Name: Taylor Steucke

Title: Estimator

Company Name: Holt Construction

Starting out in the construction business, who or what empowered you?
In the beginning I was most empowered by the other women I saw around me. Their commanding presence, intelligence, and support was inspiring. Construction I think is often depicted as a very male-dominated business. I still to this day get a funny look when I tell people I’m in construction. Seeing other women excelling at their work and helping me to do the same made me realize how far I could go in this field and how much it’s changed.

What advice would you offer to other women getting into the construction industry?
Working in construction requires standing up for what you know as well as taking the time to learn what you don’t. I’m always learning new parts of this business and it’s part of the reason why I love what I do. When I first started, I felt I didn’t know enough to speak up and didn’t want to ask out of fear of looking incompetent. You’ll never grow this way. I learned that by asking questions from experts in their field, I could create my own knowledge base which gave me the confidence to speak up.