WIC Week Jobsite Tour

Boise “Power Tower” Jobsite Tour

March 3rd -March 9th 2024 celebrated Women in Construction Week around the Nation.  The Boise Chapter of National Association of Women in Construction had several events throughout the week.

Wednesday March 6th NAWIC held a jobsite tour at the 12th & Idaho “Power Tower”  thanks to the generosity of McAlvain Companies and Power Construction.    

At 26 stories, 12th & Idaho will be the second tallest tower in Idaho and was inspired by Boise's Sawtooth Mountain Range. The 420,000 sf, 298-unit building offers 16,000 sf of amenities including a terraced deck, co-working lounge, gaming room, social lounge with pool deck and cabana seating, and a roof with fire pits, garden area, and a private standalone spa.

The ground floor includes 10,000 sf of retail and an enclosed parking garage with 400 parking spaces. The parking garage utilizes a fabric enclosure featuring a mountain-inspired graphic that allows for natural light and fresh airflow, reducing the need for fans and exhaust mitigation.

The event was well attended with ladies from several GC’s and Subcontractors around the valley.   It was exciting to be up that high and see the work up close.   We even were able to climb a ladder and get to the platform above the 26th Floor.  The view of our city from the top is amazing.

September General Meeting

The Boise Chapter met in September for Installations of our new Board of Directors and the retiring of the 22/23 Board of Directors.

A heartfelt summary of our past year was presented by our outgoing Chapter President, Ashley Wiedemer, Sletten Construction. She thanked all of the board and members who supported her throughout the year and was presented with her Past President’s Plaque.

We also got to award and celebrate Cassie Clancy, Pipe Reline Solutions, for her Future Leader of the Year Award that was awarded to her earlier this year during our Dinner Auctions & Awards Event.

After that, Summer Gilbert, Andersen Construction, lead our 23/24 Board Installation Ceremony. Each officer was sworn in for her year of service and ended with the installation of our Board President Ami Ostrow, Andersen Construction. She was presented her President’s Pin.

Welcome to our new 23/24 Board of Directors:

President: Ami Ostrow, Andersen Construction Co.

Vice President: Dawn Brubaker, Suite Solutions

Treasurer: Aja DeVore, McAlvain Companies Inc

Recording Secretary: Holly Hawkins, Prusik Construction

Corresponding Secretary: Mary Lierman, D&A Glass Company Inc

Immediate Past President: Ashley Wiedemer, Sletten Construction Co.

Directors:

Bri McCloskey, Andersen Construction Co

Mandy Edwards, Gabbert & Edwards Construction LLC

Jen Menchaca, CM Company Inc

Cassie Clancy, Pipe Reline Solutions

Ruth Fritts, Fritts EHS Consulting

Jamie Wagner, Prusik Construction

Lauren Ertz, Capital Cleaning LLC

Looking forward to a great year!

2023 Annual Conference, Portland OR

NAWIC’s Annual Conference was held in Portland OR this year August 9th-12th. This is our national conference where we meet up with about 500 other NAWIC members from all over the United States. Boise had 10 ladies in attendance this year. The keynote speakers were wonderful and we had a lot of breakout sessions to choose from during the 3 days. We even had some time to shop and have a little fun at the beach on Saturday. It’s great networking, teambuilding and bonding time for our chapter members.

This year was the 68th Annual Conference and had a lot to offer in the way of education and key note speakers.

Welcome Party

Wednesday evening was an offsite welcome party at Deschutes Brewery in downtown Portland and sponsored by Dovetail Workwear. They premiered the limited edition NAWIC brew.

---

Key Note Speakers

Our opening Key Note Speaker was Dr. Rhianna Rogers

What You Need to Know About the Infrastructure Act and How We Can Innovate Further Utilizing DEI
The $1.2 trillion Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) includes $550 billion in new investments for roads and bridges, water infrastructure, resilience, internet, and more. It also represents an opportunity for the sector to innovate its approach to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). With the Infrastructure Act and relevant DEI provisions as the backdrop, Dr. Rhianna C. Rogers – inaugural director of the Center to Advance Racial Equity Policy at the RAND Corporation – discussed ways to truly incorporate and advance DEI ideals and outcomes across Act projects and beyond. She offered case studies reflecting ways to employ equity-centered strategies that lead to effective solutions.

Our Industry Luncheon Key Note Speaker was Jamie McMillan, KickAss Careers

Keynote Topic: Smiling in the Face of Adversity: Living a Life of Passion & Purpose
In this engaging and inspirational session, Jamie shares her unconventional path from “struggle to triumph” as a bored high-school student with ADHD to finding the wonderful world of trades and becoming an advocate for women in male-dominated industries. As a multi-award winner, Jamie is the perfect example of what happens when we find our true purpose, lean on those who lift us up and disregard those who pull us down. After all, success is the best revenge! Through KickAss Careers Jamies travels approximately 30 weeks a year providing engaging keynote presentations and workshops to more than 50,000 students, parents, educators and employers each year across North America. Her efforts have gained international notoriety for opening doors and minds to the possibilities of well-paid careers in skilled trades and technology sectors.

Our Closing Brunch Key Note Speaker was Shannon Vogel, Reach Social

Shannon Vogel is the proud founder and owner of Reach Social, a certified Social Media Strategist, and 25-year veteran of the construction, flooring and interior design industry.

After more than 10 years in flooring sales, interior design and working for home builders Shannon changed her focus to the marketing opportunities unfolding online.  In 2008, Shannon conceptualized and launched one of the flooring industry’s first and most successful blogs, essentially introducing the industry to the power of social marketing.  Since then, she has made a career of Professional Social Media, effectively strengthening the brand awareness of members of the construction industry across North America.

Keynote Topic: Empowering Women
When’s the last time you had a really good peptalk that sent you back out into the world feeling more empowered? Following the theme of the conference, this presentation is all about empowering yourself and each other to be the best versions of ourselves. Come get the pep talk you didn’t know you needed or expected to get from a conference. We’ll talk about why self care isn’t selfish, how to stop apologizing and how to step into your power by taking up the space in this world that you deserve. You’ll walk away with practical tips and new habits to start unapologetically living the life you want!

---

3 Education Tracks: Leadership, Technology,

Culture & Community

Our choices were abundant as to which breakout session we wanted to attend.

• Evolving the Construction Industry: People vs Process

• Transforming Others Through Effective Coaching

• Grief: A Hidden Safety Risk

• The Value of Personal Brand

• Making Clean Energy Opportunities Equitable

• Introduction to Digital Component Construction

• An Industry Transformed by Technology & Inclusion

• Making Construction the Industry of Choice for Women

• Talk Tools in Schools

• Women in Leadership, Diversity, and Inclusion

• Modular Construction: Opportunities and Risks to your Business Model

• Get Your Time Back! Technology to help HR & Operations Gain Work-Life Balance

• Crack the Concrete Ceiling: Frontline Leadership

• Workforce Development Panel

• The Leader Who People Follow

• Social Media Do's and Don'ts

• Establishing Employee Resource Groups

• Prospects to Projects: Leverage Your Business Relationships

• How Work in Progress (WIP) Can Work for You

• Leveraging Strategic Partnerships and Creative Diverse Recruiting
  
  

What Annual Conference is complete without the passing of the gavel of our Past National Presidents. This long standing tradition is held during our Awards Gala every year where the attendees put on their finest, have a great meal, celebrate one another and party throughout the night.

Welcome to our new National President Karen Hager and 23-24 board.

June General Meeting

On Wednesday June 6th we held our 23-24 year Board Elections.

Announcing our 2023-2024 NAWIC Boise 245 Chapter Board of Directors:

• President—Ami Ostrow—Andersen Construction

• Vice President—Dawn Brubaker—Brubaker Consulting LLC

• Treasurer—Aja Devore—McAlvain Companies

• Recording Secretary—Holly Hawkins—Prusik Construction

• Corresponding Secretary—Mary Lierman—D&A Glass Company Inc

• Immed Past President—Ashley Wiedemer—Sletten Construction Company

• Director—Cassie Clancy—Pipe Reline Solutions

• Director—Jen Menchaca—CM Company Inc

• Director—Jamie Wagner—Prusik Construction

• Director—Bri McCloskey—Andersen Construction

• Director—Lauren Ertz—Capital Cleaning

• Director—Mandy Edwards—Gabbert & Edwards Construction LLC

• Director—Ruth Fritts—Fritts EHS Consulting

May General Meeting

Our May General meeting was all about NAWIC and what the members can expect from their memberships. We learned about the board positions in anticipation of our upcoming elections in June.

April General Meeting

Our April General meeting featured our speaker Wayne Hammon from Idaho AGC and his update on the current legislative session and how it affects our industry.