Her Story
About Bridgette
My journey in this industry started when I was 13 years old, and I'm about to turn 38, so I've been doing this for over 25 years. My father was in construction and my mom is a natural-born salesperson, so from her I got patience and sales, and from my father I got a basic understanding of construction. We were also really involved in auto racing, so I started out doing graphics for the race car industry at 13. I went to school for graphic design at Sage College of Albany and just kind of evolved from there - I was like, oh hey, I can make a career with this. It's been a challenge being in a male-dominated industry, so being able to kind of navigate that has been interesting, that's for sure. Now I run a women-owned business that's primarily operated by women - my whole C-Team is women, and we wear pink hard hats! My day is a combination of working on the business and in it. I have a lot of young staff that I'm still training, so getting them up to speed is definitely a challenge. It's anything from client meetings to job site work to creative artwork - I really kind of do a little bit of all the different avenues of that type of work. I'm a quick decision maker, but it's because the decisions that I'm making, I've been in that situation and been able to apply it, and been able to make better decisions moving forward because of it.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Bridgette
01What do you attribute your success to?
Hustling. I don't like learning from mistakes. Working hard, and then understanding what you did to get to that point. So that's the next round, is more simplistic. I'm a quick decision maker, but it's because the decisions that I'm making, I've been in that situation, I've been able to apply it, and been able to make better decisions moving forward because of it.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
You know, it doesn't matter that it's a male industry. Like, just put yourself out there. If you don't open the door, no one else is going to open it for you.
03What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
Opportunities in the industry is that, we thankfully, have with the WBE certification, there's many more opportunities now. But there's still the level of, you have to prove that you know what you're doing. So that's the biggest challenge, is proving that, you know, we do know what we're doing. We're not just a figurehead or a certified front, but, you know, the real thing.
04What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
I have core values. One of them is think outside the sign, which encourages my staff to really just think differently about how they're handling different situations and the design aspect of putting a project together. And then the next one is be connective. So, I'm just always, if I can't help you, let me find somebody who can. So it's not a no, it's just a, not from me. And then there's truth and clarity. There's so much complexity in construction and human interaction that I found it's just keep it simple. Just be clear and direct on what your needs are, making sure that you communicate your needs so that other people can get in line and help you and keep things moving forward. And there's one more - make it right! And just make sure that you take the time to do it right the first time. It's just always been me. I'm a quick decision maker, but it's because the decisions that I'm making, I've been in that situation, I've been able to apply it, and been able to make better decisions moving forward because of it.
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