Women in Construction & Business

group of girls on staircase in lobby celebrating bring a girl to clayco day 2026

The Future Gets Brighter Every Year

Bring a Girl to Clayco Day gives young women a firsthand look at careers in construction, engineering, design, and real estate development.

Construction industry leaders and attendees at ENR Groundbreaking Women in Construction conference in San Diego, celebrating leadership, mentorship, workforce development, and opportunities for women in construction.

Building What’s Next: Culture, Talent, and the Future of Construction

At ENR’s Groundbreaking Women in Construction conference, industry leaders discuss talent retention, workplace culture, mentorship, leadership, and women in construction.

collage of pictures of women in construction with the text of International woman's day

Confidence, Courage, and the Value Women Bring to Construction

Women in Construction Week is a time to reflect on confidence, mentorship, and the role women play in strengthening teams and leadership across the construction industry.

Group of smiling volunteers from LJC, Clayco, and CRG wearing hard hats and neon green Women Build 2025 shirts during Habitat for Humanity Chicago’s Women Build Day.

GO GIRL: Women Build 2025

Clayco, LJC, and CRG joined Habitat for Humanity Chicago for Women Build Day 2025, working alongside future homeowners to help construct affordable housing for women-led households in Greater Grand Crossing.

Honoring International Women’s Day at Clayco and Beyond

International Women’s Day (IWD) has been a global movement for over a century, advocating for gender equality and celebrating women’s achievements.

Extraordinary Women Shaping Chicago: Crain’s 2025 Women of Influence

Congratulations to all those who made Crain’s 2025 Women of Influence list, showcasing their extraordinary talent and ability to lead Chicagoans with passion and purpose.

Seeing is Believing at ‘Bring a Girl to Clayco’ Day

Our team is working to foster meaningful change from the ground up in everything we do. That’s why Clayco’s Network of Women (NOW) was thrilled to host our fourth annual ‘Bring a Girl to Clayco Day’, and it was an incredible success!

Beyond Borders: Supporting International Women’s Day

International Women’s Day offers a great moment to rededicate ourselves to supporting women and building meaningful change in everything we do. Women play a pivotal role in shaping and advancing cultures and economies. Cultivating a world free of bias, stereotypes, and discrimination will elevate society to new heights by channeling unique traits into superpowers.

12 Trailbalzing Women in Tech

Artificial Intelligence is sweeping the world in every aspect of life. But who are the big faces behind the technology? According to a list produced by the New York Times, the “who’s who” in AI was shockingly lacking in diversity – they didn’t name one single woman. Whether inside the walls of Clayco or beyond, I am committed to helping foster inclusive communities and uplift the voices of underrepresented demographics to the best of my ability. The exclusion of women in high-ranking positions, public media, and authoritative roles is unacceptable, and we must work to ensure they have the resources and respect they deserve. For my January Inspiration of the Month, I am highlighting 12 incredible women who are the driving forces behind AI and the wave of tech that is evolving global societies. Anima Anandkumar

August’s Inspiration of the Month: Lisa Goodman

If you’re looking for a leader who embodies what it means to use your skills and resources to spark positive change, look no further than my good friend Lisa Goodman. Lisa is my August inspiration because of her dedication to diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives throughout her impressive 30+ year career path and tireless commitment to advancing communities. Lisa is a successful businesswoman with experience in complex and capital-intensive sectors, including technology, health care, retail, financial services, commercial real estate, and hospitality. She is currently on the executive team of The Benaroya Company, a real estate company that finances, develops, and manages projects for global and regional organizations.

My Friend & Mentor: The Exceptional Maxine Clark

Our society is filled with compassionate people who work daily to bridge the gap communities face with accessing wealth, resources, and opportunities. While the movement toward equality continues to gain momentum, leaders and advocates must unite and do the groundwork necessary to implement sustainable change. One of these exceptional people, who is also my June Inspiration of the Month, is my good friend Maxine Clark. Maxine is the Founder and Former Chief Executive Officer at Build-A-Bear Workshop, and her long-standing career demonstrates record successes in retail innovation and building stakeholder value. She recently received the Entrepreneurial Leadership Award from the Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE) in recognition of her successful mission to continuously practice the “Golden Rule” and inspire children's imaginations everywhere. Her honorary Doctor of Laws degree from Washington University in St. Louis is another representation of the dedication she pours into everything she does to enhance society. Maxine is a pivotal member of the St. Louis community and teaches the youth that if your bank account is full, but your heart is empty, you will not live life to the fullest. She suggests that one of the ways to live the most fulfilling life is to convert passions into actionable plans and turn ideas into modern business realities.

Celebrating International Women’s Day with Clayco (NOW)

Our team at Clayco is working to build meaningful change from the ground up in everything we do across our offices, job sites, and beyond. Although diversity, equity, and inclusion are fundamental values we hold to the highest priority every day, it’s important to celebrate the special days of commemoration that bring us closer – like March, which is Women’s History Month, including International Women’s Day! Women’s History Month encourages the study, observance, and celebration of the vital role of women in American history. The theme today, March 8th, for International Women’s Day is “DigitALL: Innovation and technology for gender equality,” highlighting the need for equity-based changes in the digital age to help empower all women and girls. Today and every day, the women in our workforce and communities help us build a better world and future. Clayco is working to proactively transform our industry and community with innovative programs and initiatives, one of which is our Clayco Network of Women (NOW).

Supporting Women in Construction and Beyond

At Clayco, our culture is focused on going beyond our walls to invest in the individuals on our team and the communities we impact. The White House announced Women’s Equality Day on August 26th, which was the perfect time to recognize the incredible women that make up our societies and deserve equity, respect, and inclusion. To commemorate this day, I had the amazing opportunity to discuss topics that focused on women and opportunities at Clayco with Clayco NOW (Network of Women) in a Moderated Panel Discussion with over 320 people. There were a lot of great takeaways from the panel, such as the importance of staying committed to goals and achieving them through effective plans. Netta Jenkins, a Global Diversity and Inclusion Consultant, was also a featured guest speaker and shared her experience and knowledge on the importance of DEI initiatives and innovation. Our panel speakers also spoke about the importance of having a voice, asking for what you want, and supporting others along the way.

My Life in Full: Work, Family, and Our Future

A great book I read recently is Indra Nooyi’s new memoir My Life in Full: Work, Family, and Our Future. Nooyi, the former chair and CEO of PepsiCo, is one of the only women to run a Fortune 50 company and among the most strategic thinkers of our time. In the memoir, she describes the events that shaped her life as a woman of color and an immigrant, from her childhood and early education in 1960s India to the Yale School of Management to her rise as a corporate consultant and strategist who was appointed to one of the most senior executive ranks in business.

The Cubes at Country Club Hills

With all of the recent increase in demand for warehouse developments along with the rise of e-commerce, we’ve been hard at work on a lot of projects like The Cubes at Country Club Hills. It’s currently being developed by CRG and it’s our first industrial development in the Chicago market, but it’s also pushing the boundaries on another front. We’re putting a lot of emphasis on hiring minority and women-owned firms to help us build it and opening opportunities for historically underrepresented groups to participate. It directly relates to our efforts as part of Clayco Rising to recruit more diverse candidates onto our teams and further strengthen our partnerships with minority and women-owned subcontractors and suppliers. The model behind this project is one that we’re going to continue to implement and build on, and it’s another big step we’re taking to help increase inclusion and equality in the construction industry.

Recognizing the Women in Clayco

Clayco is more than just a design-building firm, we are strongly driven by social impact and what we can do to make a difference both Within and Beyond our Walls. We are well aware of the statistics related to women in construction. While women make up 47% of the U.S. workforce, they only make up 9% of the construction workforce. That is one of the reasons we are passionate about providing an equal opportunity for all and promote initiatives for our office and field to become more diverse and inclusive.

Mentorship, Empowerment, and Leadership Development

Building the world that we want to live in is our responsibility, and this goes beyond just constructing buildings. If we only focus on creating opportunities for ourselves alone, the industry and the community suffer, which in turn limits the potential for everybody. Clayco is in the fortunate position to have the resources and brain power to invest back into the community and I am personally energized by our work for the business community beyond our walls.