The Nevada Builders Alliance Women’s Council is playing a hand in fostering women in the construction industry. The council provides networking, professional development for women in the industry as well as provides scholarships for community college students in construction programs.
“We provide support for women in the construction industry,” Pam Duxbury, outreach coordinator for the Nevada Builders Alliance, said. “We provide networking opportunities (within the council) and networking opportunities with our 700 members statewide in our Nevada Builders Alliance.”
The Women’s Council is open to any women in a construction-related business. The Women’s Council was founded in 2001. Within the last year, the Women’s Council has refocused its efforts to develop a scholarship program for students enrolled in construction-related programs.
“It is a scholarship for each of the four community colleges in the state that have construction programs,” Duxbury said.
The Nevada Builders Alliance announced on Dec. 3 that Betty Morton from the College of Southern Nevada, Donovan Walker from Western Nevada College, Joseph Brand from Great Basin College and Richard Schnitz from Truckee Meadows Community College each received $500 per semester from the Women’s Council. Morton is the first female to receive the construction studies scholarship.
“(The scholarships) encourage those who are already in the field to continue their course of study or encourage those who are thinking about it to go into that course of study,” Duxbury said.
These students were chosen based on their grade point average, financial need and a personal essay.
The Women’s Council funds these scholarships through fundraisers they hold throughout the year. Their main fundraiser is their annual Nevada Day Pancake Breakfast fundraiser at Red’s Old Highway 50 Grill in Carson City, which takes places on Nevada Day before the parade.
This year they also expanded their annual Helping Hands project. This project allows the council to provide repairs and cosmetic improvements to low-income homeowners in the Carson City area. In 2016, the council partnered with the State of Nevada Department of Health and Human Resources, Aging and Disability Services and helped to assist their clients with minor home repairs.
According to Duxbury, The council is looking to build awareness of women in the construction industry and provide support for women who are already in the industry. They also work to encourage women in general to go into the industry.
“We are starting to see more and more young women go into the industry,” Duxbury said.
She explained that there are a lot of opportunities for women within the industry as the number of construction jobs in Nevada increases and as technology in the industry progresses.
“It used to be that the construction industry was an industry only dominated by men and something that only men could do,” she said. “It is something that is very well suited for women because it is one of those things anybody can do.”
The Women’s Council currently has 12 members in a variety of construction related industries including contractors and sub-contractors as well as axillary sectors such as insurance, finance education and training.
“There is a wide variety,” Duxbury said about their members.
Meetings for the Women’s Council are held the second Tuesday of every month at the Nevada Builders Alliance offices in Carson City. There is no cost to be a member of the Women’s Council and members are also invited to attend Nevada Building Alliance functions.
Duxbury said that she hopes to increase the membership in the Women’s Council, increase the number of scholarships they offer and expand the council statewide. She would also like to provide mentoring for women in high school or community college who are considering going into the construction industry.
For more information or to become a member of the Women’s Council, contact Pam Duxbury at outreach@nevadabuilders.org. or call 775-882-4353 ext. 104.
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