Women in Construction Week Spotlight: Kayla Brashears
Ames Construction is proud to celebrate the extraordinary women on our team during Women in Construction Week—and every day of the year!
As we celebrate WIC Week and Women’s History Month, we’ll shine a spotlight on some of the women who contribute to the present and future of Ames and the entire heavy civil and industrial construction industry.
Kayla Brashears
Project Engineer
Southwest Region (Arizona)
Project: Fine Ore Stockpile, Safford, Arizona
5.5 years at Ames
→ What made you join the construction industry?
Construction was actually an accident. When I was in college working toward a degree in environmental engineering, I planned to focus on health because I have celiac disease. I needed a summer internship to graduate, so I interned with Ames in Morenci, Arizona, because that’s where my family lived. I ended up really liking the kind of work we do, starting with office work. I wasn’t sure about the field at that point.
When I went back to school in the fall, I continued working as an intern part-time in the field office. From there, I learned more and more and started gaining experience, plus I started making real friendships with my colleagues. We build amazing things and perform a wide variety of construction, but the people we work with every day, from regional office folks, to field office people and those in the field, were the turning point that led to my career in construction and with Ames. They say that I am “Ames Born and Raised,” and our culture is why I work in this industry.
→ Did you face any challenges when you first started in the construction industry? If so, what types of challenges, and how did you overcome them?
Construction wasn’t what I was going to school for, and I don’t have members of the construction industry in my immediate family, so experience in general was a huge challenge I had to overcome. In the beginning, I had nearly no idea what anyone was talking about when it came to the project we were building, but I did have strengths in using Excel and some of the other programs we use.
My strengths were put to use, and I was taught and am still learning what I don’t know. Gaining construction experience certainly has come with time, from asking questions to being deeply engaged in our projects and simply researching the things I don’t know. Fortunately, Ames has a really great workforce, and everyone who has something to teach or explain has been willing to do so.
→ Do you believe that women are given the same opportunities for career growth as men? If not, what changes would you like to see, and how quickly would you expect this change to occur?
I think women have the same opportunities for career growth as men. It’s hard work no matter what. Might women have more obstacles than men when growing in their construction career? Maybe. I think there is certainly a high chance that many of the old-school generation or the men who have 20+ years of experience probably look at me and think, “She can’t do this, it’s too hard for her,” or “She brings drama,” or perhaps due to being a young woman, “She certainly can’t know about this, so she can’t do it.”
But I’ll be the first one to say—this is all just motivation to prove that I can. Do I have to work harder to prove that these statements are wrong? Yes, absolutely. Do I have to work harder to gain the respect and confidence of some who have been here doing this kind of work for many years? Yes, I absolutely do. But after being with Ames for 5+ years, guess who is the go-to person on my job when a foreman or superintendent has a question, needs materials, doesn’t know what cost codes to use, or wants someone to double check their math for upcoming concrete pours? Woman or man, you gotta work hard for it. Women might just have a little bit more to prove. We can do it.
Learn more about WIC Week, March 3-9, 2024.
Are you motivated to launch a rewarding career? Come join us! Learn about Ames job opportunities.
Ames Construction is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
