Empowering Women in the Trades with Kendall Ansell – March 18, 2021

Today, women account for only 4.5 per cent of skilled trades workers across Canada. Kendall Ansell, owner of Belle Construction, is trying to change that. 

Kendall has always believed that happiness starts at home. Growing up, she spent most of her weekends helping her Dad, a contractor, with family projects. This influenced and shaped her passion for exploring how people live, one nail and paint swatch at a time. It’s unsurprising that those childhood experiences developed into a promising career. 

Kendall studied architectural drafting at Kwantlen Polytechnic University, then completed the Interior Design Management Program at the BCIT. This background, coupled with her inclusive approach, allows Kendall to create homes and office spaces that really do bring her clients’ dreams to life. When she’s not being a Fairy Design mother, gender-smashing business owner, Kendall loves to spend time with her family, at home reading and cooking (between working on home projects of her own) or hiking and biking in BC’s beautiful outdoors.

“I got a text from a client saying her young boys were seriously impressed with our all-women team and that they now only used the term women when chatting about construction - that’s why we do what we do.”

On this week’s StartupWomen Podcast, sponsored by the Business Development Bank of Canada and Scotiabank, Kendall discusses her journey founding BC’s first women-lead construction company, the importance of bridging more women into the trades, and the many supports that are available.