Women in Construction Week 2025: Celebrating Progress and Leadership

Recognizing Women’s Impact in Construction



As we approach Women in Construction Week 2025, observed from March 2 to 8, it’s imperative to recognize and celebrate the invaluable contributions of women in the construction industry. This annual event, established by the National Association of Women in Construction (NAWIC), aims to highlight women’s roles and promote greater inclusion within the sector. The 2025 theme, “Together We Rise,” emphasizes unity and collaboration in fostering a more diverse and equitable industry...

SLC3’s Dedication to Supporting Women in the AEC Industry

The SLC3 is committed to advancing women in construction through initiatives such as our Women’s Leadership Committee. By providing training, mentorship, and advocacy, we empower women to excel in various roles, from on-site trades to executive leadership. The collective impact of these efforts is evident in the increasing number of women entering and thriving in the construction sector, fostering a more diverse and inclusive industry...

AI in Action: Women’s Leadership Lunch Recap

Last Thursday, attendees gathered for a deep dive into ChatGPT, led by our very own Kelly Jackson, who shared expert insights on how to craft the BEST prompts to get the most out of AI.

This wasn’t just a presentation—it was a hands-on learning experience filled with real-world examples, interactive discussions, and insightful questions from the audience. From refining prompts to understanding how AI can enhance everyday tasks, attendees walked away with powerful new tools to work smarter, not harder. We are planning a follow-up workshop! We need much more time to really appreciate the many advantages of using AI! Also, don't forget that GadellNet can also help your company with AI!

Why Use ChatGPT?



Boost Productivity – Streamline tasks and save time

Enhance Writing – Improve communication and content creation

Generate Fresh Ideas – Spark creativity and problem-solving

Access Quick Insights – Get well-researched answers in seconds

Work Smarter – Use AI to support decision-making and efficiency

A special thank you to our sponsor, SERVPRO, for making this event possible, and to our new Women’s Leadership Chair, Ashley Jenkins, for her leadership and vision.

AI is shaping the future—are you plugged in?

Empowering Economic Mobility In St. Louis

Background

In October 2023, the Land Clearance for Redevelopment Authority of the City of St. Louis (LCRA) — a development board staffed by the St. Louis Development Corporation (SLDC) — purchased a 150,000-square-foot industrial building at 3940 Dr. Martin Luther King Drive in North St. Louis, along with 29 surrounding vacant parcels. Once redeveloped, the 15.39-acre site will transform into an innovative transit-accessible workforce and training campus for manufacturing and other high-paying, in-demand careers.

The Monarch on MLK

Powered by SLDC, the campus will become a connection point for the community. Small and minority-owned business support will convene at the campus alongside workforce development and training opportunities. Coupled with a collection of community resources and collaborators, the campus is a beacon of change for North St. Louis — a tangible, vibrant manifestation of St. Louis’ investment in advancing equity and improving economic resiliency for residents of predominantly black neighborhoods as envisioned in the Economic Justice Action Plan.

The campus is central to the Advanced Manufacturing Innovation District — flanked by the Next NGA West Campus and six-neighborhood Project Connect Area on the east and AMIC STL and Ranken Technical College to the west — weaving together St. Louis’ industrial roots with next generation inclusive opportunities for St. Louisans as the global epicenter for industry and innovation.

Programming at the campus will expand the training, accreditation and apprenticeship pipeline, focusing on advanced manufacturing, education, geospatial, healthcare and transportation and logistics. Leveraging a place-based strategy, the campus will be a hub for economic mobility organizations and initiatives that address housing, financial empowerment and job creation — with area residents prioritized for program enrollment.

Empowering Dreams. Developing Success. Transforming Realities.

Awaken job prospects, amplify earning potential, activate ideas and explore employment pathways at the campus, where a diverse and empowered entrepreneurial ecosystem converges with community collaboration, transformational training and industrious opportunities that propel potential and produce prosperity for all St. Louisans.

Everyday Excellence, One Habit at a Time with Jeff Koziatek

Habit #10: Grace of Gray

All or nothing. Perfect or failure.

The concept of perfectionism invites: guilt, shame, judgement, worry, exhaustion, anger, and inadequacy.

Perfectionism is an unattainable myth and an anchor that holds us back from fully experiencing the present.

There IS value in making an attempt regardless of the outcome. There IS value in the gray.

Remember:

Showing. up is more important than perfection.

Performance Tips:

• Pursue excellence over perfection.

• Give yourself grace to grow through imperfections.

Emotional Intelligence Means Taking Back Our Attention

Attention!

“We were the first generation to grow up prisoners of our smartphones,” I was told by some thirty-somethings the other day. “We got hooked when we were just becoming teenagers and still check our phones all the time.”

We were reflecting on the seductiveness of our digital worlds, and how our attention gets constantly captured by our fascinations with it: Tik Tok, X, the likes (or dislikes) of ‘friends’, and on and on.

Our attention has become a commodity to be entrapped, metered, monetized. Platforms devise ingenious ways to draw our attention and keep it for as long as possible – the better to attract advertisers.

Our “eyeballs” are pawns in a larger game. How can we break free?

Take Back Control Over Our Own Attention

Focus is a key to emotional intelligence. Our attention is a mental muscle – those who monetize it hope we will keep flabby, passively letting what lures us draw our attention.

The alternative, though, is a muscular attention, one that lets us decide where and when we will put our focus.

Through Michael Stern, Senior Facilitator of the Daniel Goleman EI Courses, we asked recent grads what they felt the benefits for them had been of strengthening focus: Some grads found that better control of their focus through a simple breathing exercise helped better manage their rocky emotions, like anxiety.

“Whenever emotions felt overwhelming, I used breathing to reconnect. It’s truly powerful—using breath to master the mind enhances focus like nothing else,” one grad reported.

Said another:

“I became more mindful of how emotions—like stress or excitement—impacted my focus. For instance, when I was anxious about an upcoming task, I noticed my thoughts racing and intentionally slowed down my breathing to regain control.”

Others found a benefit of this attention-training was better focus and less mind-wandering:

“When reading or having a conversation, I caught myself drifting off and gently redirected my attention,” and “Better awareness of distractions…: I was able to concentrate better.” In short, “Even just a few seconds of focused breathing here and there had a grounding and pleasant effect on me.”

When it comes to keeping your focus where you want it:

“I am very distracted by the open tabs in my laptop - WhatsApp and emails especially …I feel some little anxiety every time I see a notification in a tab, and this distracts me from my current task. As my attention and energy is limited, I acknowledge that these distractions are limiting my capacity to focus.”

And some noticed how focus can help with other high-performance abilities, like achieving the goals that matter to you:...

Author: Daniel Goleman

Director of Daniel Goleman Emotional Intelligence Online Courses and Senior Consultant at Goleman Consulting Group

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Construction in 2025: The Upcoming Impacts of Tariffs - UHY Blog

President Donald Trump has enacted 25% tariffs on all goods coming from Mexico, Canada, and China, with the one exception being 10% tariffs on fuel coming from Canada. The proposed tariffs stand to have a significant impact on prospective and ongoing construction projects in 2025.

Tariffs on raw materials could cause lower margins for ongoing projects.

The largest prospective price increases for the construction industry will result from tariffs placed on materials such as steel and iron imported from China, however, items such as other metal products, coatings, plumbing components, and HVAC parts, and other electrical components would also be affected. Although some types of steel may be sourced domestically, China has been ranked as the largest global producer of crude steel, making Chinese imports difficult to avoid. With the proposed tariffs imposing an added tax on imports from foreign nations, these price increases may result in lower margins for some ongoing construction projects and delays or deferrals for many others. A similar effect was seen in 2020 due to increased prices on construction materials resulting from the economic effects of COVID-19.

In 2024, Steel prices had begun to drop again, although according to producer price index statistics provided by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the price of iron and steel had not returned to pre-pandemic levels.

Although domestic goods may seem like the answer to pricy imports, increased tariffs may lead to price increases at home. With less market competition from imports, economists question whether domestic producers will support lower prices on products that have traditionally had to compete with those originating in foreign markets. It is also likely that with any significant shift in purchasing or the availability of materials, there will be a resulting impact on the supply chain for commercial builders. The full effect on the construction industry will not be known until new tariffs have been implemented and will depend heavily on the amount of the tariffs themselves and how they will be enforced. As the industry moves through 2025, it will be important to understand and plan for any challenges that increased tariffs may create.

Author: UHY

How Effective Leaders Achieve Organizational Alignment - Paycor



At first, organizational alignment might sound like a mouthful. But this term is more than a buzzword or a trend. Here’s a quick definition:

Organizational alignment (or corporate alignment) is when your company’s creative vision matches up with the way you conduct business, at every level.

Think of it like integrity, but for a business instead of a person. When everyone in your company is on the same page, working toward shared goals, and making measurable progress, your organization is probably aligned.

Why is Organizational Alignment Important?

Aligned companies have a competitive advantage, especially when it comes to HR. When your whole team feels aligned with company culture, you improve retention and job satisfaction. Alignment also impacts your bottom line.

According to one study, “when people understand and are excited about the direction their company is taking, the company’s earnings margin is twice as likely to be above the median.” (McKinsey). In other words: emotional investment matters. When your team buys into the company’s mission, vision, and strategy, your profit margins will probably go up.

The Role of Leaders in Corporate Alignment

Just like company culture, organizational alignment starts at the top. Leaders set the tone for the rest of the team. That means everything from defining clear values to creating a strategy – but more on that in a minute.

After leaders get the ball rolling, team alignment gets more and more important. That’s where recruiting comes in. You can’t build a strong culture by micromanaging relationships between your employees. It’s better to hire people who are already aligned with your company’s values, so you can trust them to work toward common goals.

Alignment doesn’t end there. Once you assemble a great team, they’ll need the right tools to do well at work. For example, do your managers have enough training? Do your employees have a psychologically safe way to share feedback? Organizational alignment is an ongoing process, and it can impact every part of your business.