Only 11% of the construction industry is made up of women — and just 18% in Alabama. At a tech school in Hollywood, Alabama, Bri Conner saw opportunity instead. “Oh, I can totally do this,” she thought.
Bri Conner, a contracting supervisor for Lambert Contracting and ambassador for Go Build Alabama, goes by the social media handle “shes_da_bosss,” which in the construction world, she really is.
As a contracting supervisor, Conner manages six people on her team, plus another 10 subcontractors. She oversees daily operations, keeps projects on schedule and keeps people in line, most of them being men — something Conner says took time to navigate early in her career.
“You do have to prove yourself more, being a woman,” Conner said, “to the men to show that like, hey, I can do your job and I can do it better than you. And then they get the respect for you.”
National Association of Women in Construction (NAWIC) is celebrating women in construction this week, highlighting the impact women have on the construction industry. The celebratory week will connect women in construction across the country, sparking conversations about how they can succeed in the industry.
Conner said starting out in the male-dominated field wasn’t always easy, once joking on social media that she hoped her pink hard hat might keep people from calling her “sir.” Conner says the more time she’s put into it, the more respect she’s earned — and she’s recruiting other women to join her.
Conner was named an ambassador for Go Build Alabama, a company that connects students and career changers with training programs and job opportunities across the state.
Since becoming an ambassador, she said the outreach has been incredible, even adding another woman to her team recently. She posts regularly on social media — sharing clips of projects, advice for graduating seniors and tips for women entering the field.
“I get a lot more questions from women [because of social media] and especially in what I do,” Conner said. “Most women are just operators. Me? I can get in the pipe or I can get in the ditch, I can put pipe in the ground, I can get a piece of equipment, I can operate, I can pour concrete, finish concrete, anything on a job site I can do and a lot of women don’t realize that. So it’s opened their eyes that we can do that.”
What it takes to become a woman in construction? Conner says it’s hard work but worth it in the end.
“Don’t be scared,” Conner said. “Just don’t be scared. Just give it a try. You don’t know it until you try it. It’s a lot easier than people make it out to be.”
Conner got her start early on, reminiscing on what it was like growing up with a family involved in construction.
“I grew up on a farm and my grandpa worked in construction and then I just always got tips and tricks from them,” Conner said. “Like I used to get off the school bus and go sit in my uncle’s lap and ride a bulldozer after school. So like growing up and then I ended up actually working, my uncle worked here at Lambert Contracting for a while and we got to work together. I got to learn like this is how you do it right and they were always there for me and supported me and weren’t pushing me down.”
As part of WIC Week, NAWIC is putting on a United Rentals Equipment Rodeo in Huntsville on Friday. Conner said she’ll be taking her younger cousin who’s interested in joining the construction industry so she can see what it’s like.
“We need more women to help build Alabama,” Conner said — and she’s working to make sure the next generation knows there’s a place for them on the job site.
Evy Gallagher is the assistant editor of Yellowhammer News. You may contact her at [email protected].
