New York, New York (Sept. 26, 2019)—For the first time, Professional Women in Construction (PWC) has included a man among its honorees of industry professionals for their outstanding careers and contributions to empowering women in the AEC industry.  The PWC Board of Directors historically bestows this award to women and, after careful consideration, they selected Richard Wood, chief executive officer of Plaza Construction as the first male among  their 2019 Honorees for his role in helping women in construction to advance and achieve their careers.  

In addition to Wood, the roster of 2019 honorees chosen by the PWC's board include: Joanne Minieri, executive vice president, RXR Construction Services; Heather Philip O’Neal, managing principal, Terrence O’Neal Architect; and Tanya Pope, assistant vice president, University Supplier Diversity & Program Integration, Columbia University.

According to PWC Executive Director Chelsea LeMar, “It is important for management in a male dominated industry to support and advance the careers of women and promote diversity within the fields of architecture, engineering and construction. We feel that leadership has a role in making this goal a reality and that is why we nominated our first male recipient.” 

Women make up a small proportion of the construction workforce, currently around 9% nationally, although it is one of the few industries with virtually no gender pay gap. In construction, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, women earn an average of 91.3% of what men earn, making it the highest paying industry for women.

“At Plaza Construction, our workforce is currently 25% female and there isn’t a job in construction that a woman can’t do as well if not better than a man,” said Wood. “Last year, Plaza took steps to close the workforce gender gap and encourage more women to enter the construction industry by posting signs at its jobsites from Brooklyn, New York, to Miami, Florida, that read ‘Men and Women at Work.’ The signs were a statement to demonstrate that men and women work as equals with shared responsibilities for the projects and clients they represent.”

Plaza did not post the more generic “People at Work” signs because they wanted to raise awareness and consciousness that women are included in the industry and create a more gender-neutral workplace environment. The company maintains a policy of acceptance and has instituted mentoring programs for female employees, separate bathroom facilities for women on construction sites, support for women balancing life and family (via maternity leave, for instance), and more. With these programs, the company hopes to encourage more women to pursue a career in the construction industry. 

“We have women managing iconic projects from 99 Hudson Street, the tallest building in the state of New Jersey, to the last residential project, One Thousand Museum, designed by legendary architect Zaha Hadid in Miami,” said Wood. “Women are major contributors to our business and an integral part of the building team.”

For more information, visit pwcusa.org.