Construction Is People, Not Just Projects
Michelle Walker, Vice President for Finance and Administration at SSC Underground
Michelle Walker got her start in the construction industry by listening to stories around the dinner table and by working for her father in the summertime. He was a custom home builder. She grew up in Slave Lake, Alberta, a Canadian oil town with lots of blue-collar workers. Naturally, she was comfortable in a construction environment even though she did not see many women in construction and infrastructure.
After picking up a science degree at the University of Alberta, she relocated to Phoenix, Ariz., where she began working in accounting for SSC Underground. The company specializes in underground construction for relocating utilities and uses horizontal auger boring, micro-tunneling and trenchless pipelining. Michelle moved up in the company taking on responsibilities in finance, human resources, planning and risk insurance. She is now the VP for Finance and Administration and helps with the project management of some jobs.
As she added responsibility in her company, Michelle adopted a continuous learning mode, picking up certifications in human resources, construction risk and construction industry financial expertise. She helps guide the company’s 45 employees and $10 million budget.
“People used to think of construction as an industry exclusively for men,” said Michelle. “It’s not that way anymore. Women are getting more opportunities, but we are still in the minority. Today there are fewer barriers to women who want to work in construction.”
The COVID experience forced construction and virtually all industries to become more flexible. “The flexibility in the construction industry has shown women that there are many possible directions that their career can go. It can include marriage and a family just as it does for men.”
Construction is not just for the “rough and tough” types in the field. “We have brought new people into the business who did not grow up with construction as I did,” said Michelle. “There are many jobs in administration, tech and leadership that are attractive to women. But they need to learn the industry. One of the foundational principles in our company is to respect the people who are in the field doing the hard work every day.”
The innate value in people
Michelle represents her company via project management with large firms that do infrastructure work. “I believe women haven’t always been given the opportunities to show their full potential,” said Michelle. “As business leaders, we need to create an environment where women are respected and rewarded. We also need to give them the opportunity to learn, grow and advance. That helps the industry by drawing a higher caliber people to work here.” Michelle hopes to see the number of women in the industry continue to grow. She hopes women coming into the industry will pursue greater expertise and advancement.
After spending 10 years on the people and organizational side of the business, Michelle has spent the last five years increasingly involved with the details of the company’s projects. Because of her concern for the people in construction, she took action when she saw a major problem emerge. “I learned that construction has one of the highest suicide risks of any profession. I felt compelled to get involved.”
Some people stereotype construction as a dead-end job. “I believe that workers need to be shown they are important and that we care about them,” said Michelle. “That is very important to our success as a business and as an industry.”
A passion for the message
She has carried that message not just to the people of SSC Underground, but to the industry at large. She has participated with other industry leaders on a task force to bring solutions to this problem. Recently she was on a job site at 5 a.m. to conduct a safety stand-down for two of the company tunneling crews and a partner construction crew.
She shared ideas and wallet cards that make it easy for workers to connect to resources from Construction Industry Alliance for Suicide Prevention. Suicide is just one of the risks that Michelle is aware of for her company and the industry. She is also concerned about financial accountability in the industry and participates in the Construction Financial Management Association.
Another important risk is not getting enough good people to work in construction. She believes that getting good people means including women. “I believe our industry is becoming more accessible to women. Not everyone is used to having women in construction, but it is becoming more accepted. I learned not to try to be one of the boys, but to have confidence in who I am. Today there are fewer barriers to women working in construction and I think it will continue to be that way in the future.”
About the Author: Chuck MacDonald specializes in writing for the construction industry. He is a regular contributor to Construction Equipment Guide. He and his wife, Kristen, live in Annapolis, Md. He enjoys bicycling, baseball and reading a daily newspaper.