April 12–18, 2016
special news feature | Vancouver regional construction Association
c8 NEWS PEOPLE: Five women who carved their own careers
Heather James, chief executive officer, Active First Aid Inc.
Alma Garnett, Chief Executive Officer, Convoy Supply Ltd.
As the owner of Active First Aid, Heather James has been involved in the first-aid industry for the past nine years. Before starting Active First Aid, she spent her firstaid career as a life guard and an emergency medical responder in industrial settings. She presently holds her Occupational First Aid Level 3.
Alma Garnett is president of Convoy Supply, Canada’s leading wholesale construction materials distributor with more than 40 locations in Canada and the U.S. Pacific Northwest. A 30year industry leader and entrepreneur, Garnett built Hunter Panels LLC from concept to front-runner in energyefficient polyiso manufacturing. She is the 2015 recipient of the Vancouver Regional Construction Association’s Outstanding Woman in Construction award.
Ashley Grant, project manager/Estimator, Houle Electric Ltd. Ashley Grant joined Houle Electric in 2006 as an on-site administrator. After two years and moving into a project co-ordinator role during that time, in 2009 she became the first female project manager/estimator for the electrical construction division in the Vancouver regional office.
Liliana Andjic, division manager, Houle Electric Ltd.
a young girl my dad said, “You’ll never be as successful as a man,” so I took it as a challenge.
have this construction mentality, but everyone seems to have a place in construction.
James: I was working as temporary first-aid attendant, but when the recession hit in 2009 I was first to go. I joined an entrepreneurial program and started to learn how to run a company. For the first two years I was doing all the work myself until I got enough business to hire my first employee.
James: I’m a very confident person but it was definitely intimidating. My passion is first aid and I know how to get on with guys, but walking on [to the job site] was very intimidating.
was, without a doubt, the most rewarding adventure of my life, until my current position at Convoy, that is. Today, Hunter Panels is one of the largest manufacturers in the world.
Carly Smith, electrician, NRG Electric Ltd. Having decided that a career change was needed, Carly Smith moved across the country in 2009 to pursue her passion of becoming a qualified electrician. Not deterred by the male-dominated industry, Smith pursed her qualifications and joined NRG Electric Ltd.’s apprenticeship scheme. On December 31, 2015, she completed her apprenticeship and became a fully qualified Red Seal construction electrician.
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l most as ma ny women a s men pa r t icipate i n the Canadian workforce – 47.3% to be exact, with very little variance at the provincial or metropolitan level. Yet only 11% of the Canadian construction industry is made up of women. Helen Goodland of Brantwood Consulting caught up with five prominent women in construction to ask them what it is like to be a woman in this male-dominated industry. The women were Alma Garnett, chief executive officer, Convoy Supply Ltd.; Ashley Grant, project manager and estimator, Houle Electric Ltd.; Carly Smith, electrician, NRG Electric Ltd.; Heather James, chief executive officer, Active First Aid Inc.; and Liliana Andjic, division manager, Houle Electric Ltd.
Grant: I started in a hardware store and a colleague introduced me to her husband, who worked for Houle Electric. My first job at Houle Electric was on-site administration; after two years of hard work, people saw potential and I was given the opportunity to become an estimator and project manager.
What was your first experience in construction? Garnett: I considered becoming
Andjic: My background is engineering, which is also a maledominated industry. When I was
an architect but couldn’t get away from my passion for literature. I completed my degree and moved to Los Angeles and worked in the music and film business. I was in my 20s when my cousin started a roofing distribution company in Boston and asked if I could help with the startup. I said yes, “but only for six months” – that was in 1984, and here I am, still in the industry.
Smith: I was working as a janitor and decided to get back into the electrical industry. To be honest, I just wanted to earn an honest living. These days there are very few jobs where you can earn an honest living. What was your first impression of the industry? Grant: There were more personalities in construction than I was expecting. I thought they’d all
Smith: The wood and gasoline – it smelled like camping – it felt nice and comfortable. I felt a little nervous but that didn’t last long as everyone was getting their work done. No one was standing around and watching. What have been your best and worst experiences of the industry? Garnett: I’ve only worked for three companies in our industry. I founded Hunter Panels in 1998, a startup rigid polyiso insulation manufacturing company, and that
Liliana Andjic has been living and breathing electronic security systems for almost 15 years and is now the division manager for Houle Electric’s security division.
Andjic: I drive around Vancouver and everything has something to do with construction, so it’s great to be part of this ever-changing community. Worst experience? Well, I always say obstacles are an opportunity to do things better. James: I also like to drive around the city and show my friends what I’ve built, even if I was only on the job site for a few minutes. Is swearing standard on a work site? Andjic: You can’t generalize or say that it’s standard. I’m sure it happens. I’m sure there’s just as much passive-aggressive activity in the office.