ACC Construction celebrates its strong women in construction: Medaglia, Erardi, Kravitz and Osso

ACC Construction has been a certified woman-owned company for 17 years. With dynamic leader and CEO Michele Medaglia at its helm, ACC has been successful in building its business and reputation through delivering good product, client and industry networks, savvy editorial coverage and actively pursuing clients for corporate, retail, healthcare and educational work. In the past two years the firm has enjoyed healthy growth, building corporate interiors, healthcare and retail projects throughout the city. Even with success and growth, Medaglia is constantly working to raise the bar even higher at ACC. Until recently, having a female owner was enough of a credential to ensure a WBE status, and that has been helpful to ACC Construction as well as to many registered WBEs in real estate, design and construction. But ACC has found that whereas in years past the pool of potential employees in the construction industry was almost entirely male, it is now much more balanced in terms of men and women. Medaglia has been hiring the best qualified candidates for several key positions; now she finds herself leading a company that has a significant core of women as senior managers. Several years ago Nancy Erardi joined ACC Construction as an account executive. Erardi had spent 13 years in the construction industry, and had longstanding relationships with several large corporate clients and real estate owners. Since that time Erardi has been promoted to director of business development and then senior managing director; she now cultivates existing as well as new client relationships, and she is part of the senior management staff of the firm. Stefanie Kravitz, ACC's director of administration, has a long record of effective project management and administration across several industries. Her broad experience in finance, legal, information technology and production has transferred seamlessly to ACC, where she is responsible for overseeing facilities, human resources, information technology and office administration. Adding to this group is Jennifer Osso, controller, who has a stellar reputation and longevity in the construction industry. Osso has spent her entire career in construction finance; she oversees that department at ACC with meticulous attention and balance. "Most of our project managers and superintendents are men," said Medaglia. "But in the senior ranks of ACC, women find themselves 100% equal to the men here, and over time, women will be even more represented in the trades, in the unions and on ACC's construction sites. It's wonderful to continue to be part of this transformation."