Women at WIRC

From graduating high school early as Valedictorian to getting hired at the Kennedy Space Station because of her persistence, Kareena Gray has always strived for finding the best and most efficient way to do things.

This has allowed her to shine in residential construction and project management, and she recently won a CoTY award for project manager of the year at her local NARI chapter.

"We always have adversity in front of us," says Gray. "It's how you step back, take a deep breathe, and bring all the parties together, and just come up with a solution. I don't need to have the solution myself."

Today, we learn more about Kareena, talk the importance of processes, and what makes an effective operations manager.

Cindy Cipriani loved working with her father on remodeling projects when she was young, and that upbringing spun into business ownerships, with the most recent being co-owner of Ciprani Remodeling Solutions.

Cindy also happens to have a professional background in grief counseling and personal coaching, both of which come in handy as a designer and designer salesperson.

She talks about handling hard client situations and how she approaches her client relationships.

Learn more about Cipriani Remodeling Solutions: https://ciprianiremodelingsolutions.com/

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Nora El-Khouri Spencer didn’t come from a construction background, but her experience working in HR for Lowe’s gave her tools—literally—to start home repairs and eventually making renovations a side gig.

Remodeling is where Nora’s strengths and passions were able to shine. She desired a way to become a “vessel of social change,” as she’s said, so she left Lowe’s and began grad school for social work.

She had witnessed the opportunity gap for women in construction, and saw it even when she interned at a homeless shelter during grad school, where women wanted to explore construction careers but had 0 clue how to start.

That was the spark that would become North Carolina’s first standalone women’s trade training program. Hope Renovations launched in July 2020, and now Nora joins us to share a bit about the journey and what she’s learned about how to make the industry and jobsites better suited for more women in the workforce.

Learn more about Hope Renovations: www.hoperenovations.org

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Lindy Oliva, president of PulteGroup’s Houston division, entered the industry through a finance position, but it was embracing each opportunity that came her way that got her to where she is today. After years as a residential construction leader, Lindy has settled into her own leadership style and as division president, she adds to PulteGroup’s nationally recognized work environment. She chats with us today about what a good leader is and her experience.

Michelle Lamb, owner of Better Home Texas in Dallas, discusses how she made the “Baby at Work” policy for young mothers, designing a healthy company culture, and the best platforms to find specific hires.

Elizabeth Evans, CEO and founder of E2 Homes and E2 Roofing, grew her businesses, attended the Joint War College, and was promoted to Colonel all during the pandemic.

Sarah Lawson only wanted to improve S&H Construction (https://www.shconstruction.com/), the company she worked for as a project manager for nearly a decade. Having had experience owning her own construction business, she pushed her hesitations aside and drew up a proposal to become S&H’s new owner, as its current owners were nearing retirement.

The transition took some guts, time, confidence, and a well-designed plan. But most importantly, it took Lawson believing in her abilities.

Greta Bajrami, CEO of Golden Group Roofing, shares her journey to home improvement, tips for hiring the right team, and her vision for the future of roofing.

Jackie Graniczny and her brother grew up on the jobsite with their dad. She says construction is something she has always been around, but when she wanted to pursue her own career in design, she never expected to end up in construction, despite her upbringing.

Now, her design skills and choice to carve her own path has brought her to where she is today: design director and partner of Sublime Homes (www.sublimehomes.com), a semi-custom to custom home building company, run by Granizcny, her brother and cousin. She brings in a tremendous amount of value thanks to her design education and work background, giving the company an edge above the competition.

Listen to see what she has to say about taking risks, home design, and more.

If you like what you’re hearing, and want us to keep putting out new episodes, it would help us a lot if you would leave a rating and review wherever you get your audio. Even a short review helps show support for women builders, designers, and business managers who are killing it at work and beyond.

Women at WIRC is now available on iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, and anywhere else you get your audio. If you like what you’re hearing so far, I’d love it if you took a minute to rate and review the show on whatever platform you use.

Our next episode will feature another female professional who is making some serious moves in her industry. Until then, follow us on social, and keep on WIRCing.

Our guest today is Ana Borden, the founder and principal of AMB2 Architecture (http://amb2architecture.com/). A daughter of two immigrants, Ana always loved design and drawing. She has now found her niche in Historic Renovations and the complex restorations and retrofits required of the historical city of New Orleans. We’ll learn how she chooses the right materials, the history lessons historical architecture can give, and how she uses watercolor painting as a design tool.

If you like what you’re hearing, and want us to keep putting out new episodes, it would help us a lot if you would leave a rating and review wherever you get your audio. Even a short review helps show support for women builders, designers, and business managers who are killing it at work and beyond.

Women at WIRC is now available on iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, and anywhere else you get your audio. If you like what you’re hearing so far, I’d love it if you took a minute to rate and review the show on whatever platform you use.

Our next episode will feature another female professional who is making some serious moves in her industry. Until then, follow us on social, and keep on WIRCing.