Women In Construction Week #Duckumentary:

It’s #Duckumentary time and in honor of Women in Construction Week, we want to thank all the women at EDA who without them, our work would not be possible. We recognize that there is more to be done to ensure women have equal opportunities, in the office and in the field. THANK YOU! Today, we speak with Miriam Alan Walls, Project Manager - BBCI.

What brought you to the construction industry?

My father worked in construction, and I grew up looking up to him. He was a civil engineer and had a drawing table at home. I used to play under the drawing table and pretend that I was in some sort of spaceship while he was reading drawings. I could stay there for hours. He also assisted the neighbors when they had a home renovation and needed a permit so he would inspect their project and I used to tag along sometimes. I admired how dedicated and passionate he was for his work and wanted to be like him.

What is your role at BBCI?

I am the Project Manager at BBCI. I’m responsible for managing the projects from preconstruction to completion with the assistance of our team. It involves developing a plan, construction schedule, maintaining and recording documentation while keeping communication with our customer to meet the project needs. I could not do it without our team. We have a great team at BBCI in office and field operations. We all rely on each other and work very close together to complete each job successfully.

From your experiences, what are some of the positive impacts you can see women being able to contribute to the construction industry?

Women in general tend to be more intuitive and emotional which is helpful when analyzing issues from different point of views. It is also beneficial in communication and conflict/resolution process. I’ve found those qualities to be very useful on the daily communications with our customers and our own team.

Do you think women have any misconceptions about working in construction? If so, what could you set straight to let other women know about the growing opportunities for them in this industry?

Yes, construction appears intimidating because it is known to be a male-dominated industry and, when you first step in, you encounter people that have been working longer than you. My advice to anyone new to the industry is to believe in yourself. In every industry, there is always going to be someone who knows more than you. However, each one of us is unique to the project and we all have something new to offer, share it and complement each other.