The focus of WIC Week is to highlight women as a visible component of the construction industry. It is also a time for local chapters to give back to their communities. WIC Week provides an occasion for NAWIC’s thousands of members across the country to raise awareness of the opportunities available for women in the construction industry and to emphasize the growing role of women in the industry.
WIC Week Spotlight: Alyssa Delly
Alyssa joined W. M. Jordan Company in 2015 as an Office Assistant. Her passion for helping others and ambition to take on new challenges, quickly generated her transition to a Project Administrator (PA), and continue to the role of Project Engineer (PE).
As a PA, Delly showed her leadership and initiative in taking on the role of a primary trainer to all Project Administrators in the Richmond Office when W. M. Jordan rolled out a new accounting program in July, 2019. Delly also became more involved in the construction process assuming several Project Engineering duties and visiting project sites as often as possible to gain exposure to various construction phases and processes.
As she continued to learn more about Project Management, Delly balanced her workload with extra classes and seminars to achieve her goal of Project Engineer.
“Everyone at W. M. Jordan has been so supportive of my growth in the company. My ambitions have been encouraged not only by other Administrators, but also by Project Engineers, Project Managers and even Project Executives. W. M. Jordan functions as a family, and when one member voices a need for a new challenge, the word goes all the way up the chain. Your voice is heard, and more importantly, your needs are recognized. I am so thankful for this.”
Alyssa credits Senior Project Manager Patrick Barbier as a strong source of support through her journey, working closely with him on JMU’s Paul Jennings Hall 2018-2019, which was pivotal in her transition to Project Engineer.
One thing that makes Delly a unique member of the team is her background in the Arts, having graduated from VCU’s School of the Arts with a major in Painting and Printmaking and minors in Sculpture and Art History.
“Construction is very similar to creating a work of art; it is developed piece by piece, layer by layer, with many variables and moving parts. Ultimately, with determination and hard work, the outcome is phenomenal.” Delly went on to say, “one thing I truly love about art and construction, is the interaction that occurs between your work and other people once completed.”
Delly’s new role has thrown many challenges her way but is also filled with experiences she finds rewarding. “I enjoy being onsite and working with my team and our trade partners to solve problems. Everything is very time sensitive, so you must think on your toes, and be able to multi-task. Even when I am exhausted at the end of the day, there is a sense of fulfillment in all I have accomplished.”
Delly has said that eventually she would like to work her way to the role of Project Manager. With her drive, passion and work ethic, there is no doubt that the sky is the limit as Alyssa continues her construction journey!
WIC Week Spotlight: Megan Strouse
Since joining W. M. Jordan Company in 2017, Megan has made a BIG impact in our Wilmington office.
A graduate of University of North Carolina Wilmington’s Business Management school, Strouse also has experience as a dental hygienist. Looking for a new opportunity at a company where she could grow, Megan joined WMJ as a Project Administrator (PA).
Despite her lack of construction background, Megan jumped in to her new role with enthusiasm, quickly showing a keen attention to detail, while picking up the intricacies of the construction industry.
“I really enjoyed starting off as a PA,” said Strouse. “It prepares you for more tasks and makes you more of an asset to the team. You wear multiple hats and learn everything from project management to the systems we use to operate on a day to day basis.”
When the opportunity arose for Strouse to transition to a Marketing Coordinator role, she jumped at the challenge.
“You have to go outside of your comfort zone if you want to grow. Transitioning roles gave me yet another opportunity to grow my skillset and learn more about what goes in to making a project come to life.”
Megan credits W. M. Jordan’s Director of Marketing, Jennifer Johnson, with much of her continued growth.
“Jen has not only been a champion for my career, but a mentor for me as well. She enables her employees to be successful and wants them to grow and be happy.”
In her new role, Megan enjoys getting to use both the creative and business sides of her brain. Between creating content for proposals, while also putting together teams and focusing on what is important to owners, her WMJ toolbelt continues to grow.
WIC Week 2020: Lunch & Learn All About It
In celebration of #WICWeek2020, W. M. Jordan Hosted a NAWIC Lunch & Learn About It on Wednesday, March 4, 2020.
Hosted in our Newport News office and simulcasted to our Richmond and Wilmington offices, the WMJ team heard from Lydia Lane, Preconstruction Division Manager for Design Systems & Services Corporation. Lydia, who serves as the NAWIC South Atlantic Region Communications, Scholarship and Health & Safety Chair, is also involved in the operations of the NAWIC Richmond Chapter.
Lydia gave a general overview of NAWIC and its associated chapters. She educated us the opportunities NAWIC provides its members; everything from scholarships to skills development training and many community service opportunities.
Next, the group heard from Jenny Davis, Project Administrator from W. M. Jordan’s Newport News Office, and past president of NAWIC’s Tidewater Chapter. Jenny spoke about the Tidewater Chapter, going into detail about events, educational opportunities, and their charity golf tournament.
Finally, Tina Showalter, Project Administrator from W. M. Jordan’s Richmond Office, spoke about NAWIC’s Richmond Chapter. Tina is heavily involved in NAWIC Richmond’s Block Kids program. Block Kids introduces children to the construction industry to create awareness and promote careers in the industry. Tina was also instrumental in nominating W. M. Jordan for NAWIC’s 2019 Safety Excellence Award.
For more information on how to get involved in NAWIC, visit www.nawic.org. To learn more about the educational opportunities NAWIC offers its members, head to nef-edu.org.
W. M. Jordan would like to thank today’s presenters for educating us about all things NAWIC, and also thank everyone who took time out of their busy day’s to learn more about Women in Construction.
WIC Week Spotlight: Sydney Galoozis
In a short period of time, Sydney Galoozis has completely transformed W. M. Jordan’s onboarding and recruitment processes.
As W. M. Jordan’s Employee Engagement Coordinator, Sydney works closely with our Human Resources and Learning and Development teams to streamline onboarding, act as a liaison for employees and helps schedule career fair tours to ensure W. M. Jordan has a pipeline of quality potential employees. Her efforts resulted in W. M. Jordan’s largest intern class to date in 2019.
Sydney is responsible for the creation of W. M. Jordan’s employee orientation program. The idea for this came to Galoozis after several new employees had questions about W. M. Jordan that she felt should be addressed as part of their new hire process.
“Our on-boarding process used to be very dependent on your manager,” said Galoozis. “I got a lot of feedback from new employees, and realized there was a way to answer these questions and provide information right when they are hired. We now plan the first three days an employee is with us. This gets people up to speed faster which allows them to get to their job faster.”
Sydney has worked with many of W. M. Jordan’s senior management from every department to form a curriculum of what new employees need to know. The response from this program has been nothing but positive!
Through Sydney’s efforts along with the Learning & Development and Human Resources team, W. M. Jordan was named one of Virginia’s best places to work in 2020. She has been integral in employee relations, and through her impact, has created a better W. M. Jordan Company.
WIC Week Spotlight: Aashka Patel
Aashka joined W. M. Jordan through our internship program, and has quickly become one of the rising stars in our Virtual Construction department.
Aashka began her career in India working as an architect. With both of her parents working as interior designers, she was exposed to design elements of projects at an early age which made architecture seem like a natural fit.
Eventually, Aashka realized she enjoyed executing designs more than drawing them. The next step in her journey took her to Virginia Tech, where she earned her Master’s in Construction Science and Management. Aashka’s time at Virginia Tech also saw her join W. M. Jordan’s internship program, and eventually join the firm full time after her graduation.
As an Intern, Aashka was placed with W. M. Jordan’s Virtual Construction team, which ended up being a natural fit for her goals and skillset.
“Every day, I am excited by the work I get to do and the technology I get to use,” she said. “Part of my role is to promote all the value that virtual construction adds to a job. Seeing the impact of our work on a project is one of my favorite things.”
Aashka credits W. M. Jordan’s Virtual Design Construction Manager, Justin Fowler, with much of her success.
“Justin has been a huge help to me. He is always sharing what he knows and is always trying to include people in what he is doing. He has been a big help to me with my growth as a construction professional.”
As construction technology continues to develop and become more important in project execution, having talented Virtual Construction professionals like Aashka will be essential to W. M. Jordan’s relentless pursuit of excellence.
