Influential Woman · UFP Construction

Kiley Rice

Operations Manager, UFP Industries

Charlotte, NC

2Awards received

Certifications · Degrees · Memberships

Degree Bachelor's Degree in Fine Art Degree Illinois Institute of Art Degree Chicago

Her Story

About Kiley

I went to art school in Chicago at the Illinois Institute of Art, where I studied apparel design and product development. From there, I kind of fell in love with the technical side of product development, rather than sewing and pattern making. Being in Chicago, I found some companies that were more interior design focused, so I started out working there out of college. Then I went to a corporation called Bunzel, which specialized in janitorial products but also had a retail segment. I helped project manage and design window displays at a volume level for major key retailers. After that, I was in the retail fixture world, and from there, made some really good friends who put me in contact with some really great suppliers of theirs. They encouraged me to apply, and it was IDX Corporation. IDX Corporation was acquired by UFP Industries in 2017, and from there, for the last 7 years, I've just been kind of out and jumping at the opportunities I could find to learn. I'm really enjoying my time with UFP Construction at this point.

Her Interview

Ten minutes with Kiley

01What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?

I would encourage them. I think more women should consider the construction path, it's needed. I think disrupting echo chambers and going where it's comfortable is maybe not something that'll help you grow, so this is definitely an environment and industry that pushes you and gives you a lot to learn. I think it would benefit from having a more female population. I work in the construction field, and I don't love the term male-dominated, but it is mainly male statistic population there. I've had a lot of mentors, and I appreciate working in an environment like that, just because otherwise it starts to feel a little bit like an echo chamber. I like believing, you know, my perspective and my opinions and my value adds change in a good way in those environments.

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