Grand Rapids, Michigan, March 14, 2022 – Every year, the first full week of March is dedicated to Women in Construction (WIC). For the construction industry, it’s a week full of celebrating, educating, and promoting the women who work in construction. Furthermore, it’s a chance to highlight the vast opportunities for young women in construction, from tradespeople to project managers, to administrative positions. According to the National Association of Women in Construction, 1998 marked the first official WIC Week. Recent statistics calculate that only 10% of the construction workforce is made up of women.

Local construction manager, CD Barnes Construction, took WIC Week one step further last Friday by inviting their employee’s daughters to come to work with them for the day. In total, there were 14 young ladies, ages 2 to 15, who took part in the activities at CD Barnes Construction. The group began their day by visiting one of CD Barnes’ jobsites where they got to walk around and ask CD Barnes’ Site Manager questions about the project. Back at the CD Barnes office, the girls had the opportunity to meet and talk with various staff members about their roles and positions, build mini bird feeders, decorate their own hard hats, and a take a quiz that revealed what construction positions would be a good fit for them based on their personalities. It was a great day for the girls to discover what the construction industry has to offer when it comes to a career!