The WinC committee was formed back in 2008 and over the years it has grown exponentially.  Our mission has always been to bring women together to celebrate their roles in the trades and construction; industries that build our schools, our hospitals and key components of our communities.  The WinC group is a powerhouse of dynamic women who work in every discipline of the construction industry. We come together for networking, leadership, and educational opportunities throughout the year.

Our membership base consists of a diverse group of women who work as Tradeswomen, Architects, Engineers, Owners, Senior Executives, Estimators, General or specialty Contractors, Human Resource experts, Insurance agents, Lawyers, Project Managers, Sales, Marketing and more! 

This year, we launched the first in a series of WinC events under the new banner of “Deconstructed…A discussion with women”.  The intent is to break-down this massive industry that is construction to understand it better and then use the knowledge to build it back for a better future.

If there was ever something that needed to be deconstructed, it’s women in construction.  What are the opportunities and how can we better understand the past to build a more diverse, equitable and inclusive construction industry for women?

Capacity of the GVCA training room is approximately 35 guests and we expected to host this first “Deconstructed…a discussion with women” event on-site.  Within 2 days of promoting the event to our GVCA Members, we had over 70 ladies registered and 8 event sponsors on-board.  The response and support of this event was outstanding!

As a result, we coordinated an off-site venue, the Homewood Suites by Hilton, Cambridge and had over 80 guests attended.  As this event is meant to dive right into the issues and experiences of women in the trades, we invited 2 guest speakers and valued GVCA Members to share their experiences.    The depth and honesty of the stories our presenters Christine Snider, Nelco Mechanical Ltd., Partner and LeeAnn Grundy, Journeyperson Electrical, Conestogo Electric Inc. shared was both inspiring and raw.

Outcomes from the session, perhaps a focused effort on being more intentional and prescribed when hiring women as the best option and will go along way to increase acceptance and opportunities for women in construction.

Hiring more women will help to create a more inclusive and welcoming workplace which will measurably improve employee morale and retention.