Notable Women in Construction Winner
Heather Gendron
Project Manager
Spalding DeDecker
Heather is surrounded in the workplace mostly by men, but her voice is heard as a strong educated woman and she serves as a mentor to those who work with her. She exemplifies integrity to a tee! She sets the bar high for those who work with her. Heather is not afraid to stand up for what is right for her client and her team. Here is an example directly from Heather:
"I did a site visit this morning to check out an ongoing road project Spalding DeDecker is inspecting and managing for a client. The contractor was blatantly doing poor work in front of my inspector and me. When called out for it (because that's our job) I was told not to talk to the crew, then asked if I had a problem by the foreman. (You can imagine the tone and other things that were said...)
The issue was resolved, but it made me immediately think I will not be recommending this contractor in the future.
I also thought about my own image and integrity, and the company I work for. I think what sets Spalding DeDecker and its employees apart from others is our integrity.
I'm proud of my inspector for standing up and calling out bad workmanship where some may turn the other way. I'm proud of the services we provide for our clients, and that we stand behind our work and accept responsibility when a mistake is made.
In the Construction Engineering Department, we have a saying - "You Just Have to Care" and I was reminded today that some people just don't."