“Women Talk Construction” Podcast Co-Hosts Champion Women in Construction
Co-hosts presented “Vision to Victory: Through Blueprints and Breakthroughs” at TEDxClemsonU
Hill Electric’s Director of Business Development and Marketing, Angela Gardner, along with 84 Lumber’s Leader of Women’s Business Enterprise Division, Christi Powell, delivered a TEDx ClemsonU presentation on Aug. 24, 2024 at Clemson University near Clemson, South Carolina. The theme for the event was “Innovate to Elevate,” aiming to foster a culture of innovation, collaboration, and positive change within
the campus community.
Together, Gardner and Powell’s talk, titled “Vision to Victory: Through Blueprints and Breakthroughs,” highlighted that only 10 percent of women make up the more than 8 million construction workers in the United States. In addition, by the end of 2024, the industry needs 501,000 more workers to continue to build America. Gardner and Powell stress that one way to do this is to attract and retain more women through allyship, diversity of thought, and addressing mental health challenges.
“Our goal is to make our industry better by showing what women need to prosper in non-traditional roles,” said Gardner during her talk. “By providing an opportunity for women to connect and share their experiences, we’re not just elevating individual careers—we’re transforming the industry as a whole.”
According to Powell, “True allyship is the key to adding people to the industry: men and women instill trust and confidence in skills and expertise. Women bring grit, resilience, and empathy to their positions: skills that make them perfect for roles in construction. Construction fields need more workers, and in order to expand and meet that need, women must join and stay in the industry more than ever. Supporting women in construction is crucial.”
