When You Give Her a Chance You Make a Change

In her early 50s, Kate Gibbons successfully transitioned to professional concrete delivery.

Editor’s Note: This article was originally published by Concrete Ontario as part of their initiative to highlight and support women in trucking. It has been edited for length and republished here with permission. Concrete Ontario is an association that represents approximately 96% of all ready-mixed production and manufacturing in Ontario.

Meet Kate Gibbons: 32 years in the armored car driving business. Shuttle driver delivering high volume currency drops. Enjoyed working with her delivery partner. Understood and managed the risk associated with the job. Liked what she did every day.

But sometimes, it’s just time for a change. She wanted to explore her love of driving in a new sector. And that’s when she found concrete. “One of my neighbor’s worked in the business and I always found the stories he told interesting,” she said. She went on Indeed and saw a posting for a concrete delivery professional and applied.

“We are very fortunate to have found Kate,” said David Kelly, General Manager, SouthWest Ready-Mix of Lafarge Eastern Canada. “But, the only way to improve your chances when looking for diamonds in the rough is to be truly open minded enough and have an inclusive environment that welcomes the right people. A strong work ethic and the right attitude are the most important qualities to look for, and Kate brings these every day.”

After 32 years of driving a completely different type of truck, Kate needed training. But she brought tenacity, and that’s what made all the difference. “I’m not afraid to admit that I took a picture of the remote, printed it, blew it up, and stuck it on my fridge so that it would become second nature to me much faster,” she shared. “My trainer really made me comfortable. I really want other ladies to know that. With my nerves settled I could just focus on and enjoy learning.”

Kate says she expected to be given a tougher time on site. But the receptiveness to her as a woman driver was professional and positive. That said – she was harassed on site at one of the plants in her nine months. “I didn’t react – just finished unloading… I let the supervisor know and I guess the same thing then happened to the other female driver delivering to that same site. The supervisor took action right away. The concrete construction industry made an amazing impression on me that day. How can we as women ask for better support than that?”

Her decision to change course in her early 50s has not only yielded a new work life, but also a new plant family. “It’s like I have five new big brothers here who take the time to teach me things so I learn every day and just get better and better at my job,” she said. “It's that team, family feeling here that makes this job feel really good. My supervisor is consistent, firm, fair, gives clear expectations, and I love that.”

Kate’s home plant superintendent, Walter Murfin adds: “As a father of two daughters, I am pleased to see women like Kate lead the charge and change the myth of gender roles in construction.”

About the Author: Andrea Boddy, owner and chief consultant for Andrea Boddy Consulting, offers marketing, strategy, business advising, sales, training, and coaching services to concrete construction and related industries. Once a fairly lone "shewolf" in the Ontario concrete industry in the early 2000s, Andrea is passionate about supporting women and others to discover and succeed in rewarding concrete careers. She is a past board member of ACI Ontario and Concrete Ontario, and has a Masters of Applied Science from University of Toronto and an Executive MBA from Queen’s University.