Women at WIRC

From graduating high school early as Valedictorian to getting hired at the Kennedy Space Station because of her persistence, Kareena Gray has always strived for finding the best and most efficient way to do things. This has allowed her to shine in residential construction and project management, and she recently won a CoTY award for project manager of the year at her local NARI chapter. "We always...

Cindy Cipriani loved working with her father on remodeling projects when she was young, and that upbringing spun into business ownerships, with the most recent being co-owner of Ciprani Remodeling Solutions. Cindy also happens to have a professional background in grief counseling and personal coaching, both of which come in handy as a designer and designer salesperson. She talks about handling har...

Nora El-Khouri Spencer didn’t come from a construction background, but her experience working in HR for Lowe’s gave her tools—literally—to start home repairs and eventually making renovations a side gig. Remodeling is where Nora’s strengths and passions were able to shine. She desired a way to become a “vessel of social change,” as she’s said, so she left Lowe’s and began grad school for social wo...

Lindy Oliva, president of PulteGroup’s Houston division, entered the industry through a finance position, but it was embracing each opportunity that came her way that got her to where she is today. After years as a residential construction leader, Lindy has settled into her own leadership style and as division president, she adds to PulteGroup’s nationally recognized work environment. She chats wi...

Michelle Lamb, owner of Better Home Texas in Dallas, discusses how she made the “Baby at Work” policy for young mothers, designing a healthy company culture, and the best platforms to find specific hires.

Elizabeth Evans, CEO and founder of E2 Homes and E2 Roofing, grew her businesses, attended the Joint War College, and was promoted to Colonel all during the pandemic.

Sarah Lawson only wanted to improve S&H Construction (https://www.shconstruction.com/), the company she worked for as a project manager for nearly a decade. Having had experience owning her own construction business, she pushed her hesitations aside and drew up a proposal to become S&H’s new owner, as its current owners were nearing retirement. The transition took some guts, time, confiden...

Greta Bajrami, CEO of Golden Group Roofing, shares her journey to home improvement, tips for hiring the right team, and her vision for the future of roofing.

Jackie Graniczny and her brother grew up on the jobsite with their dad. She says construction is something she has always been around, but when she wanted to pursue her own career in design, she never expected to end up in construction, despite her upbringing. Now, her design skills and choice to carve her own path has brought her to where she is today: design director and partner of Sublime Homes...

Our guest today is Ana Borden, the founder and principal of AMB2 Architecture (http://amb2architecture.com/). A daughter of two immigrants, Ana always loved design and drawing. She has now found her niche in Historic Renovations and the complex restorations and retrofits required of the historical city of New Orleans. We’ll learn how she chooses the right materials, the history lessons historical...

Welcome back to Women at WIRC, a podcast for and about the women of remodeling and construction, brought to you by Pro Remodeler and Pro Builder magazines. With the International Builder’s Show, IBSX, coming up virtually and our newest class of 40 Under 40 about to be announced, it’s been a hectic end to a hectic year. How do you get through it all? Incorporating system building doesn’t hurt. We’l...

Even when Julie Schafer is not at work, she’s spending much of her free time working in the industry, primarily with her local Professional Women in Building Council. As chair of her local PWB last year, Julie started an after school program in collaboration with a non-profit to get elementary school-aged girls excited about the construction industry. Last year, she won the award for Outstanding C...

Welcome back to Women at WIRC, a podcast for and about the women of remodeling and construction, brought to you by Pro Remodeler and Pro Builder magazines. Hi, I’m Annie Cebulski, associate editor for Professional Remodeler. 2020 is coming to a close, and what a wild ride it’s been. But for our guest today, Tanya Donahue, owner and president at RI K+Bath, this isn’t the first storm she’s weathered...

Everyone’s journey looks different, but Rachel White’s path to the remodeling industry is truly unique. After getting a PHD in religious studies, she started off as a CLIENT for byggmeister in Newton, MA before working her way from project manager to CEO. We’ll learn how Byggmeister centers itself around sustainability, the company’s approach to diversity hiring, and why Rachel views the home itse...

If there were two words to encompass Rachel Taylor, they would be determination and trailblazer. A former consultant and professional banana bread maker and current role as a self-made carpenter, Rachel has this remarkable ability to leap headfirst into new pursuits, pushing through the fear and self-doubt to rise above. After teaching herself how to design and build custom furniture, she opened h...

Holly Slevcove, project manager for the New Home Company (https://www.nwhm.com/), was a team member when TNHC won Professional Builder’s Builder of the Year in 2019. A risk-taker, she specializes in project management and land acquisition for residential home building, primarily focused on the Inland Empire and Orange County. How did she get from college graduate to project manager in under 3 year...

Rachel Brown is the owner/CEO of Rachel Brown Homes, a custom home builder in Huntsville, Alabama. Her company was recognized for its high ethical standards by the Better Business Bureau of North Alabama. And fun fact: she was one of the WIRC Speakers for 2019. Speaking of which, you can register for the next WIRC conference now! https://www.cvent.com/events/women-in-residential-construction-2020/...

I was lucky enough to spend the day with Sheila Lanier a few months ago. I was flying into Arizona a day early for our Women in Res conference, so I reached out to Homework Remodels to see if they’d let me be a fly on the wall for the day. It’s something that the Pro Remodeler team tries to do often, at various remodeling and home improvement companies across the country. It gives us a chance to g...

Welcome back to Women at WIRC, a podcast celebrating the vast experiences women can have in the remodeling and construction industries, and the unique skills and approaches each woman brings to her role. Ashley Wainscott piqued my interest at the Women in Residential Construction conference last year when she introduced herself to the room. The fact that Ashley’s company, Simply Sold, is 80% women...

Welcome back to Women at WIRC, a podcast for and about the women of remodeling and construction. Joining us today is Liysa Callsen, the chief communications officer for CJC Carpentry in Manitowoc, Wisconsin. Liysa and I met last year, when I was writing a profile of CJC Carpentry, the custom carpentry business that Liysa and her husband Carl own and operate together in Wisconsin. I’ve been lucky e...

Welcome to the second episode of Women at WIRC, a podcast from Professional Remodeler magazine for and about the women of remodeling and construction. Today we hear from Allison Iantosca, of F.H. Perry Builder, speak about how she grows her business, networks inside and outside the industry, and decides how to structure her days. To learn more about Allison and F.H. Perry Builder, head to www.fhpe...

Welcome to the inaugural episode of Women at WIRC, a podcast from Professional Remodeler magazine for and about the women of remodeling and construction. Today we hear from Melissa Kennedy, of Meadowlark Design Build, about how she got to where she is today and what keeps her going when motivation is low. To learn more about Melissa and Meadowlark, head to www.meadowlarkbuilders.com. All episodes...