Construction DEI Talks

Podcast: Construction DEI Talks Episode: Breakout- Women in Construction with Clark Construction Welcome to season three of the Construction DEI Talks podcasts, where we dive into diversity, equity, and inclusion as they relate to the construction industry. Co-hosts Jorge Quezada, Chief Diversity Officer at Granite Construction, Stephanie Roldan, VP of Learning and Development at Rosendin, and Aby Combs, Inclusive Diversity Program Manager at Granite Construction, bring exclusive keynotes and breakout sessions from the Construction DEI Conference: Building an Inclusive Future. We’ll hear from construction company CEOs, cover topics around organizational readiness, supplier diversity and economic equity. We will also cover technologies for inclusive construction, highlight individual experiences in the construction industry and share information on measurement for DEI success. Finally, we’ll bring awareness to political and legislative issues and amplify next generation programs. In today’s episode, Aby and Stephanie speak to three guests from Clark Construction: KK Clark, Project Executive in San Diego; Taryn Swopes, Superintendent in San Diego; and Aliya Popatia, Senior Project Management in Los Angeles. These women all spoke at the Women in Construction Conference and were invited to the show! First, the three women share a time they felt different all ranging from culture shock in moving to California, being queer and racial identity. Next, the women discuss how Clark Construction has progressed including the past 5 years there has been an increase in female leaders in major leadership positions in the company. After COVID 19 and the death of George Floyd & Breonna Taylor, the company not only asked what culture they wanted their company to strive to be, but also made a plan and acted on it by asking their own employees what could work for them. They said inclusion isn’t doing the same thing for everyone but doing what works for everyone and knowing the difference. For example, some employees could not work remotely due to their job demands, but they did make their schedule more flexible. They talk about their current projects and how they hope to impact women in their company to lean into their confidence and feel comfortable where they are at. They share about being authentic in the workplace and being exactly who you need to be in the appropriate scenario, even if it doesn’t fit the mold of construction or what people think. They all live their lives out loud, which gives others permission to do so too. Lastly, all three women share what they want listeners to be, know and do. They said they want listeners to be comfortable with who they truly are, know that it is okay to be different or the same as everyone else and to stop talking about doing it, but just to do it. Be sure to stay tuned, like and subscribe to stay up to date as the first keynote episode is released to kick the conference off! Links: Learn more about Construction DEI Talks on LinkedIn, Instagram and Twitter. Learn more about podcast sponsors Granite Construction and Rosendin.