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brick composition, she knew she’d found her passion. “There was a mood about that room, and I felt like these are my people, this is where I’m meant to be,” the 35-year-old recalls. After graduation, the high-energy go-getter went to work for Brasfield & Gorrie, where she’s moved up the team across sites in Birmingham, Alabama; Atlanta; and Jackson, Mississippi. “I would encourage any woman to go into this business. I don’t ever walk into a room and feel I’m in the minority. I never really let it hold me back,” she says. “I’m of this mindset you just have to work and earn it. People are going to have their judgments when they meet you, and you just have to prove yourself to them and earn respect, no matter who you are.”
“I WOULD ENCOURAGE ANY WOMAN TO GO INTO THIS BUSINESS. I DON’T EVER WALK INTO A ROOM AND FEEL I’M IN THE MINORITY. I NEVER REALLY LET IT HOLD ME BACK.” KYMBERLY BAILEY Bailey has certainly earned the respect of the president of Centennial American Properties, Brody Glenn. “We are fortunate to have a team member in Kimberly who is the entire package. She brings the resolve, focus, and effectiveness to our project with poise. She also possesses the humor and work ethic that a leader needs to gain the most from the team,” he says. As a CREW Upstate Dealmaker Award winner, Bailey networks
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frequently, especially with women. This month, she’s meeting with 90 other B&G co-workers, all female, at an annual gathering. “We’re all in operational roles,” says the married mother of two. “I’m going to talk to them about their professional networking and personal networking. Who is there to help and encourage you, coach you, advocate for you, in all areas of your life and work?” She also finds herself communicating across company lines at Camperdown, coordinating barricades and crane swings with groups building the hotel, for other owners. Her self-admitted obsessive tendencies serve her, and the build, well. “I’m very anal, to a fault,” she jokes. “I do like to get into the details. Safety is one of my responsibilities while I’m managing finances, hiring subcontractors, creating and managing schedules.” The ground has proved the most challenging issue on-site. “We’re having to go down over 30 feet through rock, and the granite is as solid as solid can be,” she explains. In addition, trucks are having to make 90-minute runs to and from Twin Chimneys Landfill to dispose of every tablespoon of excavated dirt. “It’s a brownfield site,” Bailey says. “Basically, it means the ground has been deemed contaminated. Apparently, there was a laundromat in the area, which is bad for the soils underneath.” Even with ground issues and a rainy spring, Bailey sees Camperdown completion coming in mid2020, but she plans to stay in town afterward to oversee build-outs and other ventures. “Greenville’s now home,” she says. “It’s going to be a lot of fun when this is over and I get to actually come and spend time and hang out on the plaza and do the Saturday morning thing here, and it’s not work anymore. I carry a big sense of pride. There’s a lot of blood, sweat, and tears in this project, and it’s going to be nice to complete it and have it open for everybody’s enjoyment.” 5.10.2019 | upstatebusinessjournal.com
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