Put on your hardhat baby!
By Linda Jo Givens
I grew up in a very loving family where husbands were devoted to their wives and wives to their husbands. I always thought that would be exactly the life I would experience.
Since my father was in construction, we moved constantly. I attended eighteen different schools before I graduated from high school. On weekends (when possible), we'd pack up and head back to the family home place in Kentucky. Those weekends were my main source of "belonging," so, even with all that traveling, I never questioned who I was because my roots were so firmly planted.
Marriage and family were my goals, because of the example that had been set for me. I married at seventeen, but after twelve years and two wonderful children, it became apparent that our marriage was over. So here I was, a single mother with two children to care for and no true career path. My husband said, "You'll never survive without me," so I was determined to find a way!
I had previously worked in secretarial positions, but I soon found that clerical work was not enough to support a family. My parents were in Texas at that time and encouraged me to join them. So, in the fall of 1969, I put my furniture in storage on the family homestead and headed west with my children - having no idea how I was going to make ends meet.
Again, I tried several avenues - an administrative position with a contractor at NASA, a loan processor for a homebuilder, and eventually, thanks to my father's help, a purchasing position with a construction firm. Understand, this was a time when women in construction were not the norm, unless they were working in clerical positions. Although my father assisted in opening the door, I had to walk through it.
Belief in myself, my determination, and dedication began to move me forward in strictly a "man's" world. A move back to Kentucky came with a job opportunity from a prestigious international design/construction company. They were constructing an assembly plant in Bowling Green. Although I had been in contracts/purchasing at my previous job, the only position offered was a secretarial one starting at $960 a month. I took it to get my foot in the door, and one month later I was promoted to the contracts department.
By this time, my daughter was married and my son was in college. The company offered me a transfer to Winston Salem, NC as an Office Engineer. I accepted. Ultimately I was promoted and became the first female Project Engineer in construction for this organization. My boss didn't ask for permission when he promoted me, and to this day, I'm not absolutely certain he would have received permission if he had.
My career eventually included positions involving: constructing a new prison in Connecticut; a rail project in Pennsylvania; an aerospace project in Washington state; rail projects in Illinois and California; a pharmaceutical development in New Jersey (this one was interesting inasmuch as the project was in trouble and I was the fifth Project Manager - we ended up turning it around even receiving letters of commendation). Next was an automotive job in Wisconsin where I received my official promotion to Project Manager, and awards from both my employer and the client; then back to Kentucky and onto another automotive assignment. Shortly thereafter, I moved to Florida to one more project that was in trouble. And now, after 25 years with the firm, I am a Sr. Project Manager on a job in Indiana where the client requested me personally.
To say I have been fortunate is putting it mildly. I was fortunate to go to work for a company and have bosses that believed in me and gave me an opportunity to learn and grow at a time when very few women were accepted in the construction field. Now at just a few months short of my 70th birthday, I am still working, by choice, and hopefully making a difference. I can't help but think back and be thankful for all the opportunities I was given and the impact this industry has had on my life, and hopefully the positive impact I have had on it.
So the little girl from Kentucky with dreams of following in her mother's footsteps, found herself following in her father's footsteps, carving out acceptance and a place in management in this world of construction.
