2023 Women in Construction: Leslie Cook, IMC Construction

What was a pivotal point in your career? There have been a few but one of the first was in my early 20’s when I was an assistant project manager. My PM had to unexpectedly leave and I had to step into his position. I was already handling most of his work load but knowing he wasn’t going to be there terrified me. My executives and leadership team had faith in me but I did not. The fear quickly turned into adrenaline and I never looked back. I learned to let go of my ego and I didn’t need to put on a façade that I was the smartest person in the room. The contractors respected me more and were very helpful. We worked as a team and the project is one of my proudest accomplishments. 

How can AEC companies recruit more women? We need to start having conversations and demonstrations in early education instead of high school and college. I think it is important to explain how dynamic the AEC industry is. There are so many paths to chose from with high earning potential (trade certificates, apprenticeships, masters degrees, project management, marketing, virtual design, operators, engineers, real estate developers). You have endless opportunities once you get started and there is no wrong way to start.