A lot of construction companies start with a dream, but there aren’t many that start because of a late-night visit from a deceased relative and a “literal” passing of the torch.
Ebony Jennings owns Wisconsin-based Jennings Asphalt, which was founded by her grandfather in 1984. When her grandfather passed away in 1996, no one in the family stepped up. In 2011, Jennings told family members that she wanted to restart the business.
“I didn’t know much, but I just had this feeling that I wanted to get into the road construction business,” she said. “My uncle — I’m pretty sure he wasn’t trying to — but he planted a negative seed. ‘Asphalt is too hard. It’s not for women,’ he said.”
Jennings set aside the plan and wrapped up her college education, going into finance with Northwestern Mutual. But the work was unfulfilling, and when the pandemic sent workers home, her discontent only grew.
And then she had the dream that would change her life.
“I have not seen my grandfather since I was a little girl,” she said. “But it was my grandfather walking through a tunnel, and he had this torch in his hand. I was walking behind him, and he passed the torch to me. Jennings Asphalt started two months after that.”
Jennings’ love for her grandfather jump-started her career in construction, but she stays in the industry because the work challenged her.
“No other job I’ve had really challenged me and allowed me to grow and to double down on myself,” she said. “I risked everything on me. I bet it on myself. And this allowed me to learn different roles and take on different roles within this company.”
As the owner/operator of the business, Jennings wears multiple hats, from estimator to payroll to working the machines in the field. She would love to see more women enter construction and take on similar roles. She rebranded the company from what it had been under her grandfather. Launching on social media has enabled her to connect with more women.
“It really inspired them to either go into this field or double down on themselves and add a new component to their business,” she said. “They start their own business. They’ve been a paver/operator for many years, and they know the ins and outs. That really inspires me, that I can inspire someone else, not just to get to my level, but to go beyond it.”
Starting an asphalt business isn’t easy, and in 2022, Jennings feared she would lose everything when paving jobs slumped.
“I was losing money, it was going down the drain,” she said. “Clients, laborers, some of everything was slipping away. I had to rebuild brick by brick. It took a lot out of me, and I had to put my emotions in the back of my mind. It allowed me to become a better business owner, a better leader and to be more innovative and try out new things and actually listen to my crew about the best way to do things.”
While Jennings connects with other women through social media and networking events, she attributes much of her success to Karen Eaton, owner of Eaton’s Asphalt Service. According to Jennings, she and Eaton are the only two Black women who own and operate asphalt companies in the state of Wisconsin.
“Her father and my grandfather worked hand-in-hand together,” she said. “[When I started this] my father told me, ‘If you’re serious about this, go find Karen. I’m not going to help you find Karen. And then you get under her and learn from her.’ And that’s exactly what I did. She has cultivated me into not only the woman I am today, but the businesswoman I am today. She’s helped me grow so much in this industry. She took a chance on me.”
Jennings wants to see respect for women in construction grow, with more women being welcomed into field-based roles.
“Women in construction are not just limited to being a project manager or an estimator or accounts receivable,” she said. “There are women out here who are better truck drivers than men, better paver and roller operators. I want to see more respect overall and to actually show that respect.”
Outside of work, Jennings loves to travel and tackle DIY home projects, such as building a dresser for her daughter. When paving season ends in Wisconsin, she spends her time learning new hobbies that allow her to work with her hands, like gardening, room painting and laying flooring.
