4 minute read
Paving the Path for Women in Construction, One Hard Hat at a Time
BY MEGAN SARNACKI | PHOTOGRAPHY BY KEVIN HUVER
As the senior project manager for Wolverine Building Group, Ann Zimmer holds more than 30 years of experience in the construction industry — a eld that only 9.1% of women make up in the United States, according to the National Association of Women in Construction.
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“It’s de nitely still male-dominated,” Zimmer said. “On average, there’s one woman out on job sites whereas there could be 80 men. In all the years I’ve been doing this, I’ve never even worked with another female project manager.”
ough she was up for the challenge, being the only woman on construction sites was not an easy feat for Zimmer. Early in her career, she faced many misjudgments and preconceived notions regarding her gender.
“When I was just getting into project management, some of my superiors told me that I can come across as being abrasive or bitchy,” Zimmer expressed. “If that was any male conversation, it would be taken as assertive. It was de nitely a hard, hard road getting to where I am today,”
But gender stereotypes did not stop Zimmer from pursuing her passions, and she encourages other women to seek the bene ts of this industry.
“A lot of women might steer away from the construction industry because it is male-dominated,” she said. “But it is one of the most rewarding jobs that you can do as a woman because you’re empowering yourself to guide hundreds and hundreds of subcontractors to bring a building together into its fruition.” On any given day, you can nd Zimmer multitasking up a storm. Working on eight projects at a time and jumping from one phone call to another is just a regular Monday morning at the o ce for her.
“You have to completely switch your mindset and your gears for every project, but I work a lot better under pressure than I do in a slow pace,” Zimmer said. “ ere’s a lot of pressure to get the job done in short periods of time, and there’s a lot of di erent subcontractors working in everybody’s face. Sometimes things tend to get a little bit heated on the job site so you’ve got to be an excellent problem solver with a thick skin.”
When emotions do arise from working outside in dangerous conditions, Zimmer must not only maintain overseeing the entire process of the project, but also resolve any issues among clients or employees.
“In the project management position, you are the person directing the tra c,” she explained. “... You have to be that person that can help bring that person back to a good level and help them work through some of those feelings without taking it personally.”
Because her role requires solving many di erent complications and dealing with varying personalities, Zimmer views being a woman with strong interpersonal skills as an advantage.
What Zimmer loves most about working in construction, though, is that it taught her the bene t of not always knowing the answers.
“I am never afraid to ask questions, and I encourage people to ask me questions because construction is always changing,” Zimmer said. “It’s very exciting because your brain is always learning new things. It’s important that people understand that it’s OK to ask questions because you will never know it all.”
Megan Sarnacki is a Grand Rapids writer who enjoys crafting stories through multimedia platforms and learning about leaders making a difference in the community.
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