Sarah Creighton and Holly Cindell of McCarthy Building Companies, Inc. of Newport Beach are among a group of pioneering women from Southern California construction, architecture and engineering companies to begin WiOPS—a new professional organization geared specifically toward women in construction operations. Creighton and Cindell were named co-chairman for the new organization which aims at mentoring women working in the operations side of construction.
“Women make up less than 10% of the construction workforce with an even smaller number in professional and managerial positions,” said Sarah Creighton, vice president operations, education services for McCarthy Building Companies of Newport Beach. “There are other industry organizations out there for women in construction, but none of them are tailored to women in construction operations roles. We started WiOPS to fill that gap.”
This past summer, Creighton and Cindell joined with 13 other women in likeminded careers to set up a board and establish goals and a mission for WiOPS. As a result, the group determined their primary goal will be to facilitate mentorship of up and coming women in the construction, architecture and engineering professions.
They also developed the following mission: “WiOPS is committed to the advancement of women in construction operation positions and mentoring of future women leaders in our industry. Through mentorships, education and networking, we are dedicated to establishing a platform to share our goals and explore solutions to the unique challenges women encounter. WiOPS promotes hard work, commitment, and integrity to maintain a professional network of construction leaders today and tomorrow.”
“We decided to initially focus on mentorship, because men in our business can find male mentors within their own organization,” said McCarthy Project Director Holly Cindell. “In contrast, women sometimes need to look outside of their own companies to find other females in similar roles. WiOPS can aid by supplying the forum to meet other women who will share their experiences and provide guidance, advice and encouragement equipping each of us with the tools we need to excel in a non-traditional field.”
The WiOPS founding board members include: Co-chairmen, Holly Cindell and Sarah Creighton, McCarthy; Vice Chairman, Nancy Goldman, Jezowski & Markel; Secretary, Kasie Bowden, Hensel Phelps Construction Co.; Treasurers, Lia Tatevosian, Swinerton Builders and Lucy Villanueva, McCarthy; Membership, Amanda Corbet, McCarthy and Events Coordinator, Shaabini Alford, Murray Company. Other WiOPS members instrumental to the group’s founding include: Bernadette Reyes, Clark Construction Group; LaDrena Dansby, USC Capital Construction Development; Elle Navarro and Michelle Garcia, Hensel Phelps Construction Co.; Sammi Maya, McCarthy; Jessica Drake, Swinerton Builders and Kathlynn Smith, Hunt Ortman and founder of SmartGirls and SmartGirls’ Guide to Construction Law.
Held on January 24, 2013 at Murray Company’s training facility in Rancho Dominguez, the organization’s launch event was a huge success with over 150 attendees. During the launch, prospective and new members learned more about the goals and mission of the organization and had the opportunity to network with fellow women in operations during cocktail hour and dinner.
Meet-ups are currently being planned for March 7, 2013 at locations in Orange, Los Angeles and San Diego counties with specifics to be announced on the WiOPS website. The next formal meeting is planned for April 25, 2013 from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. at McCarthy’s office in Newport Beach. The event will include networking and featured speaker Dr. Michael Brainard along with a distinguished panel of women in leadership positions. Michael Brainard has designed and implemented dozens of mentoring, coaching and career development programs for many companies across industries. During the meeting, he will define objectives, myths and best practices from “both sides” of the mentor and mentee perspectives.
WiOPS membership is open to women and men in construction, architecture and engineering industries serving in operations, managerial, estimating, engineering and design career paths. For more information about membership or to sign up to attend their next meeting, please visit www.womeninoperations.com.
About McCarthy
Recognized as one of the nation’s few true builders, McCarthy Building Companies, Inc. is the nation’s eighth largest domestic general contractor (Engineering News-Record, May 2012) and Orange County’s largest commercial builder (Orange County Business Journal, June 2011). The company is committed to the construction of high performance green buildings; progressive job site technology; and safer, faster and more cost-effective execution. In addition to Newport Beach, McCarthy has offices in San Diego, Sacramento and San Francisco, Calif.; Phoenix; Las Vegas; St. Louis; Collinsville, Ill.; Dallas; Houston and Atlanta. McCarthy is 100 percent employee owned. More information about the company is available online at www.mccarthy.com.
Related Stories
| Nov 1, 2022
Updated Florida building codes helped newer homes withstand Hurricane Ian
Newer homes seemed to fare much better than older structures during Hurricane Ian, suggesting that updated Florida building codes made a difference.
Wood | Nov 1, 2022
A European manufacturer says its engineered wood products can store carbon for decades
Metsä Wood, a Finland-based manufacturer of engineered wood products, says its sustainable, material-efficient products can store carbon for decades, helping to combat climate change.
Data Centers | Oct 31, 2022
Data center construction facing record-breaking inflation, delays
Data center construction projects face record-breaking inflation amid delays to materials deliveries and competition for skilled labor, according to research from global professional services company Turner & Townsend.
School Construction | Oct 31, 2022
Claremont McKenna College science center will foster integrated disciplinary research
The design of the Robert Day Sciences Center at Claremont McKenna College will support “a powerful, multi-disciplinary, computational approach to the grand socio-scientific challenges and opportunities of our time—gene, brain, and climate,” says Hiram E. Chodosh, college president.
Energy Efficient Roofing | Oct 28, 2022
Rooftop mini turbines can pair with solar panels
A new type of wind turbine can pair well on roofs with solar panels, offering a double source of green energy generation for buildings.
Contractors | Oct 28, 2022
How bulletproof is your construction contract?
Three Dykema Gossett attorneys discuss how supply-chain problems are complicating these agreements.
Building Team | Oct 27, 2022
Who are you? Four archetypes shaping workspaces
The new lifestyle of work requires new thinking about the locations where people work, what their workflow looks like, and how they are performing their best work.
Codes and Standards | Oct 27, 2022
Florida’s Surfside-inspired safety law puts pressure on condo associations
A Florida law intended to prevent tragedies like the Surfside condominium collapse will place a huge financial burden on condo associations and strain architecture and engineering resources in the state.
University Buildings | Oct 27, 2022
The Collaboratory Building will expand the University of Florida’s School of Design, Construction, and Planning
Design firm Brooks + Scarpa recently broke ground on a new addition to the University of Florida’s School of Design, Construction, and Planning (DCP).
Codes and Standards | Oct 26, 2022
‘Landmark study’ offers key recommendations for design-build delivery
The ACEC Research Institute and the University of Colorado Boulder released what the White House called a “landmark study” on the design-build delivery method.
