Influential Women in Construction

The Building Industry Association of Central South Carolina (BIA) is recognizing the 2020 Influential Women in Construction of the Midlands. Nominations were received from BIA members and approved by the Board of Directors.

Sally Rymer Hoard, Director of Sales, Stanley Martin Homes, Columbia, SC

Sally Rymer Hoard has over 20 years of Sales and Marketing experience. She has comprehensive real estate experience in both New Construction and Resale markets. With Sally’s degrees in psychology and her past experience as a counselor she certainly has the edge when it comes to negotiations. She has worked closely with several of the local builders of the area serving in the roles of listing agent, Sales Manager, VP of Sales and Marketing and Director of Sales.

She is a member of the local Building Industry Association of which she was a previous chairman and is still currently serving. Sally is also a member of the local Central Carolina REALTORS® Association as well as the Augusta Realtors Association and the Greenville Realtors Association. Sally has been recognized for her achievements and service to the building industry in the midlands many times over the years. She has received numerous REGAL Awards (every year since 2001) for new construction homes sold, the Sales Executive of the Year award, as well as the Associate Member of the Year Award in 2019. Sally has also received The Circle of Excellence award as well as a Lifetime Achievement award from the Central Carolina REALTORS® Association. Sally is a graduate of Winthrop University and has a BA in Psychology, Counseling and Social Work.

Sally and her family have lived in the Columbia area for over 35 years. She has a son who is a Captain in the military, a daughter who is a Mortgage Loan officer in the Midlands, and three beautiful grandchildren. Sally’s passion is to help others achieve their goals. Her family-centered approach and her sterling integrity have made her a great asset in real estate and the building industry.

Pam Crane, Partner, Phase One Design, Columbia, SC

An entrepreneur from an early age, Pam Crane started her first company in her twenties. This has included opportunities in technology, fitness, sales & marketing and real estate, to name a few. Growing up in a small town in SC, the signs were there, but it took her years to realize where this journey would lead her. From a young age she loved redesigning different spaces: her bedroom, her sisters’ room, her parent’s home and those of friends and family.

After selling her technology business in 2010, she decided to follow that passion and capitalize on the experience she had gained while flipping houses with her husband over the past 25 years. Through this process, Pam discovered a real affinity for design, specifically around drafting and spatial design, as it relates to construction. She also found an amazing business partner that is as determined as she is to create a culture focused on elevating the construction experience by addressing the negative stigmas associated with this industry. Part of this focus is an emphasis on training and developing young people in a way that creates excitement around construction.

Phase One recently hired two Winthrop Interior Design graduates who, under Pam and her partner’s leadership, are learning construction from the ground up. One of these young women has decided to pursue her general contracting license. Just another reason why sharing and creating an atmosphere where construction is an experience has become a lifelong pursuit for Pam. When she is not pursuing this dream, Pam enjoys yoga, coffee (strong), vodka tonics (weak), candles, flowers, music, shopping, traveling, reading and spending time with friends & family. She is the mother of four; one son, one daughter, one retriever & a sheltie!

Mickey Layden, PMP, CPM, President/CEO, LCK, Columbia, SC

Mickey Layden, PMP, CMP, is President and majority owner of LCK. The organization was founded in 1994 and has steadily grown under her leadership. Mickey’s extensive background in commercial construction, facilities management and real estate development serves as the foundation for the professional design and construction staff that she has assembled to create a comprehensive project management service offering for LCK’s clients. A holder of the PMP (Project Management Professional) designation, Mickey integrates internationally recognized process management standards throughout LCK’s project delivery system.

Sena Long Owner, Apex Electric, Irmo, SC

Sena Long is the Owner and President of Apex Electric, Inc. She and her late husband, Jeff, consider their greatest accomplishment to be their 3 children. They opened Apex Electric, Inc., in September of 2000. Following his death in 2008, Sena continued to expand the business and Apex Electric is currently celebrating 20 years of service in the Midlands. She is a longtime member of the BIA, and has served on several Trade Councils. She is proud of Apex’s service to the community including involvement in local youth vocational programs, Operation Lead the Way, and Habitat for Humanity.

Sena believes the key to any successful business is the relationships that are formed and honored. Her commitment to excellence extends to quality of service, workmanship, and devotion to the employees and customers of Apex Electric. They are the motivating factors that drive her to face the ever changing challenges of the construction industry. She is a firm believer that actions speak louder than words and often refocuses herself with the stern reminder of “Shut up and Do”.

Tammy Jur, CMB, Owner & Custom Builder, Vesta Builders, Lexington, SC

Tammy Jur grew up around home building, learning from her father at a very young age the art and science of building. Tammy carried the family torch and earned her builder’s license in 1999. With a desire to build extraordinary custom homes, she and Joe founded Vesta Builders. Today, Tammy continues to push the boundaries of home building through a lifetime of knowledge and application.

Kim O’Quinn, Corporate Vice President of Marketing, Mungo Homes, Irmo, SC

Kim O'Quinn is the Corporate Vice President of Marketing for Mungo Homes a Berkshire Hathaway Company, coordinating all marketing, advertising and public relations activities for all markets throughout South Carolina, North Carolina, and Georgia.

With the Mungo organization since 2004, Kim has assisted in growing the company from the 131st largest builder in the country with $150M in revenue in 2005, to the 35th largest builder with revenue of more than $600M in 2019. Kim was instrumental in the successful writing of the application that garnered Mungo Homes the National Housing Quality Award in 2008. Similarly, she was successful with the application process when Mungo Homes was honored by Builder magazine as America's Best Builder in 2012.

Kim is a member of the Building Industry Association of Central SC (BIA) where she was named the 2016 BIA Associate Member of the Year, and previously served as Associates Vice President on the Board of Directors; is a member of and previous Chair of the BIA Sales & Marketing Council, and was named the 2016 SMC Member of the Year. In addition, Kim is a repeat winner of the SMC Marketing Director of the Year, including for 2016, 2017, and 2018; and serves as Secretary on the BIA Charitable Foundation. In October 2017, O’Quinn was awarded the Frank Clark Associate Member of the Year, one of the BIA’s most prestigious awards.

Judi McLeod, Senior Manger Northern Region Major Accounts, Dominion Energy Gas Operations, Cayce, SC

Judi McLeod works at Dominion Energy South Carolina in Gas Operations where she is the senior manager for the Northern Region Major Accounts team which insures the growth strategy of the business unit is met, or exceeded, by increasing residential new construction market share with the regional, national and production builders across multiple markets. She also manages co-marketing programs that support builder new home sales, provides creative product education and training, and manages identification of growth corridors critical to the expansion of Dominion’s natural gas system.

A member of the BIA since 2004, Judi is a two time recipient of the BIA/HBAGC Associate of the Year award for 2006 and 2010. She served as Co-Chair for the BIA/HBA Membership Committee for three years driving successful campaigns, is a Life SPIKE with over 100 SPIKE Credits, a BIA Elite sponsor and an active member of BIA Sales and Marketing Council. Judi is also active in the Southern Gas Association serving as Chair for the 2017 Sales and Marketing Seminar and being a regular featured speaker and presenter. Facilitating and managing DESC’s Executive Panels for Builder Leadership, Land Development and Marketing/Sales, as well as serving on several land development councils and being a facilitator and presenter for DESC Gas’s GBT Council and We3 (Women’s resource Group/Dominion) are just a few of the ways Judi strives to make contributions to the residential new construction industry. Providing homes across our state with clean and reliable energy, and having a role in providing quality, affordable housing for SC families, and being invested in one of the most noble of industries has been paramount to Judi.

Jennifer L. Gerben – Nettles, CGP, Builder/Owner, Epic Homes LLC, Lexington, SC

Jenny Nettles was born and raised in Detroit, Michigan and moved to South Carolina in 2006. She worked with a small builder in Michigan while she was still in high school and fell in love with the business. She moved up in the company quickly from an Administrative Assistant to Construction Office Manager within the first four years. Her training started immediately giving her vast knowledge of the industry, from sales and marketing to plan design, building science, construction supervision, and color selections.

Nettles was appointed to sit on the Lexington County Board of Zoning and Appeals, as first ever Chairwoman. She is an active member of the BIA of Central South Carolina and chaired the High-Performance Building Council. Learning and adapting to new building processes and products are her specialty. She holds the Certified Green Professional (CGP) designation and is a Certified Master Green Builder.

Lisa Smith, Director of Marketing, Saluda River Club, Lexington, SC

Lisa is the Marketing and Lifestyle Director for the award-winning, master-planned community Saluda River Club in Lexington, SC. She directs all marketing and advertising strategies for Saluda River Club as well as group activities and events for residents.

Lisa began her marketing career as a Summer Intern at Palmetto Traditional Homes. After a few short summers of hands-on learning experience, she was hired full-time as the Sales & Marketing Coordinator to oversee the development of specific sales and marketing strategies for the local new home builder in Columbia. The company expanded into other major metropolitan areas in South Carolina and Lisa worked hand-in-hand with the new sales teams on marketing strategies in the new markets.

Palmetto Traditional Homes was acquired by national homebuilder KB Home, where Lisa gained a vast knowledge of the homebuilding industry from the Fortune 500 Company. From KB Home, she then moved to local homebuilder Shumaker Homes to serve as their Director of Marketing where she implemented many new home production processes and procedures from pre-construction to closing, focused and streamlined the marketing tactics, and worked closely with market research experts, architects, and interior design professionals on product development.

When Andy White, the managing partner of Saluda River Club and previous co-owner of Palmetto Traditional Homes, asked her to join the Saluda River Club team, she was excited to work again with the experienced team that launched her career.

Lisa is a Marketing and Public Relations graduate from the University of South Carolina, has over 20 years of experience working with award-winning local and national home builders, is a licensed Real Estate Agent, and a member of the BIA Sales & Marketing Council. And of course, she is a Gamecock fan and lives with her husband Justin and two sons in Lexington, SC.