WOMEN OF NORTHLAND CONSTRUCTORS

By Andrea Busche

Northland Constructors, located at 4843 Rice Lake Road in Duluth, is a company that gets things done. The company, which was founded in 1970, specializes in earthwork, utilities, asphalt paving, crushing, concrete flatwork and bridges.

Although you may not know the company by name, you’ve no doubt seen their work. Northland has played a big part in the completion of many well-known local projects, including Duluth International Airport, McQuade Safe Harbor, the Lester River pedestrian bridge, the Interstate 35 Twin Ports Interchange Project, and the Superior Street reconstruction, among many other initiatives.

We introduce you to three women who work for Northland

Constructors: Annie Harala, business development and communications manager; Cassie Abrahamson, equipment operator; and Claudia Gagnon, laborer. These hardworking women provide amazing examples of success — in what some may consider nontraditional career paths.

Annie Harala

Duluth native Annie Harala has been employed by Northland Constructors for two years. She began at Northland with contract work on the Superior Street project and became a full-time employee in November 2019. She continues to focus her efforts on Superior Street, but her duties encompass other tasks as well.

Harala, who has a degree in public relations, explained that her work days vary.

“There's not really a typical day in construction,” she said. “In my role on Superior Street, I work alongside businesses to help them stay up-to-date and informed on the project happening outside their doors.”

According to Harala, views of people working in the construction industry are changing.

“The trades are growing — we need more women and people of color involved in all parts of our industry,” she said. “I work with a lot of men who are willing to embrace the changing face of construction to include more women and people of color.”

Harala chairs the boards for First Witness Child Advocacy Center and the Duluth Community Schools Collaborative. She is also deeply invested in a budding group, geared for local women in the trades.

“Northland Constructors is owned by APi group, and our sister companies in town have started a local chapter of APi Women in Construction to connect women in the construction trades,” she said. “Local companies include

Northland Constructors, The Jamar Company, United Piping Industries and Viking Sprinkler. We held a speedmentoring event in January and will be hosting quarterly events throughout the coming year.”

When she isn’t working, Harala loves to cook, read and explore our region. She and her husband, Kevin, and their dog live in the Hillside neighborhood, and enjoy drinking wine on their deck while observing Lake Superior.

Cassie Abrahamson

Cassie Abrahamson is an equipment operator for Northland Constructors, and has worked there since 2011 and in the construction trade since 2006. Some career highlights for Abrahamson include involvement in the I-35 “mega project” in 2011, the Skyline Boulevard retaining wall project in 2014 and the Superior Street reconstruction project in 2019.

“I mostly work on the asphalt crew. I start my day by filling our portable blacktop plant with water for asphalt production,” she said.

Abrahamson also has a Class A driver’s license, allowing her to drive the water truck.

“From there, I head to the job site and fill the asphalt rollers with water before we start to blacktop,” she said.

Abrahamson, a Two Harbors resident, has taken advantage of many training opportunities through an apprenticeship program. She continues taking classes every year to keep up on certificates and any new training she feels would be helpful in her career.

Abrahamson acknowledges there are challenges inherent to her position.

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“I think the biggest thing is being ‘green’ — what we call ‘new to construction,’” she said. “I believe once you get the knowledge, training and hours in the seat, however, it just seems that the job gets easier. And I believe women and men can do the same job equally.”

Abrahamson and her husband, Keith, have four children, a cat and a dog. When she isn’t working, she likes to spend time with her family at their cabin. She also enjoys going four-wheeling, snowmobiling, range shooting, deer hunting, golfing and traveling.

Claudia Gagnon

Claudia Gagnon has worked for Northland Constructors for five years. This marks her fourth season as a laborer in the field.

“What I do on a day-to-day basis kind of depends on what job I am on and what stage the job is in,” she said. “Currently, I am on the Essentia job, where I work one of the gates, ensuring that only authorized vehicles are entering the job site.

“The previous two summers, I was working on the Superior Street reconstruction job, where I had a number of daily tasks. More than anything, I was usually shooting grade with a laser level. Shooting grade is basically an accurate way establishing different grades throughout the job to ensure all underground utilities and roadway foundations are at the correct level. Three years ago (my first as a laborer), I worked as a flagger in Moose Lake and occasionally on other smaller jobs.”

Gagnon, a Duluth native, has a degree in business management. She and her wife, Kelsey, were high school sweethearts, and have been together since 2011. They have two dogs and own a home in Duluth.

When she isn’t working, Gagnon’s primary hobby is hockey.

“I’ve played it my entire life, and I try to put my skates on whenever I can,” she said. “I am pretty busy with work during the summers, but I also like to fish when I have a free Saturday. I am a volunteer coach for the U12A Duluth Icebreakers hockey team during the winter. So, I am on the ice anywhere from four to six times a week from October through February.”

When it comes to gender roles in the construction industry, Gagnon noted that women are definitely outnumbered by men.

“I would say a vast majority of the employees in the field at Northland are male,” she said. “It is very normal for me to be the only woman on a job site. To be honest, it’s kind of weird to me when there is another woman. In reality, we are all there to do a job, and I’d say 99% of my coworkers are supportive of me and want me to succeed in this field. The more I continue to learn, the more comfortable I feel at work; like I fit in.”

Women in the trades – Numbers are growing

While women working in the construction trades is still a somewhat rare occurrence, this is rapidly changing as more and more women pursue careers and education in the STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) fields.

As Harala, Abrahamson and Gagnon prove, with the right knowledge and training, women can succeed at any career they wish to pursue. And plenty of companies in the Twin Ports region, and beyond, are happy to have them join their ranks. D

“You never think you’re going to end up where you end up when you are starting out,” said Ann Anderson, co-owner of the Tongue and Groove Store, regarding her path to the manufacturing industry.

When she studied management at the College of St. Scholastica, she pictured herself as an executive with a business suit, briefcase and 9-to-5 job.

“The manufacturing kind of came in after,” she said. Her first job out of college was as office manager of Woodline Manufacturing in Eveleth. She enjoyed the position, so when she and her future husband lost their jobs at Woodline during the recession, they took the bold approach to start their own manufacturing business.

After about a year of purchasing equipment, doing market research and getting their footing, they decided to focus on solid wood products such as wall and ceiling paneling, hardwood flooring and trim. This decision was two-fold — no one else in the area was specializing in the product, and it is what their first and only customer needed.

“If it’s a flat wood piece, we can pretty much make it,” Anderson said.