Women’s History Month: Honoring the Women of KCB
As Women’s History Month draws to a close, we want to take a moment to celebrate the women of Kevin Cradock Builders.
Women’s History Month is a somewhat recent development. A quick check-in with The National Women’s History Alliance shows us that its origins began with a “Women’s History Week” celebration the week of March 8th, 1978, in Sonoma County, California. By 1980, President Carter issued a Presidential Proclamation on a federal level, and after a concerted effort by many women, a week turned into a month, by Congressional declaration, in 1987. In celebration of Women’s History Month, our industry has been focusing on women in construction.
When it comes to women in the trades, it’s still very much male-dominated. According to a 2023 report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, only 10.8% of construction workers in the U.S. are women, and women in construction make up 1.25% of the total workforce. I’ve encountered women on job sites just a handful of times when it comes to our trade partners. Definitely room for growth!
Things are different concerning our own team. On any given day, we have three women carpenters working on- site: Sabrina Mello, Sarah Hagman, and Isshoni “Sho” Delva. Two women are key members of the shop: our lead finisher, who is also a woodworker and carpenter, Brenda Griswold-Hall, and directly involved with the construction, fabrication, assembly and coordination of everything coming out of our mill shop is Millwork Project Manager, Megan Swyter.
Megan reviewing detailed plans.
Sabrina on the job.
Not everyone comes to construction as a first career, which is the case for Sarah Hagman who worked for The Improper Bostonian before it closed. But as prospects in journalism seemed low-growth, and a coincidental look at a remodeling magazine piqued Sarah’s curiosity, she explored joining the growing number of women carpenters. With zero experience or trade school on her resume, Sarah needed to find on-the-job training. Her research yielded Kevin Cradock Builders and now she is in the apprentice program and learning every day.
Sarah on the job.
Sho on-site.
While it’s still a daunting prospect for women to pursue trades, the climate is becoming more and more inviting. To this point, Boston Building Resources (BBR) has created a new social networking group, The Tool Box, for women+ or woman-identifying persons in the trades. They meet quarterly, and their next event, “Wear What Works,” on April 30th at BBR will involve discussions about women+ workwear, along with resource lists on job sites. It’s free but sign up on their Eventbrite so they can plan accordingly. The guest speaker will be Hannah Carlson, senior lecturer in apparel design at the Rhode Island School of Design and the author of Pockets: An Intimate History of How We Keep Things Close.” There’s also a recruitment program for women in the trades in Massachusetts called Building Pathways.
Celebrating KCB’s women leaders, project coordinators & administrators
Recognizing the contributions of other KCB women: One of the earliest KCB team members and one of the executive team, Nancy Pinchera leads the way. As Director of Business, Nancy oversees financial operations and has been instrumental in KCB’s growth. Kate Diana has been handling bookkeeping for almost a decade. Office administrator Joyce Jonaissant Carvalho joined the team in 2019. Corey Nuffer, our in-house Storyteller, joined the team in 2022. Our vibrant team of women Project Coordinators includes Sarah Hudson, Denise Grothman, and Ann Neumann.
“We wouldn’t be the company that we are without our strong women team members,” Kevin Cradock, says. “I am proud of the way everyone contributes to the growth of the company. In recognition of Women’s History Month, I’m adding an extra shout out for the women of KCB!”
KCB finisher Brenda Griswold-Hall
In-house Storyteller Corey Nuffer