This year’s Women in Construction week is all about highlighting women as an essential component of the construction industry. We want to challenge career stereotypes and promote how women lead the way in our industry. To do this we asked the women working at Venn Construction a few questions about their career as commercial construction professionals.

Today we are highlighting Bri Shockey, the Preconstruction Coordinator at Venn.

What is your title and role with Venn Construction (aka – what do you do in a normal month)? 
A: Preconstruction Coordinator. As part of our estimating and preconstruction team, I primarily work with our subcontractor partners to assemble accurate bid packages. 

What companies have you worked for in the past? 
A: Working for Venn is my first experience in the construction industry. 

What got you involved/interested in working in construction?
A: The Venn team! I was considering a role change that would allow me to learn and develop new skills in a different environment and knew right away that this was the place I wanted to do that. 

What positions have you previously held? 

A: I’ve previously been in sales and management roles in fitness and I continue to work with select personal training clients. 

What professional associations/organizations do you belong to? 
A: NAIOP. 

What do you like to do for fun?

 A: Lifting weights, exploring with my dog, and cooking while listening to podcasts and audiobooks are some favorite ways to unwind.

What is the best part of your job? 
A: The people! 

What is challenging about your job? 
A: My largest challenge is learning as much as I would like at a busy time in construction. 

What interests you about working in the construction field? 
A: The multifaceted aspects of the industry. I enjoy being able to learn more about subtrades, architecture and design, engineering, and real estate and development. Before working in construction I didn’t understand the number of related fields and just how much collaboration is needed to build a successful project. 

What is your advice for other women pursuing a career in construction? 
A: Connect with other women in various roles in construction and related fields. Because construction is male-dominated, women are typically even more eager to share their knowledge and advice and connect you to other people and companies who can help in the collaborative process of constructing a project from preliminary design to completed build-out. 

How can Venn and other companies attract more women to the construction industry? 
A: I think that highlighting the successful women currently in construction is one of the best ways to continue to diversify the field. If you can see it, you can be it 😊