Professional Women in Construction celebrates the 30th anniversary of PWC National

Professional Women in Construction (PWC) National president Lenore Janis is proud that 2010 is turning into a banner year in more ways than one for the nonprofit organization. "We're celebrating our 30th anniversary this year, we're drawing crowds to monthly events, and we're seeing six successful chapters (CT, NJ, NY, DC area, PA and FL) grow. We can definitely say, 'we're not getting older, we're getting better!'" she said. Janis notes that a difficult economy helps drive traffic to PWC events, "Our constituency recognizes the power of networking - they know that they need to see and be seen." In 1980, a dozen determined women joined forces to form PWC, an advocacy and support organization dedicated to the advancement of professional, managerial and entrepreneurial women in the industry. Janis, one of the founders, was the owner of a small steel erection company, newly certified by the government as a woman-owned business enterprise (WBE). Her passion for the cause has propelled the organization's phenomenal growth for three decades. "We had a vision, and 'impossible' was never part of our vocabulary" said Janis, whose career includes serving as the first woman director of building management-overseeing 250 tradesmen-at the city's Dept. of Sanitation in the mid-1980s. Today PWC is a widely respected nonprofit association that counts over 15,000 constituents in its database. It has attracted governors, mayors, members of Congress, borough presidents, attorney generals, countless commissioners as well as CEOs and other leaders of private industry to its monthly-and sometimes bimonthly-targeted informational networking sessions (Meet the Construction Chiefs; Meet the Architects & Engineers, Meet the Real Estate Industry), trade shows, all-day golf outings, awards receptions including Salute to Women of Achievement, and breakfast seminars that tackle such timely topics as real estate development, energy and transportation. Each event draws capacity to overflowing crowds of women and men. "We started giving men full membership status in 1985," said Janis. As to PWC's expansion throughout the east coast, Janis said, "Through the years we've seen interest from across the nation and the globe. We always knew that we were on the right track, and are delighted that others want to emulate PWC's agenda." It was the late 1970s and Women's Lib was in full swing. Just not in the construction business. "The attitude was still that women belong in the back office-as secretaries, bookkeepers, even accountants-not out in the field," said Anne Avenius, president of Avenius Enterprises, a construction consulting firm. Avenius believed that women belonged in the forefront, not on the sidelines. She met current PWC President Janis at an industry meeting. "We both saw the need for a support group. I urged her to 'go for it.'" Janis took the advice. She, Avenius, and 10 other women founded PWC in 1980. Avenius continued her own career climb, studying engineering at night at Polytechnic University in Brooklyn then Pratt Institute and Iona College where she graduated in construction management. She was the first woman office engineer at the Veterans Administration Hospital in the Bronx, then became a project manager at George A. Fuller and Tishman Construction Corp. working on such jobs as the St. Regis Hotel and the Post Office at 18th St., a $215 million project. Noting a major shift in mindset towards women from the 1990s on, she credits PWC with playing a large role in the transformation. "PWC changed attitudes. One key to its success was that it invited men to join. The men learned what women are capable of and realized that they could use PWC as a resource when they needed a WBE company or a woman capable of filling a high-level job." Are the biases gone today? "Not at all. We have a long way to go!" said Avenius. "But at least we've come a long way too." This year's May 20 Salute to Women of Achievement luncheon will honor a group of remarkable women who have cracked the concrete ceiling. It will be held at The Yale Club in New York City. Guest of honor will be Patricia Lancaster, FAIA, president of The Lancaster Group. The honorees are: Michelle Arrington, AIA, senior project manager, Hugh Carey Battery Park City Authority; Jennifer Carey, president, JLC Environmental Consultants, Inc. (WBE); Cindy Feinberg, P.E., LEED AP, partner, Jacob Feinberg Katz & Michaeli Consulting Group, LLC (WBE); Kim Ferguson, principal, Robert Derector Telecommunications; Jennifer Graham, IIDA, Assoc. AIA, LEED AP, director, M. Moser Associates; Patricia Hauserman, vice president, Tishman Construction & Interiors; Adanivia Jimenez, operations accounting controller, Louis Berger Group, Inc.; Nancy Luk, president, ABN Realty LLC (WBE). Call 212.486.7745, or visit www.pwcusa.org to register.