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INDUSTRY EVENTS Open Forum King: I applied for my first project manager job in 1984. I got the interview as a favor to the man who I worked for. This project manager looked me straight in the eye and said, "Our company will never hire a female project manager." Said it flat out. We've come a long way since 1984. But a lot of companies still look at it that way. If you visit their construction departments the only female posi- tions you will see are the backup positions and the ones who handle the paperwork. Noda: On the retailers' side, there were not many job openings for director or VP level positions, and there were only a few companies that had those positions filled by a women. King: Dollar General probably is one of the most open companies as far as diversity. The eclectic back- grounds of the people in our com- pany are so impressive.The head of my department, company growth and development, is female and she is impressive. It's all about diversity. I really like working for them for that reason. Askew: It's really a cultural thing. Until we get females in higher-level positions, it will be really difficult to change the culture of a company – any company. Barrett: I've been out on two maternity leaves over the past five years. I took a break from that man- agement track. It becomes about leaving at 4:30 so that you can dedi- cate some time to your kids when you're not on the road. But when they go to bed, I'm back on the computer at 8:30 or 9 at night checking emails and getting things done, sometimes until 1 a.m. in the morning. That's my pattern. That's what I do to maintain balance between family and work, and tak- ing care of everything else around me. As a woman, I think we're all project managers at heart because our entire life is that way. When I started, our company was small. We grew a lot. The people I started with, a lot of men, are start- ing their own families now. It comes down to developing those trusting relationships. You need to find others who can offer advice on how to manage everything. It's nice to have that kind of support system. Noda: It's better now than when I first started. Berry: Absolutely, but it still exists. Rotton: One of the things I've seen from a vendor standpoint is to become that industry expert. I was challenged in a construction group located in Atlanta, we were bringing in educational programs, I think the epi phany for me was when I became a subject matter expert for our department in writing PIPs. It really helped me feel like I knew what I was talking about. — Jo-Ellen Askew, Starwood Hotels they kept asking me to bring in an industry expert to do a presentation on window films. And I kept saying I'm that expert. Another key thing I've found is that whether you're working with architects, engineers, design professionals or construction professionals, you have to have a servant-type attitude. "Let's see what the problem is and what we have to do to solve it." It's about That's what's so great about this industry. I sit here today and think about all the things I've learned. Every day is a new challenge. — Kay Barrett, Cassidy Turley 60 Commercial Construction & Renovation September/October 2012