Stephanie Burnley grew up in construction. From a young age, she was in the office, learning. But she took a different path than most. Now the Co-CEO of Devon Industrial Group, a partner for Walbridge, Burnley is impacting the lives of others who might be interested in construction, especially women.
Burnley, along with women from Walbridge and DFM Solutions, led a recent Girls in Construction event with the Rhonda Walker Foundation to expose area teens to career opportunities in construction and the trades. In a recent Q&A, she talks about growing up in the industry, helping the next generation and what changes she has seen.
With events like Girls in Construction, what is the goal?
My ultimate goal for the Girls in Construction program is to introduce young teens that are in their junior and senior year of high school to the construction industry. It’s better to introduce them now to the wondrous possibilities in our industry as they prepare for college.
Furthermore, we need to introduce them to the skilled trades, because college is not for everyone, but there are options that can still give them exceptional career opportunities.
You grew up in construction, what was that like? How did that shape your career goals?
Let’s see – my parents started the family-owned business in 1992, when I was about 6-years-old.
I would come to the office with my mom when I was younger, and of course she made me work. My duties included assisting with paperwork and filing documents.
However, as I got older, I didn’t get involved like I should have been. I went to college straight out of high school with a focus on bachelor’s in early childhood education, worked in retail at the mall close to Eastern Michigan, having the idea to open my own clothing boutique.
Then, I decided to take a break from college during my second year, because I was not sure what I wanted to do with my career.
My father said “Well, since you don’t want to go to college anymore, you can be our receptionist and answer the phones.”
So, I started working for the family-business in April 2007 as the receptionist. It took me 2 years to see that I wanted to mirror my parents. In 2009, I went to Oakland Community College to complete some general requirements. I applied to Wayne State University and started in Fall 2010, graduated in 2014 with my Bachelor of Business Administration degree with a focus on Management. And that’s when my father announced to family and friends that he wanted me to be his successor of the Family Business. After graduating, I started my career path working between Devon Industrial Group and Walbridge, starting with the role of Business Development Coordinator. Every 6 to 9 months, my job rotation was to work in each major department to learn the business.
Being a woman in the construction industry, what advice do you have for those who might be interested in it?
Being a women in the construction industry is not easy because – it’s a male-dominated industry. Ladies, you are strong and smart! Don’t be nervous to speak up, don’t be nervous to make mistakes and never feel like you cannot ask questions. We (meaning women and men) all have to start somewhere, it’s just that men had a foot in the door before us ladies. I am happy that I have my degree in Business Management, however with the break, I had between colleges, I should have applied myself to at least gather a Skill Trade Background, where being an Apprentice, you have school and paid learning.
What advice was shared to you by other women in the industry?
Here’s some advice that I have received:
- Never be afraid to speak up
- In the construction industry things are constantly changing, technology is changing, always to stay in the forefront of the “Know”
- Working with majority of men, do not let them pressure you into answering things you do not know, ask for clarification or definition of things.
- Project experience is key. As you see things in action, it helps you better understand the project scope of work.
- Understand your people and understand your clients wants from needs.
- Relationships and trust are two important factors!
What are some of the highlights for women considering going into the trades, getting into construction or working for a construction company?
Highlights for women considering going into the trades are that while you are an apprentice, you go to school for a couple of days while working on a project that’s trade-focused on the other days. You get hands-on experience while learning and you get paid while doing both.
Getting into construction, there are so many avenues. From the project side, you can have a skilled trades background such as a plumber, carpenter or electrician. From there you can work as a superintendent running a project. Or you can start your own Plumber, Carpenter, Electrician business.
The opportunities don’t stop there though. Construction still runs like any traditional office – you need IT, legal, finance, marketing, business development, estimators and many more. The fact is, there’s really opportunity for almost anyone in construction if you’re hard-working and willing to learn.
Furthermore, if you understand construction, you might start own business and you can get your Women Business Enterprise Certification through WBENC (Women Business Enterprise National Council).
How have you seen changes in the industry in terms of the number of women on job sites and those interested in the work?
In 2018, 1.5% of people in the construction industry were women. In two years, women make up now 9.9% of the construction industry in the US. Of course, this is a mixture of positions and not just field personnel. But women are clearly opening their horizons and taking over! #GirlsRule Within our office itself, we had zero women leading New Business Development and now we have two, which does not include the Marketing-Get Work Department, which now is at roughly 8 ladies now from 3 women. There are so many opportunities out there just waiting for you to take!