Women constitute more than half of the U.S. workforce, but they represent only 9% of the labor in the construction industry. While she has worked in the field for quite some time, it wasn’t until recently that Homeworks of Alabama Co-Founder and Design Director Lisa Campfield personally experienced the struggles women face in this male-dominated field. It was an eye opening and painful experience, and Lisa vowed to do her part to shift the stereotypes and misconceptions both genders suffer in the industry. A logical place to start was the Professional Women in Building Council.
We may not see fruit during our time, but nothing will ever change if we don’t start now. We’re in it for the long haul – it’s not going to change overnight because we’re looking for a cultural shift.
Lisa Campfield, Co-owner & Design Director, Homeworks of Alabama
National Community Inspires Local Organization
Lisa participates in and serves on committee for the National Association of Home Builders. She also recently attended a conference of the Women in Residential Construction, and the event was life-changing. She was thrilled to find this community of women with whom she shared so many similar experiences. Lisa realized that she had that same network of women back home and that she could rally those friends and colleagues to make a difference in her home town.
She pitched her idea to Three Sixty {real estate} co-founders Tricia Young and Nonet Reese, broker Elizabeth Rose, and REALTOR® Emmy Martin Sorrells, as well as some other close friends. Lisa received positive feedback and support and it wasn’t long before the Professional Women in Building Council in Lee County was formed. Emmy Martin Sorrells serves as the vice president.
I am proud to serve as Vice President for this inaugural year. I think it’s important in our industry to support and encourage women to enter the trade field in all aspects of construction.
Emmy Martin Sorrells, REALTOR®, Three Sixty {real estate}
The council is an affiliate of the Lee County Home Builders Association and the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB).
Already Making a Difference
The chapter is already working with a local school system to promote industry awareness and education among young women by partnering with Jessica Bowlin, an Auburn University Building Science grad who teaches Architecture and Construction at Auburn High School. Jessica came on board to operate the education subcommittee and will be running a summer camp and other educational projects.
Construction leaders must help overcome the outdated perceptions that our industry is necessarily male focused. Lisa is leading that charge in our local community and I was thrilled and honored that she asked me to join her.
Jessica Bowlin, Building Construction Instructor, Auburn High School
The Lee County chapter meets monthly with a mission to empower women in the building industry by offering networking, education, legislative awareness, and personal development opportunities. The focus is to support women in all fields related to building, including construction, building trades, real estate, brokerage, and land development.
In a very short span of time, we have increased our membership to 22 strong female leaders from our local community. I believe that rapid growth is an indicator that these colleagues of mine are hungry for a way to make a difference and elevate the role of women in our industry. I am excited to see what we will be able to do moving forward!
Lisa Campfield
Making Connections, Learning from Each Other
Our most recent meeting, hosted by Three Sixty {real estate}, was a presentation from Eloise Stewart of Eloise Design Company. This local company offers branding and career counseling services to students, and creative design, branding and event services to entrepreneurs. The talk focused on personal branding and design services.
I enjoyed sharing with this group of women and I hope I encouraged them as they brought up great discussion points on building up reputations and finding the correct social media presence for their business.
Eloise Stewart, Eloise Design Company
We can’t wait to see the relationships and opportunities that grow within our local chapter of the PWB! Are you a woman working in the building and construction industry who would like to be part of this group? You can find us on Facebook at Professional Women in Building Lee County, Al-PWB or email Lisa Campfield for more info: lisa@homeworksofalabama.com.