Opportunities fo Women

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OPPORTUNITIES FOR WOMEN IN CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY

“On the verge of the millennium it is both rewarding and challenging to be the Chief Operating Officer of a company traditionally considered a man’s field,” said Rita Illig Liebelt. In the year 2000, Libelt has set two prime goals for Illig Construction Company: one, to be more inclusive of women; and two, to increase the firm’s annual volume in the next five years while maintaining the company’s 80 year recognition for quality delivered “on time and on budget.”

With the present growth mode in the construction business Liebelt is searching for women and men to fill high profile mid-level positions as project managers and superintendents. She pointed to the opportunities that exist for women with engineering degrees and an interest in careers in construction. Currently 20 percent of the firm’s employees are women and they represent one-third of the management team.

While planning for future growth, before Illig commits to new projects two questions must be answered in the affirmative:

1. Will our supervisory personnel with the most appropriate expertise be available for the job?

2. Will we be able to meet the client’s schedule while maintaining our standards for quality construction?

Liebelt cited these axioms as the very foundation of the firm.

“Our project sizes range from one to 23 million dollars, and because of client requests we have expanded our radius of operation to Nevada and Northern California.”

Presently targeted as growth areas are assisted living, private schools, and high end retail. Liebelt named the following projects in assisted living and retail as currently under construction: Sunrise Assisted Living in Hermosa Beach, The Salvation Army Senior Silvercrest in Glendale, and Louis Vuitton and Fred Joaillier in Beverly Hills. Liebelt believes it is the firm’s attention to detail, quality and fast track performance that makes worldwide retailers and Fortune 500 companies seek out the company.

At Illig, the company credo is “to work as a team” with each man or woman bringing his or her talents to the project at hand. “For me whether I’m working with a man or woman there is no difference, I encourage an environment where everyone shares ideas, feels comfortable and where respect is earned. The organizational culture has to value innovation and new perspectives from everyone.

“Continuing education for myself and all our employees is mandatory to keep up with the fast pace of new technologies required for all work phases from pre-construction to project close-out.

“Instant communication, with an exchange of digital photos and drawings, is key in working with clients, architects and sub-contractors worldwide. Innovation is important at Illig; we were the first general contractor in the City of Los Angeles to introduce light-weight steel stud framing, because of its ecological benefits, for our construction of Good Shepherd Village, a shelter for abused women and children. Rita Illig Liebelt is the first woman in three generations of management and family ownership of the company founded in 1919, and assumed leadership in 1998.

Company projects range from mid-rise new construction to remodel, including historic preservation and seismic retrofitting, to interior development.

What are the advantages of being a women executive? “Having the ability to listen, empathize and place myself in both the clients’ and staff’s shoes. Women have good communication skills and focus on attention to details, leadership strengths I feel

are significant.”

And how does she manage her multi-faceted life? In addition to company leadership, coordinating and introducing presentations, touring job sites (she always has a hard hat and boots in her car), she serves on six prominent community and civic boards. Liebelt feels a personal responsibility as a leader to share and give back by being active in church, business and professional activities. And she expresses the need for women leaders to serve on both business and non-profit boards.

Her private life, as a mother of three children, is also a team effort with her husband. She enjoys the centering her faith gives her, singing in the St. Bede Choir, and water skiing with the family.

On a typical day she arises at 5:45 a.m., drives her 10 year old daughter to school at 7:10, hits the freeway and arrives at her office or an early morning meeting at 8:00. Interspersed throughout the day are staff meetings, business luncheons, site tours and client presentations.

Her goal is to be home at 6:00 p.m. for dinner with her family, read bedtime stories to her children, and at about 9:00 “pull out the briefcase and work until lights out at 10:30.”

With the dynamic, well-balanced but challenging life-style she has chosen, Rita Illig Liebelt is a paradigm for women executives at the beginning of the twenty first century.

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