot of investors, you know, a lot of high net worth individuals, franchisee, hotel owners and more oftentimes than not, unfortunately I’ve gotten you know when is the JC gonna be here? Did you bring coffee? You know, all that, but frankly I actually, I, I, I bring that in. I take that in and I say, yeah, absolutely. What kind of coffee would you like? And then when we sit down and the meeting gets started, and then I am introduced, you know, as the authority figure as that contractor, I love that cause it kind of snaps people back.

Speaker 2 (01:01:02):
And so, you know, the means and methods, it’s really just, again, owning your role and knowing your worth and your value and that you’re here for a reason. And that I’ve worked very hard to be here. As we all have worked very hard in what we do and kind of letting people, we, like I said, see what pick up what you’re putting down. And once you do that and you establish that you, you harness that respect. And so again, just as we’ve both been, all of us have been saying really own your role, really use your super power as a female and, and don’t anything under your skin really. It’s not necessarily means and methods, it’s more of a mindset that you just kind of let those things go because you know that you’ll be fine and you’ll perform it.

Speaker 6 (01:01:44):
Amen. our next question here is for Gloria and this a attend says I come from a car background as well. And in this construction supplier industry, how do you overcome some of the boys club mentality and get that true? Buy-In

Speaker 4 (01:01:59):
I join the club,

Speaker 4 (01:02:02):
You know, the why, why is it a boys club? You know, I, what I, I have to always remind myself is that I know what I know. So I just keep that at the forefront. Like I said, I always make sure to speak up. I’ve never been, you know, a quiet girl. I and, and I just, I, I, listen, I, you know, I find out what, you know, what the obstacles are face, what the challenges and just you know, if I know the answer, then, you know, I’ll speak my piece if I don’t, I’ll find out. Just, yeah, I just, I guess I don’t know how else to answer it, but I just, I just get in there with them, you know, and I don’t, don’t shy away from it. You know, if they’re talking, I, I can’t even tell you how much I’ve learned about sports, just, just being in this industry, just so that I’m always part of the conversation.

Speaker 4 (01:02:50):
You know, I don’t find, I don’t allow any reason to push me back. You know, from, from the crowd or what’s being discussed because a lot of those things are mixed in with the business. And so I just make sure that I’m a part of it and I don’t allow myself to feel like I need to, you know, step away from it or, or walk out of the room. I stay there and I learn and I ask questions, you know, I’ve had, you know, plenty of, you know, men, you know, look at me a certain way as to why I was still sitting at the table, but I know that I belong there and that’s where I’m gonna learn. And so I just make myself a part of it. I’m not sure if that exactly answers your question, but

Speaker 6 (01:03:26):
I love that. I, I think it’s true. It’s part of disrupting the industry you come in and, and there’s some invisible status quo that is there, but does it have to be

Speaker 4 (01:03:38):
Right?

Speaker 6 (01:03:38):
Why is it there challenge it, get in there get in the center of it become the president of the boys club, you know, just, I, I, I love that answer. This one is a little bit more tactical and it comes to us from Magda and she says, who do you think, and this is for anyone. Who do you think is the best person employee to call clients to negotiate new and to offer new services, estimating team, project managers, company, owner, et cetera.

Speaker 2 (01:04:11):
Well for for us as a GC and we get a new project in, I mean, our project managers really handle that, you know? So for us and my that question for my me might be a little more straightforward as it’s an actual, you know, again, like so P of our business where our project, our qualified project managers will answer an onboard new clients and get project information and set up site walks. And then that will be punted to our estimating design teams to actually materialize the jobs. So for us, it’s just project managers who are boots on the ground who are trained appropriately in every, in all things, construction and compliance and finance.

Speaker 4 (01:04:52):
Absolutely. I mean, I guess for us, you know, if, if there’s different roles, you know, our outside sales representatives oftentimes are, you know, the best ones to call and get the details for those new types of jobs, they work directly with the project managers and the estimating teams. So I guess they just kind of depends on, on what it is.

Speaker 6 (01:05:09):
Absolutely. Okay. So we do have, so we have a, a couple of questions here that are very specific to each of you. Some of them are, if you operate in certain states or things like this to our panelists I think the best course of action there is we will have all these questions afterwards and we can give, we can, you know, ex have you exchange contact info, that’s something you would like to do. We can also give you those questions and you can shoot on off an email if that’s additionally, something that you would like to do. So I do have one last question for the group. If anybody wants to jump in and answer this, I think it’s a great way to round out this incredible panel. You’re welcome, Michelle, thank you for coming. How do you see women supporting each other in the construction industry to expand what women are doing in the industry? All, are you hiring other women owned companies, consultants, accountants, attorneys, et cetera.

Speaker 2 (01:06:04):
Oh yeah. A hundred percent. I love, I love to onboard women subcontractors to work with subcontractors who have a women working for them. And you know, there’s a couple other things that, you know, that I’m kind of spearheading in my own time, as far as like women construction clothing, and, you know, women’s own association that where we can have a place to really network and where, you know so it’s definitely at the top of mind all the time. And that’s something that I really really value. And then as far as like continued support, you know, even for those women that I can’t, unfortunately I hire onboard myself. We have just created such a tight knit group. I meet with them regularly, whether it’s for happy hour or exchange of networking and contacts. And I think that also sets us apart from our male counterparts, that I love to partner with women and we keep in touch and continue, remember each other, and we’re always circulating new things you know, from, from client relationships to suppliers, to banking everything. So I think that really makes us unique. And I think that’s, what’s really gonna gain momentum in the industry is that we love to support each other as opposed to see each other’s competent. And that’s important.

Speaker 4 (01:07:23):
I’ll add on just a little bit to that. I agree. 100%, you know, I know with my position, it’s a little bit different, but when I see a female owned subcontractor or general contractor, I am, I admittedly I am right on it to make sure that we can find a way to make the terms work and to make the real relationship work and to help them out and to educate each other. I share the platforms that I’m involved in so that they can get involved in them as well. And just, you know, level set, you know, just what level set is doing. It’s amazing. In fact, I’ve probably seen so much more just from being involved with level set and, you know, just all of the different platforms that we have with social media and how to share what each other are doing.

Speaker 4 (01:08:05):
You know, if I see something awesome, you know, on LinkedIn, I make sure to share it and, and let other people know about it. I mean, just the, the registration participation that you know, that you advise us about for, for this webinar. It’s completely, it’s extremely encouraging and motivating for all of us to, to just to see how women are supporting each other in, in this industry. So yeah, anything that we can do to continue to share, you know, what’s happening and, and sharing opportunities and just being open to those chances to bring more women into this, into this industry.

Speaker 6 (01:08:39):
I couldn’t agree more.

Speaker 4 (01:08:40):
It’s gonna be female dominated after a while.

Speaker 6 (01:08:42):
That’s right. Yes.

Speaker 2 (01:08:43):
It’s hundred percent

Speaker 6 (01:08:46):
Fantastic. Well, Allie, that was our last question. I will leave it up to you to close it out. Oh, Stephanie says, ladies, please look for us on LinkedIn and let’s connect. I completely agree. Let’s all connect and, and just continue to build each other up. This was fantastic. Thank you. Thank you all for letting me be apart here at the end and, and ask some questions for y’all.

Speaker 1 (01:09:08):
Yeah. Thank you, Kara. So again, thank you so much to everyone for attending today’s webinar. As we be, as we mentioned in the very beginning, you will get the recording in an email tomorrow or the following day, so you’ll be able to share it, re-watch it, whatever you’d like to do. I also wanna mention, I know that there were a few different questions that came in about how these ladies have done what they’ve done. So with that, there is a lot of information on how levels that can help you. You grow your business too, and we’re super happy to provide a customized demo for you and anyone on your team. You can visit the website that’s linked here on the screen, and there are a ton of resources there. So again, thank you everyone. I hope you all have a great week and we look forward to finding you online.

Speaker 4 (01:09:52):
Thank you. Thank

Speaker 2 (01:09:53):
You so much. Thanks for having me. Thank you.