Her Story
About Denise
My path to construction management was unconventional but transformative. I started in the oil industry in Oklahoma, working a demanding DuPont schedule - 3 days, 3 nights, then 4 days with 7 days off. During those breaks in my early 20s, I would help my best friend's father with remodeling work, learning the trade hands-on. The oil industry took a serious toll on my health - I gained 90 pounds, my cholesterol was through the roof, and the stress was overwhelming. After getting laid off, my partner (who became my wife) and I, along with her parents and our 5 dogs and 2 cats, moved to Florida, where she had always wanted to live. I continued doing small remodels and learning the business side, working from home after we started our family. One day I saw an assistant superintendent position on Indeed and decided to try it out. The woman who hired me became my mentor and has pushed me ever since to keep learning, keep moving forward, and never settle. She taught me that every time I have an inkling to try something new, I should do it and add it to my repertoire. I started in production, learned it, got really good at it, and discovered that I wasn't just a jack-of-all-trades - I had finally found what I was really, really good at. It took me 30 years to figure out my niche, but once I found construction, I haven't stopped.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Denise
01What do you attribute your success to?
I used to say spite - I grew up in a somewhat abusive upbringing where I was told my whole life that I would never amount to anything. My 4th grade teacher actually told me I would never go to college and would never graduate high school. When I graduated with my associate's degree, I sent her a card inviting her to my graduation. So from that point on, I was driven out of spite. But the older I've gotten, I think it's more out of love for myself. I realized I could do things and I don't need someone in the back of my head telling me that I can't. Now it's being driven by having a kid who is watching me move forward in my life. I want her to know that whatever she does - whether it's art, or science, or whatever - she could do it. She has her own person in the back of her mind pushing her, not someone else trying to hold her back. A lot of my success in this field and industry is because of other women who gave me their hand.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
My mentor has always told me not to settle - to keep learning, keep moving, keep pushing forward. Every time I decide to change or do something a little bit different, she says 'I don't even know why you're asking me, you know? Like, of course I'm gonna say go do it. If you have the inkling to try something new, do it. Learn it, and then add it to your repertoire. You have that in your bag now.' That advice to never settle and to always add new skills to my toolkit has been transformative for my career.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
The best advice is to grab it and hold on. When someone is there giving you a hand, take it. Take the hand. I say all the time that with the group of women we have right now, we have a sisterhood strength, and we build female fortitude. To change how construction is perceived, the only way we can do that is when you see another female that is thinking about joining this group, grab her. Hold onto her and drag her with you, because I wouldn't be where I am if someone hadn't given me a hand. If this is something you want to do, let's go do it. I think if we change how the male dominance portion of it sees women in construction, we're going to start changing our own minds, going 'I can do that. Why couldn't I do that? Just cause not very many of us do it? Okay, well, I'll show ya.'
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