_edited.jpg)
NEW YORK CITY—In a stunning display of “doing the thing everyone said they couldn’t,” women in construction gathered this week at the Groundbreaking Women in Construction conference (GWIC) to collectively shrug off the latest political grenade lobbed at diversity initiatives: Donald Trump’s Executive Order to Make Hard Hats Great Again. The event, held in a Manhattan ballroom that suspiciously smelled like testosterone-free drywall, saw industry leaders swap power tools for PowerPoints as they strategized how to keep DEI efforts alive while dodging legal shrapnel.
Trump’s DEI Orders: Less “Art of the Deal,” More “Art of the Distraction”
Women in Construction Bust:
The conference kicked off with a rousing game of “Who’s Afraid of the Big Bad Executive Order?” as attorneys Mindy Gentille and Kim Altsuler of Peckar & Abramson dissected Trump’s latest salvo against DEI. The orders, aimed at federal contractors, were described as “a piñata of confusion” — swing at it too hard, and you might get sued. Too soft, and you’re not diverse enough.
“It’s like playing Jenga with a bulldozer,” Gentille quipped, referencing the legal limbo created by a recent federal court ruling that temporarily blocked Trump’s orders. “But hey, keep working and track your costs. Also, maybe invest in a good lawyer-themed stress ball.”
Meanwhile, attendees were reassured that DEI isn’t going the way of the dodo — or, as one woman put it, “the way of the all-male boardroom.” Julie Hasiba of EFCG revealed that women now make up 30% of new construction hires, a figure she called “better than a 0% in 1924, but still roughly equivalent to the number of men who’ve accidentally called a female foreman ‘sweetheart’ this week.”
JFK Airport’s Terminal One: Where Diversity Takes Flight (And Doesn’t Crash on the Runway)
Nothing says “progress” like a $19-billion airport redevelopment, and the JFK team is soaring. Uzoamaka N. Okoye, chief of staff for the New Terminal One, announced that 45% of design contracts went to minority- and women-owned firms. “We’re not just checking boxes,” she said. “We’re building terminal boxes. With local concrete. And minority-owned trucks. It’s like ‘We Are the World,’ but with fewer keytars and more OSHA violations.”
When asked if the project would survive a Trump-induced DEI freeze, Okoye smirked. “Honey, this is New York. We’ve survived rat-infested subways and $20 artisanal toast. A little political turbulence won’t ground us.”
Women in Construction Bust: Mentorship Tips From ‘Keep Your Head Down’ to ‘Duck, There’s a Crane!’
Amy Wincko, STO Building Group’s Chief Strategy Officer, electrified the crowd with tales of her rise from “daughter of electricians” to industry titan. She roasted her father’s outdated advice — “Keep your head down, work hard, and someone will notice you” — calling it “the fastest way to become a human doormat.”
“Ladies, pick your head up!” Wincko barked. “Look around! If you see a glass ceiling, grab a hammer. If you see a man mansplaining, grab a bigger hammer.” Her mantra? “Be the OSHA violation they can’t ignore.”
Judaline Cassidy, a plumber and founder of Tools & Tiaras, echoed the sentiment. “Construction needs women to survive,” she declared, brandishing a wrench like Excalibur. “Otherwise, who’ll fix the sinks and notice the HVAC’s passive-aggressive grunting?”
DEI in the Age of Trump: ‘Chaotic’ Markets, Calm CEOs, and AI That’s Judging You
Wall Street analyst Jamie Cook delivered a keynote titled Surviving the Apocalypse (Or Just Another Tuesday), revealing that construction stocks have been “chaotic” under Trump. “They dropped 8% this year,” she said, “which, coincidentally, is the same percentage of men who’ve asked me if I’m ‘here with the caterers.’”
Yet CEOs remain oddly zen. “They’re not worried,” Cook shrugged. “They’re too busy counting cash from infrastructure bills and wondering if AI can unionize.” Speaking of AI, Sarah Buchner of Trunk Tools demoed her platform, which turns “millions of messy docs into spreadsheets.” “Finally,” she grinned, “a tool that does for data what men think they do for leadership.”
Gen Z to the Rescue (If They Can Put Down Their Phones)
With Gen Z avoiding trades like they’re gluten, Demi Clark of Spark Building Group urged firms to “speak TikTok.” “Forget flyers. Post a welder doing a griddy in a safety harness. Boom — 400,000 hires by lunch.”
Michelle Kelley, ex-FBI negotiator, offered communication hacks: “Listen. Just… listen. Unless it’s a guy explaining torque. Then run.”
Epilogue: A Woman’s Place Is On the Scaffolding
As the conference wrapped, attendees left armed with blueprints for change — and a collective eye-roll for DC’s drama. “Let them fight about DEI in their mahogany caves,” said one engineer. “We’ve got bridges to build. And FYI, they’ll be pink and made exclusively by women.”
Mike Honcho is the Editor-in-Chief of Hard Hat Kings and a certified forklift driver, motorcyclist, scuba diver, amateur welder, savant and wears his hard hat in church . He’s been banned from 14 Home Depots.
Comentários