According to Professional Women in Construction (PWC) national president Lenore Janis, 2010 is turning into a banner year in more ways than one for the non-profit organization.
"We're celebrating our 30th anniversary this year, we're drawing crowds to monthly events, and we're seeing six successful chapters (Conn., N.J., N.Y., D.C. area, Pa. and Fla.) grow. We can definitely say, 'we're not getting older, we're getting better!'" she said. Janis said 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 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 Department of Sanitation in the mid-1980s.
Today PWC is a widely respected non-profit 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, trade shows, all-day golf outings, awards receptions, and breakfast seminars that tackle 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." Tags: