In a spacious new building equipped with modern technology located in the Arts District of Downtown Los Angeles, 25 students gather to learn from experts about how to prepare for careers and projects in clean energy and technology.
They are part of a cohort of participants from throughout L.A. County attending the National Association of Minority Contractors Southern California (NAMC SoCal) chapter’s Project Administration, Training and Certification, a 7-week 14-session workshop that helps minority and small contractors acquire the skills needed to secure projects and jobs with major employers like public utilities companies.
The certification training is held in partnership with the Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator (LACI) and Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP), which foster growth in clean energy innovation and solutions, and promote clean energy workforce development.
NAMC SoCal has been around since 1995 and is one of 22 chapters of the National Association of Minority Contractors (NAMC). According to its website, NAMC is the oldest minority-owned trade organization in the country, established in 1969 to provide advocacy, capacity building, networking and access opportunities to minority workers in construction.
Nearly 65% of participants in the NAMC SoCal training are women. Drawn by the accessibility of female mentors to guide them through every step of the certification, compliance, and budgetary processes, these Asian, Black, Latino and White multilingual and multi-generational women are working in construction and loving it.
Elizabeth Sosa owns BGI Demolition in Bell Gardens, a suburb of Southeast Los Angeles. The 35-year-old mother of two says her husband launched the business, but once he got busy, it was all hands on deck.
“It was a challenge getting into the business because I had to discover how to grow the company, take safety training, learn about certifications and estimates…Having the right mentor makes all the difference. I grew to love the field, and this was a pleasant surprise,” Sosa said.
Like many women in the field, Sandra Choi, a 47-year-old Korean-Latina from Paraguay who is owner of JHOG Design and Development in Pasadena, describes how playing multiple roles while gathering knowledge and skills along the way through various jobs, eventually prepared her for a role in construction. Choi says many women in the community are qualified, but linking up to resources can be difficult and hinder growth.
“I managed Enterprise Rent-A-Car’s largest branch out of LAX for 11 years where I learned a lot about running a profitable business, including managing 150 employees. Then I moved on to fundraising at a foundation, followed by workforce development, and later worked with older adults – all while raising a family,” said Choi.
Choi says women in the field need role models and guides to lean on. She looks up to champions like Traci Watson, NAMC SoCal’s newly-elected president, whom she says is a strong sister-mentor figure and leader they can follow. Choi got matched with Watson at a City of L.A. webinar aimed at helping small businesses like hers during COVID.
Watson says women have many powerful stories because they’re multi-taskers, caretakers, skillful and knowledgeable in so many different areas. NAMC-SoCal wants to do more to share their stories, support and connect them.
“March is Women in Construction month, so it’s great to be able to tell these heroic stories of perseverance and determination. NAMC SoCal wants more women to have access to resources, support and networking in the construction field so that they too can reach their full potential,” said Watson.
Lynn Chen joined the organization more than 20 years ago as a single mom of five children, at a time when few women worked in construction. A native of Taiwan, she launched EARL Security Inc. in 1988. Her company installs and maintains fire alarm and security systems. Chen says that at the beginning of her career, she’d make dinner and put her children to sleep before heading to workshops and training.
Brought up in a culture where women weren’t expected to speak, Chen took classes to learn about business management, as well as icebreakers to help her network. At 69, she says she’s ready to transition from contractor to supplier.
“I feel accomplished, I’m satisfied and appreciate life,” Chen said.
Like many of the women who are active in NAMC SoCal, Chaka Stewart, found her way to construction through a variety of odd jobs. As a single mom she worked 9-5-jobs, while serving and bartending on the weekends, eventually becoming a sous-chef (second in command to the head chef) for 10 years.
One night, after her shift ended at a private party, a customer asked if she’d take the trash with her. The customer was willing to pay Stewart $500 if she’d dispose of eight trash bags. This led to the launch of her business, Flipside Event Cleanup, which primarily serves and is a main vendor for production companies in Los Angeles, Austin, and Dallas.
Now, with help from NAMC SoCal and newly-acquired knowledge about how to search for and produce winning bids, Stewart is positioned to secure construction post-cleanup site work.
“Being new to post-construction cleanup, it’s extremely helpful to have a network,” Stewart explained. “I can’t stress the importance of a network for women in construction.”
