Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Renae Sams. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Renae, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Can you talk to us about a risk you’ve taken – walk us through the story?

There is a lot of risks that I’m taking in by forging Build-Her.Org and the book Build-Her, Be Heard. The first part of it being a nonprofit organization. Because we are a 501c3 nonprofit, we need to rely on donations to keep things moving. The sales from the book and other merchandise primarily covers the publisher, fulfillment and distribution and small gains on each purchase that are actually returned to the nonprofit. I knew this was going to be a battle, but I have chosen to do so to help incite that change I want to see. I have hopes that companies that are interested in the same change would potentially donate and supply their teams with books as well. The second part of this risk is through the book. Build-Her, Be Heard is self-published, which I have found can be a daunting experience. From the time in developing the content, restructuring it in such a way that the content flows well, learning programs on my own to develop the book layout that I was looking for, giving in to hire a copy editor and cover designer (which was a great investment after all), an investing into the Spanish translation of the book before the release of the English version was even released. I had some reserves and hesitation, but I wanted to see this through. I knew that if I could help even just 1-2 women with this effort that it would be worth it to me. Sharing my story also was a bit of a risk I decided to take. I have never been one to really put myself out there. I’ve been always a bit of an introvert and paired with the various years of just keeping my head down and working, as well as some other life events that drove me to be independent and self-reliant – I always kept personal thoughts details and experiences to myself. Sharing my story and putting more of me out there than most people have known was a scary thought, and I waivered several times, but I knew that If I take this leap, maybe other women will follow and we can increase the acknowledgement that women provide significant value in the construction and trades industry, and we can also step out to be that visual representation for younger women coming up right behind us. We often doubt ourselves by thinking that we “don’t have enough…” whether that is in experience knowledge, number of projects or we doubt our capabilities, and I have been trying to encourage more women to acknowledge that they can be an authentic peer or mentor to others if they shake some of these doubts. I’m happy to say that in the first week of sales of the book, there has been a great amount of encouragement that others believe in and support this message as well, and with the continuing book sales and new connections looking to brainstorm how we can partner up to further this message I am in high hopes that stepping out through these risks, will help unify several voices in order to continue to drive the industry to greater change which is the ultimate goal.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I am the Founder and Executive Director for the nonprofit organization Build-Her.Org and the Author of Build-Her, Be Heard, a book that is at the core to our nonprofit. The nonprofit organization and the book are focused on creating a space to encourage and empower women in construction and the trades to continue their journey into a rewarding career and to inspire them to connect with other women to form authentic relationships within their reach. Our organization is focused on bringing out the voices and stories of women who could be a visual representation of a woman in the construction and trade industry to provide inspiration to someone coming into the trades or their construction career right behind them. Construction can be at times challenging, dirty, with long hours, but can be extremely rewarding. In a role in the trades or in construction you contribute your skills to a team and to something larger. You are part of seeing a building, a bridge, a roadway, a home, several structures that we interact with every single day come together and you can have pride in your contribution. In being a part of something bigger than yourself, learning various skills, adapting to challenges and working with a wealth of personalities that can become lifelong friends, a lot of us in the industry love what we do. With women only representing 11% of the workforce in construction, 4% in trade disciplines, and often lacking women in leadership roles, the construction industry is often viewed as a male-dominated industry. With the amount of growth and personnel needed in the industry in various roles, increasing the visibility that this industry is a space where women can succeed is a goal for myself through Build-Her.Org, as well as other nonprofits and other companies today.

I myself, have eighteen years of construction industry experience and as a child, young teen and young adult, I was unaware of the construction industry or trades being an option of a career path. What I have discovered in sharing part of my own story in Build-Her, Be Heard, is that the visual representation of careers available to me when I was a teen, and a young adult was what was put into focus on what was available to me. I landed in the construction industry unaware of what to expect, and I was challenged with various scenarios and expectations that at the time I felt I had to “just deal with” if I wanted to keep the momentum moving forward. I never felt able to speak up, and I struggled with a lot of isolation, constant lack in confidence that I belonged, and burning myself out often because I felt that in order to belong and to be accepted in this industry, it meant to outwork everyone else to prove I was capable. In the path that I landed in the construction industry, I was up against people with college degrees and I felt that I always had to start from square one in proving that I was capable in the roles I had been in – despite gaining the experience, if I had moved to another company or was transferred to another location there was the lingering perception in the industry that women have to prove they are capable before their capabilities are acknowledged. This went on for years and it started to make me feel isolated, incapable, and afforded less opportunities than my male peers.

It wasn’t until individuals early in their careers started to lean on me for support and give advice how to manage certain aspects of their careers that they were struggling with. I saw that some of the early career women were struggling with similar situations that I had seen all those years ago when I had first started out in my career. I had recently left my position at a $3T mega-corporation because I was fighting health issues and burnout yet again for a lot of the same issues. It was in this time, as I was focusing on my health and well-being that I had to “rewire” a lot of what I have come to know about the industry. This is where the idea for Build-Her.Org and Build-Her, Be Heard sparked. I wanted to encourage women entering the industry and still early in their careers to allow themselves the ability to create boundaries, make time for their own health and wellness, and that a lot of the things that we see of having to “just deal with” as a woman in a male-dominated industry is making it harder to encourage and retain women in these roles. As I share my perception and experience through the book, I knew that the structure had to be developed in a way to simulate an open one-on-one discussion with the reader because we all come from various backgrounds, have different personalities, and will handle each of these situations differently. Build-Her, Be Heard is somewhat a cross between a memoir, workbook, and journal to apply this approach. Because this looks different for each individual the workbook and journal approach help to align their individual thoughts on each subject.
I feel that this book needed to be a resource for women that are like me – introverts, that get drowned by the noise. A lot of what we see these days is a one-sided approach – we are thrown so much information at us daily that I wanted to encourage a space that women could be heard in their own experiences and reflect on where they are in their career and the challenges they have overcome. I want them to build upon what they have already accomplished so far in their careers and encourage to build themselves a roadmap of where they want to be. Each topic is sectioned into weeks so individuals can build on these conversations within their direct reach, a close coworker, a friend, etc. Encouraging them that they don’t have to attend massive conferences to connect with others, and they can connect with those within their direct reach.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

Throughout my career and even before I had entered the construction industry, I have had a strong work ethic and have done my best to uphold integrity. In my career have built the reputation and credibility that I have pride in everything I do, I work hard, I am reliable, I adapt to new situations, work well through challenges and maintain my sense of calm in difficult situations. I believe that this aids to people seeing me as an authentic person with whom they enjoy working with, working for and on as a contributor to their team. I have long standing friends that were initially colleagues from several years ago who know a bit of the personal struggles I’ve been through in the past and know how time after time I have pushed to better myself and my situation. I think that these relationships through the years with the various moves that we have all made in the construction industry have carried on has helped build my reputation in the wider market and those people still can see me as authentic. I believe they know that if I am publicly putting myself towards a cause, that I truly believe in it, and I will put in my genuine attention and energy towards seeing its success.

What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?

The best source of new clients for me has been both men and women within the companies that I have worked with throughout my career. They know me professionally and they also support the organization’s cause, so it has given me the opportunity to be invited to speak in front of others on their team through panels, give introductions to the organization and the book, and they have also been making purchases of our book for themselves or as gifts to others on their team, some have also made donations to the organization. I am grateful to have them as clients, but I really recognize them as partners in this cause. The industry needs collectively all men and women in the industry, especially if they are in leadership positions to recognize and support the women out on the jobsites daily and coming up through the trades. It’s great to see that several are already proving as strong advocates for the women on their teams. Some of these colleagues have changed companies over the years, which also helps in Build-Her.Org gaining partnerships with other companies. They have provided a wider reach to some of the larger General Contractors, Subcontractors, and other organizations that have the ability to supply their teams with the book and drive these authentic connections and discussions within their own teams. I have also been connecting with several other women in the industry, and fellow nonprofits that help share more visibility for our nonprofit organization. It is a collective effort and the more I see others unified in the cause the more inspiring it is to continue forward.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.build-her.org
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/build_her_org/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61559607329020
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/renae-sams/
• Twitter: https://x.com/build_her_org

Image Credits

3 images (Personal photo, photo on couch, Photo with orange chair) Photo Credit – Ashley Haxby, Scottsdale, Arizona

3 images (PPE photo on chair, PPE photo looking at drawings, and boots with book) photo credit – BriLoe Photography, Buckeye, Arizona

All other photos have no additional credit.