Ashley Jensen

I attribute my success to the fact that my boss gave me a chance when he didn’t have to—especially considering my past. That opportunity meant everything to me.

Watching how successful he’s become, and the legacy he’s building for his daughters, motivates me to do my job well and make sure everything runs smoothly. This isn’t just his livelihood—it’s mine too. I take that seriously. I want our customers and subcontractors to respect us, respect our job sites, and trust that we’re doing things the right way.

When issues come up, I do everything I can to resolve them quickly and professionally. They trust me with everything they’ve built, and coming from where I came from—struggles with drugs and that lifestyle—I take a lot of pride in that. It means something to me.

I’m proud that they know they can rely on me. If something needs to get done, I’ll make sure it happens. Even if I’m on vacation, I’m still checking in—because I care, and because I know how important this work is.

Never doubt yourself. If you put your mind to it, you can do it.

Yes, construction has traditionally been a male-dominated industry, but women absolutely have a place here—whether that’s in the office or out in the field. And let’s be clear, there’s so much more to this industry than sitting behind a desk. Women are driving dump trucks, earning CDLs, welding, managing crews—you name it.

If you don’t want to be behind a desk, don’t let anyone discourage you. Get out in the field and go for it.

Women are rising in this industry every day. I see it in my own family—my daughter works in construction, and my niece is a welder. That says a lot.

At the end of the day, women should do whatever they want to do. Don’t let anyone—especially a man—tell you something isn’t for you. Who cares what anyone else thinks? If it’s what you want, go out there, work hard, and give it everything you’ve got.

The biggest challenge in my field really isn’t about gender—it’s about navigating the cities we build in. The real difficulty comes from the political side of the process: the hoops you have to jump through to secure permits, get approvals, and move a project forward.

In many cases, you’re required to present at city council meetings just to get initial approval before you can even proceed. Ultimately, the city has the final say—not the neighbors—which means they hold complete control over whether a project moves forward.

In construction, that regulatory and political landscape is often the biggest hurdle we face.

Loyalty—on both sides—is everything to me. Right alongside that is honesty, because in construction, that’s not always easy to find. Integrity and strong morals matter. I don’t believe in going out there and treating people poorly, because at the end of the day, that kind of negativity doesn’t hurt them—it hurts me.

What you carry inside shows up in your environment. If you think negative, you create a negative space. That’s why I believe positivity is key.

I always tell people: find at least one positive in every negative. It might take a minute, but it’s always there. No matter what the situation is, there’s something good in it—you just have to look for it.

Maybe you got delayed 20 minutes… but maybe that delay kept you out of a wreck. Maybe a job didn’t work out… but maybe you avoided a difficult client. There’s always a silver lining.

You just have to be willing to dig deep enough to find it.