Wilkin of Bradford Const.: Inspiring to help someone

Name: Sandra Wilkin Title: CEO and President of Bradford Construction Company Name: Bradford Construction What year did you start your career in commercial real estate: 1989 What year did you start your career in commercial real estate? I started Bradford Construction in 1989, working on boutique healthcare projects that benefitted non-profits. In 2010, I founded a technology division at Bradford Construction to the point that we began doing laser scanning for commercial real estate including the AmEx Tower and Hurricane Sandy re-building projects. What project are you most proud of and why? Bradford Construction works as the construction managers for the New York City School Construction Authority (NYCSCA) and is in charge of their mentorship programs. We help small minority- and women-owned construction entrepreneurs grow and sustain their fledgling companies. It has been inspiring to help someone working on a dream make it stronger and more viable. When you launched Bradford Construction, what were some of the initial challenges and how did you overcome them? Some of the initial challenges in launching Bradford Construction involved trying to multi-task all the needs of the company: making payroll, attracting new business, keeping our clients happy, and occasionally getting to the cleaners on time. The right talent makes all the difference in the world and pursuing the work that best suits our mission and goals. List 3 women that you would like to have drinks / dinner with and where would you go? I'd love to have drinks with Eleanor Roosevelt, Hillary Clinton and a future entrepreneur with a lot of ambition. I'd take them some place that serves a good Gin 'N Tonic or for the nondrinkers among us, Root Beer. It would be wonderful to hear Eleanor talk about the opportunities women did or didn't have in her day, and then to have Hillary compare that to women's opportunities now. Then together we could talk to the future entrepreneur on the various ways she could help expand on women's opportunities in days to come. What is your favorite quote? My favorite quote is from former New Yorker and First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, who said: "When you cease to make a contribution, you begin to die." What did you want to be when you grew up? When I was still in school, the guidance counselors tended to emphasize just two career options for women: You could become a teacher or a nurse. I did become a nurse, but felt at the time that I could not dedicate myself to nursing, as much as I respected the profession. I was much more fascinated in building the hospitals which led me to my career in construction.