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Women Build Careers in a Man’s World

The $100 million, 15-floor DiamondView Tower under construction downtown could be considered a manly endeavor, with its location just beyond Petco Park’s outfield fence and its skybox view of the ballgames. But the 300,000-square-foot Class A office tower has female fingerprints all over it.

Danielle Slagal, project engineer at San Diego-based Reno Contracting Inc., has been busy working on the interior finishes for the Cisterra Partners LLC project , a job that suits her well.

But when she started out, with a background in structural engineering, she spent six years working in design and construction litigation. Less than two years ago, she “jumped the fence.”

“I have gone from designer to contractor, and it meets my personality better,” Slagal said. “There is more people interaction, it’s faster paced and more exciting.”

She is one of five female project engineers at Reno, a commercial and industrial general contractor.

“The percentages of women is getting bigger and bigger in the industry,” she observed.

Have the guys ever given her a hard time?

“No,” said Slagal, 30. “You have to be knowledgeable, and know what you’re talking about and you have to be a strong individual. But I think that’s true of anybody. You have to be able to work well with others. This kind of job has a lot of people interaction, and some people aren’t happy with that. If you like to sit at a desk, this isn’t the job for you.”

She especially enjoys the challenges.

“If there is a field conflict, you have to help the subcontractor come up with a solution,” she said. “It is a very challenging job, and your mind is going a mile a minute. It’s very fast paced.”

Slagal said that she wants to move up with the company, with superintendent being the next rung. In the meantime, she is happy.

“For now, this is it,” she said. “It fits well with my life right now. It’s been a good experience.”

Another Reno project engineer is Karla Bokhoven, who works in the shell and core areas of DiamondView.

Armed with a civil engineering degree, she worked in structural design in Omaha, Neb., before moving out here three years ago. She has been working for Reno ever since.

Older sister, Marcia, helped shape her career choice.

“She had friends in college majoring in civil engineering,” said Bokhoven, a 28-year-old Iowa native. “I did internships to make sure that is what I wanted to go into. I am a self-motivated person who likes to take the reins and go. I’ve always been interested in how things work.”

And, like Slagal, she enjoys the challenges that “field conflicts” can present.

“I am more of a person who likes to be out in the field, where things are going on, working with the architects and engineers to come up with solutions to field problems,” said Bokhoven, who often works 10-hour days.

She has the daunting responsibility of helping to track project costs. But, she’s accustomed to mega-projects, having been involved with the Biosite renovation and construction project, a four-building biotech complex in Mira Mesa.

On DiamondView, she’s had to deal with a greater variety of building trades, from mechanical, electrical and plumbing to waterproofing.

“I’m becoming more of a well-rounded person,” Bokhoven said. “There are lots of good experiences from this project to learn from, and there is a lot to know.”

Her advice to other young women coming into this still male-dominated field?

“If you are good at problem-solving, you should pursue this,” she said. “You have to have an open mind and be willing to ask questions.”

What else?

“I’d tell them not to be intimidated,” Bokhoven said. “There have been a few times when I’ve been mistaken for a secretary, but my supervisor sets them straight. Overall, it’s been really positive.”

Erik Kissner, director of field operations at Reno, gives the duo high points.

“Danielle and Karla are extremely hard workers,” said Kissner, who worked with Bokhoven on the Biosite project. “And the DiamondView is the most challenging project we have undertaken. They are really sharp people, and extremely professional about the way they go about things.”

At Reno, one-third of the company’s project engineers are female, Kissner said.

“I don’t think it’s the norm in our business,” he said. “Traditionally, the construction industry has been dominated by men, but we have some talented ladies doing a fantastic job and we are glad to have them.”


Male Egos

But some males can be slow learners, said Kissner.

“There are a lot of old school people in our business, and they come into the job trailer and see women in the office, and may not look at that person initially as being competent and knowledgeable as a man would be,” he said. “But I’ve seen many instances, after they interact with these ladies, that they get as much respect as their male counterparts.”

Jeanne Fenton, executive assistant at Reno, earned a degree in architecture, but doesn’t work out in the field. But from her perspective in the office, she has observed a few things about the women who are working in the trenches.

“It’s refreshing,” she said. “They take a completely different approach. It’s a little bit less stressful, to be honest with you. They are who they are in a man’s environment. Their approach is a little more relaxed. It can get pretty stressed out in the field, with male egos and the whole testosterone thing. They seem to have a calming affect.”


Money Matters

Sometimes, the extra money that can be earned in construction can be a motivating factor.

“I tripled my pay when I got into the union,” said Mimi McLay, 40, a grade checker with Santa Ana-based Sukut Construction Inc., which has an office in San Diego.

She was persuaded by her construction worker boyfriend to make the leap from lower-paid load counter to what she’s doing now.

“I was hesitant at first, but I decided to try it, and I liked it,” McLay said.

For the uninitiated, grade checkers follow the instructions of the surveyor, who tells them where to cut and where to fill on a construction site. The workday can extend from an eight-hour shift to 12 hours, depending on the job and the time constraints, with 10 hours being the norm, she said.

“I try to stay away from Saturdays, because I’ve got kids at home,” McLay said, referring to her sons, ages 14 and 16.

But long hours or not, she is comfortable with the company she’s been with for four years.

“I prefer to stay with the company I get to know,” she said. “It’s easier. Every time you go to a new job, you have to prove you’re not just a dumb female out there. Maybe it’s just me. I have blonde hair and blue eyes.”

Any problems?

“When you get to know everybody and they get to know you, you don’t have any problem at all,” McLay said. “I like the people. Every once in awhile, you get a guy who is a real winner, but pretty much, they’re pretty cool. If you know what you’re doing, it’s easy. I know what I’m doing.”

But that doesn’t mean she’s aspiring to the next rung on the construction ladder either, which is foreman.

“I don’t want the headaches,” she said. “I want to go to work and not have to think about that.”

Her advice to other women considering a career in construction:

“Don’t do it unless you are really interested, or if you can’t handle being around men and putting up with stuff every once in awhile, or if you are one of those women who can’t take a joke,” McLay said. “We are working in a man’s world in construction. If you can’t deal with putting up with how men act, don’t even bother getting into this. If there is something I don’t like, I can get up and walk away.”

McLay, who joined the union in 1988, trained on the job.

“You can go through an apprentice program through the union,” she said. “I have had my turn in helping and training people as they come through. I’ve helped train young guys, and a couple of girls, too.”

Presently, McLay said she’s working on a job with two other women, which is unusual.

“I’m usually the only one,” she said.


Hold The Chips

Another Sukut employee is Barbara Olds, also a grade checker, as well as operating engineer trained to run equipment. In 1981, she was working in the California Conservation Corps, when her boss suggested a career in construction. Olds found someone willing to train her at a small outfit in Encinitas.

“When I got into the union, there was only a handful of women,” she recalled. “Guys said, ‘I guess you’re one of those groundbreakers.’ ”

That ground is still being broken.

“They don’t give you any breaks,” said Olds, 45, of Oceanside. “I tell younger girls trying to break in, if you have a chip on your shoulder, get rid of it. This is a man’s world. They say that’s not right. But, if you have respect for them, they will have respect for you.”

Olds has paid her dues.

“As a woman, I felt I had to be better than the worst guy out there to prove myself,” she said. “I feel that I can work anywhere now.”

Olds says she works from 40 to 60 hours a week, and “when the construction is really going, it’s closer to 60.”

While she knows how to run the equipment, Olds says that her other job as a grade checker “keeps me healthier. I walk all day long, and put five to 10 miles a day on my boots.”

Like McLay, Olds has no desire to climb the ladder.

“It’s not worth the buck and the truck,” she said, referring to the extra dollar and the ride she would receive on the next rung. “I like what I’m doing. It’s taken me a long time to get there.”


Type A

Donna Vargo, executive vice president of Johnson & Jennings General Contracting in San Diego, has been working in construction since 1978.

A self-described “Type A” personality, Vargo likes the rough and tumble of her trade and the nonstop challenges. But she also remembers the old days, when she first started out.

“When you are the ‘minority,’ you feel you have to work 200 percent to prove yourself,” she said. “I did. Bottom line , if you are a hard worker and truly good at what you do, you will succeed. And you need mentors along the way. Cat calls, ‘Oh, baby,’ did happen, and older gentlemen called me honey or dear. But it never bothered me. Once the men figured out who you were, then they would get down to business.”

Vargo added, “Some women feel like they have to fit into that good old boys network.”

While Vargo, 45, said that she always had the drive to succeed, “I didn’t know I would end up in construction. I started working with my father, who did custom cabinets. I didn’t see myself doing that.”

So, in 1980, the Massachusetts native took a road trip with her friend to San Diego to consider her options.

“I ran out of money, and got a temp job with a commercial contractor,” she recalled. I said, ‘I want to do this.’ ”

Vargo eventually returned to Massachusetts, where she enrolled at Fitchburg State College in Worcester, earning her degree in industrial science/construction technology , the only female in her program.

“I just loved the pace,” Vargo said. “It fit my personality.”

Prior to joining Johnson & Jennings in 2004, Vargo spent a dozen years at Roel Construction Co. Inc. in San Diego, where she began as a project manager, got promoted to senior project manager, and then served as executive vice president in charge of the company’s tenant improvement and special projects group in markets throughout California.

“There are tremendous opportunities for women in construction,” she said. “Construction management makes sense for women. It involves a lot of paperwork, and the need to be detail-oriented and , not to stereotype , but a lot of women tend to be organized.”

A large portion of Johnson & Jennings’ client base also tends to be female, said Vargo, including space planners and property managers.

“Years ago, it was very male-dominated, but now, there are way more females than before,” Vargo said.

Her advice to women starting out?

“I highly recommend a degree program,” she said. “You can learn on the job, but construction has become very, very technical.”

While education is beneficial, attitude also is important, Vargo said.

“I see a lot of young people coming out with different work ethics than years ago,” Vargo said. “They want things handed to them on a silver platter. Respect is not handed to you, you have to earn it. Just because you got good grades and a degree, you still need to work hard and do things for yourself if you want to succeed.”


Breaking Ground

Y. Rene Tuchscher, vice president and part owner of San Diego-based KBM Building Services, helped launch the company’s construction services division and is responsible for its operations.

Billed as the first woman-owned building services and janitorial company in San Diego, the 25-year-old KBM was founded by Maureen Gray, who serves as president.

About five years ago, in order to meet clients’ demands for more services, KBM expanded into maintenance, which morphed into construction and tenant improvements.

“We got our contractors’ licenses, and started out small,” Tuchscher said.

While janitorial remains KBM’s “bread and butter,” she said, the company has been filling a niche by offering painting, plumbing and construction cleanup, as well as ground-up jobs , those $50,000 and under projects that “those big guys” don’t usually handle.

“We remodel kitchens or break rooms or bathrooms,” she said. “Sometimes those jobs are too small for large contractors. We are not backed up months out, and can handle those jobs when they come up.”

Tuchscher said that the business is making “good headway” at retail centers, with graffiti removal and parking lot resurfacing.

“Homeowners associations are a big niche,” she said. “They have a lot of different maintenance needs, and it’s typical for them to bundle their services.” Surviving in a male-dominated field hasn’t been too much of a hassle, she said.

“You need to have your ducks in row, and have the right individuals who are very good at project management,” she said. “If you deliver on time and within budget, with good customer service, you are out there.”

It’s a win-win on both sides, Tuchscher said.

“With some particular clients, working with a certified woman-owned business can provide them with tax incentives,” she said.

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