Leading by example: women in timber engineering

Latest figures from the Office of National Statistics (ONS) show that 271,000 out of 2.2 million people who are working in the construction industry are women. Although the industry has historically been male-dominated, efforts are still required to create a more inclusive environment.

To gain further insight, we spoke with Cyndi Chandler, managing director of Simpson Strong-Tie, who has over three decades working for Simpson, she has first-hand experience working in managing national home centre accounts to leading as the managing director of the UK branch. Having learnt the Spanish language, she expanded Simpson’s Latin American markets which drove sales operations.

What attracted you to join the construction industry?

After graduating high school in Texas, I attended a junior college in Texas and decided to work and attend school at night.  Simpson Strong-Tie was my first job, and I quickly realised what a great company Simpson was and its growth plans.  No two days were the same at Simpson.

Now nearly 40 years later I still enjoy every day.  I never dreamed I would one day I would pack my bags and move across the pond from Texas to the UK but I am excited to be here.

As a woman in a leadership position within the construction industry, what has your experience of being a woman in construction been?

I never felt that being a woman in a male-dominated industry hindered my growth.   With any position and industry, you are going to face challenges. For me, building respect with my peers, and customers, and establishing strong relationships and solutions to gain their trust and respect can help to alleviate challenges.

When I started my career in January 1985, there were far fewer women than there are today, and I love seeing more and more women taking on challenging roles in our industry.

What specific initiatives are you taking within your team to create a more diverse and inclusive environment for women in construction?

It is important to hire the best person for the job – regardless of their gender. Just last week I was walking through our plant and spoke to a few of the team members, and it made me realise that we have a lot of women who run our presses as well as pack products.  Roles that many would associate with men.

This made me very proud as I do believe we have come a long way over the years and truly do support the best person for the job mentality. I would tell anyone if you set your mind to it and work hard you can do anything you set your mind to.

Were there any female role models in the construction industry that have inspired your career journey?

There are many, maybe too many to list but I will name a few.

Sheryl Wyatt who is the Director of Operations in our Texas manufacturing plant.  She began her career at Simpson a month before me, and like I mentioned earlier we were a small plant and growing quickly.  She taught me so much about how if you work hard and put the hours in it will pay off.  Just because you are a woman does not mean you can’t do the job.  I think we have both proved this with our long careers with Simpson.

Karen Colonias who has since retired began her career as our first woman engineer and retired as our CEO.  Karen treated people like they should be and was fully supportive of hiring within and again working hard good things will come.  Karen is an amazing leader and I’m so fortunate to have learned from how she led others.

One other Megan McCoy Jones.  Megan is now the CEO of McCoy’s Building Supply where their corporate office I located in San Marcos, Texas and I might mention a 3^rd generation McCoy.   Watching Megan grow in her leadership roles from the outside as I was a supplier to McCoy’s was very inspiring.  She always shows such gratitude to her employees and the vendors who work with them.  I said years ago not only is Megan a super smart businesswoman, but an all-around great person and that combination is something I aspired to be as well.

What are some of the untapped skills and strengths that women bring to the construction industry that are often overlooked?

The collaborative leadership style and fostering teamwork. It is a skill that I notice, as it tends to lead to a much better work environment, where workers feel valued and motivated, improving productivity and morale on-site.

I also think women often excel in building and maintaining client relationships.  I sometimes see attention to detail in women noticing finer details which could play an integral part in the construction industry in project planning, design, and or execution. Again, I’ll go back to a previous comment that both men and women have traits that help them succeed and you must hire the right person for the position you have available.

What are your hopes and aspirations for the future of women in construction? And how do you envision the industry evolving in terms of gender equality and diversity? 

I hope to see a future where women are equally represented at all levels of the construction industry, from apprenticeships to executive leadership positions.

With targeted recruitment efforts and mentorship programs, we must create a pathway for women to enter and train in the industry. At Simpson, we are looking more at work-life balance, and I believe many more companies are also doing so.

This is important for women and men to balance their professional and personal lives.  Our industry can retain talented women and support their long-term careers by doing this.

I would like to see more women in leadership roles, and mentorship programs could play a vital role in preparing women for these roles.

The future for women in construction is bright, with endless possibilities for growth, innovation and leadership.  By embracing and working collectively the construction industry can become a model of gender equality and diversity, benefitting not just women, but everyone involved.