Celebrating Women In Construction
Helena Anderson turned her passion for employee development, process innovation, and strategy into a winning formula for Anderson Aluminum, a GBQ client, despite the challenges of being a woman in the male-dominated construction industry. Paired with her husband Brad’s sales expertise, her leadership has helped propel the company into a trusted, award-winning contractor for major regional projects.
A Move In The Right Direction
Since joining the industry in the 1990s, Anderson noted that there has been a concerted effort to increase women’s participation in construction. She attributes much of this to general contractors like Turner Construction, Gilbane, Hansel Phelps, and others that have heavily invested in programs for women and minorities. However, she acknowledges that further progress is still needed.
According to data published by the U.S. Department of Commerce, in 2024, the share of women in construction is just greater than 14 percent, with most of them concentrated in office administration and support jobs. Anderson said she would like this number to continue to grow, with more women taking on positions in the field.
“Over 30 years, I’ve probably done every role in this company, and I think there are many opportunities for women,” said Anderson. “I think, as an industry, we have to figure out how to train and recruit and motivate women to come into the skilled trade side of the construction industry – and stay.”
She said the influx of innovation has also helped shape what it means to work in the skilled trades within the construction industry.
“You’re not necessarily pounding a hammer anymore,” said Anderson. “You’re using technology, and you are interfacing with manufacturing and engineering departments. There are all kinds of technology, which has made construction much less strenuously demanding.”
When she started with Anderson Aluminum 30 years ago, Anderson said there were times when she would go into meetings where she would be the only woman at the table. She recalled a time during one of these meetings when she was asked if she would take notes, noting the general assumption that she was there in a secretarial capacity.
“Back then, women in the industry were either on the administrative side of the business or in a secretarial role,” she said. “But I think there has been a successful push over the years, and we’ve crossed some major thresholds in this industry, especially over the past decade. Now, I think, more women can say ‘I could be an architect,’ ‘I could be an engineer,’ I could be a project manager.’ And I think the recruitment and hiring of those roles has been very successful.
“People have this preconceived notion that working on a construction site is not a female role,” Anderson continued. “I think it’s just that many people aren’t educated on the various opportunities out there. One of the ways we can educate them is to get them onto the job site or into our manufacturing plants to show them what these opportunities actually look like.”
How To Succeed In Construction
Even though there is a continued push for more women in the construction industry, Anderson said women must be able to demonstrate that they are, indeed, the right person for the job.
“When someone excels at their job, others are more likely to value their opinion and input,” she said. “One thing I say to women in this industry is that you must be extremely prepared and thorough. If you’re not, you’re going to be passed over a lot. But, if you bring valuable information to the table and demonstrate that you know what you’re doing, you’re going to be successful. Which also means you have to speak up. You have to advocate for yourself.
“Women bring a different and valuable perspective,” Anderson continued. We are operationally efficient. We tend to have better organizational skills. Women bring so much value, and their diverse perspectives often make the project operate at a much higher level.”
Anderson says she also advises women in construction to get involved in professional associations, such as The Builders Exchange, to find a mentor in the industry, walk job sites, meet with vendors and subcontractors, and look for ways to collaborate.
“This is an industry where the more you learn, the more useful you will be overall,” she said. “I think that whoever you are, female or male, in this industry, collaboration is essential.”
Anderson said she has given this same advice to her daughters, Taylor and Julia, who have also found a home in the family business.
“They’ve had to work hard, they’ve had to get to know the ins and outs of the business, and they’ve had to learn to be tough,” she said.
Together, Everyone Achieves More
One of the responsibilities Anderson said she took a particular interest in early on in her career at Anderson Aluminum was employee development. In particular, she said she has enjoyed being able to show employees how what they do fits into the bigger picture.
“You might be screwing in bolts on the job site today, but this (seemingly minor) task is an essential part of the greater project. You are contributing to a project that, when completed, might become a flagship medical facility, for example,” Anderson explained. “I enjoy helping people understand how their role fits into the greater vision.”
Anderson said working on some of the large-scale medical projects over the years has been a point of pride for her and her husband, which has opened the door to making a greater impact within the local community.
“Brad and I, and our whole company, believe in giving back. We have a lot of customers who have been very good to us, and we take a great amount of pride in being able to give back to the Columbus community. For me, giving back will always be a big part of who I am,” she said.
Anderson serves on the executive committee and the foundation board of The James at the Wexner Medical Center. She and her husband are also involved at the Crane Center and the Stealth Lab at The Ohio State University, a project spearheaded by her husband, which is a place where orthopedic doctors from all over the nation can come to work with medical manufacturers.
She said that Anderson Aluminum also supports Nationwide Children’s Hospital, Habitat for Humanity, and others.
“We encourage our employees to be active in the community, and we try to support the initiatives they are involved in, too,” said Anderson.
Looking Ahead
When considering Anderson Aluminum’s legacy, she said, above all, she would like Anderson Aluminum to be known as a good community steward.
“We are most proud of the fact that people recommend us and value us as a partner. We do a lot of repeat work because our company has built a good reputation within our community,” she said. “Our employees also enjoy working at our company and take their jobs very seriously. I think this is reflected in our quality workmanship.
“We’ve all been blessed to be in this amazing city, and I think we have all prospered. We are lucky to have such strong hospitals and a strong university, and I want to continue to support these institutions.”
To learn more about Anderson Aluminum, visit https://andersoncompanies.com. Check out GBQ’s Construction Services page to find out how our firm empowers businesses like Anderson Aluminum.
