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04 Mar 2024
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Celebrating Women In Construction Week

March 4, 2024 | 0 Comments | , ,

It’s National Women In Construction Week! Put on by the National Association of Women in Construction (NAWIC), ‘WIC’ week, March 4-11 celebrates women in the construction industry including women builders, engineers, surveyors, project management, administration, and leadership.

Women in Construction (WIC) Week raises awareness and celebrates the work of women in the construction industry across the country. NAWIC founded WIC Week in 1998 to continue its mission of strengthening and amplifying the success of women in the industry. This year marks 25 years of celebrating Women in Construction!

Just in time for this week of celebration, TFMoran’s own Mahreana Hopson, PE, Structural Project Manager had a featured profile in High Profile’s Women in Construction special issue. Also in this issue- TFMoran’s team of Professional Women are recognized for their contribution to the Construction Industry!

Check out Mahreana’s profile in High Profile’s Women In Construction supplement, or continue reading below.

Mahreana Hopson, PE
Structural Project Engineer, TFMoran, Inc.

Published in High Profile Magazine
March 2024

Mahreana Hopson, PE is a structural project manager at TFMoran. When asked how she navigates the unique challenges women face in the construction industry, Mahreana says, “Although I was only able to participate in a single official mentorship program, I have really enjoyed the opportunities I have had in my career to mentor younger women in the industry. Any new college graduate feels uncertain at the start of their first job, but I feel women have a greater need to prove themselves.” She says there is a struggle with the balance of asking enough questions to be successful yet not too many to make one appear less qualified from a male counterpart. Then as women advance in their careers, there is the challenge of how to approach the older male generation that often is not comfortable taking direction from younger women. She continues, “I only hope to pass on the knowledge I have gained from my own experiences and provide the much-needed sounding board I could have benefited from having during those times. I think mentorship for women by women is the key to our continued success in the construction sector.”

When asked what changes or progress she has witnessed in the industry regarding gender diversity and inclusion, Mahreana says, “Most recently, I have noticed a shift in the amount of attention that is being brought to metrics on gender diversity and inclusion in our industry.” She says it is so wonderful to see companies acknowledging the discrepancies and possible deficiencies within their organization and then the drive that the younger workforce has to see these rectified with visible change. “It provides me with a lot of hope for our future,” she adds.

04 Mar 2022
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TFMoran’s Maureen Kelly Featured in High Profile’s Women in Construction Week Supplement

March 4, 2022 | 0 Comments | , , , ,

TFMoran’s own Maureen Kelly, EIT, Civil Project Engineer in our Bedford office has a featured profile in High Profile’s Women in Construction special issue. Ms. Kelly holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Massachusetts Lowell, where she participated in several student scholarships and service-learning opportunities. In her professional role, Maureen enjoys projects that incorporate environmental benefits and equitable design. Maureen works in site design, all levels of permitting, utility layout, and stormwater infrastructure.

See Maureen’s full profile here, and check out High Profile‘s Women in Construction Supplement.

Congratulations, Maureen! And happy WIC Week!

03 Mar 2022
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Celebrating Women In Construction Week 2022

March 3, 2022 | 0 Comments | , , , ,

National Women In Construction Week is upon us! Put on by the National Association of Women in Construction (NAWIC), ‘WIC’ week, March 6-12 celebrates Women in the industry including women builders, engineers, surveyors, project management, administration, and leadership.

Women in Construction (WIC) Week raises awareness and celebrates the work of women in the construction industry across the country. NAWIC founded WIC Week in 1998 to continue its mission of strengthening and amplifying the success of women in the industry. This year’s theme is ‘Envision Equity.’

Just in time for this week of celebration, TFMoran’s own Maureen Kelly, Civil Project Engineer in our Bedford office had a featured profile in High Profile’s Women in Construction special issue. Also in this issue- TFMoran’s team of Professional Women are recognized for their contribution to the Construction Industry.

Check out Maureen’s profile!

08 Mar 2021
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TFMoran is Celebrating Women in Construction Week

March 8, 2021 | 0 Comments | , , ,

National Women In Construction Week is upon us! Put on by the National Association of Women in Construction (NAWIC), ‘WIC’ week, March 7-13th celebrates Women in the industry including women builders, engineers, surveyors, project management, administration and leadership.

Just in time for this week of celebration, TFMoran’s own Hannah Giovannucci, PE, Civil Engineer and Project Manager in our Portsmouth office had a featured profile in High Profile’s Women in Construction special issue. Also in this issue- TFMoran’s team of Professional Women Engineers and Surveyors are recognized for their contribution to the Construction Industry.

Check out Hannah’s profile: HP Women in Construction March 2021-Hannah

In other WIC week news, TFMoran is sponsoring the Union Leader Women in Engineering Symposium to be held virtually on March 24th.

10 Mar 2018
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Celebrating Women In Construction Week! Meet Brenda Kolbow, TFMoran Survey Project Manager.

March 10, 2018 | 0 Comments | ,

March 5 – 11 is National Women in Construction Week.  According to the National Association of Women in Construction (NAWIC) website, “The focus of WIC Week is to highlight women as a visible component of the construction industry. It is also a time for local chapters to give back to their communities. WIC Week provides an occasion for NAWIC’s thousands of members across the country to raise awareness of the opportunities available for women in the construction industry and to emphasize the growing role of women in the industry.”

In celebration of WIC, TFMoran is highlighting our own Women In Construction, one TFMoran woman engineer or surveyor each day this week. TFMoran is proud to have these women in construction, along with other women professionals on our team.

Brenda Kolbow, PLS – TFMoran, Inc. Survey Project Manager

Brenda Kolbow, PLS is a Survey Project Manager working out of TFMoran’s Portsmouth division office.  She is a licensed Professional Land Surveyor in the states of Maine and North Carolina. Brenda is responsible for the management and coordination of survey projects with internal staff, clients, contractors, and regulatory officials from proposal through the completion of construction. Her field skills include boundary, topographic, ALTA, construction layout and as-built surveys, along with total station data collection and GPS static and kinetic observations.  Brenda’s has an Associate’s degree in Surveying Technology from Western Piedmont Community College in North Carolina.

Why did you go into land surveying?

I happen to like math and I wanted a serious career that provides people with a service that helps them accomplish their goals. You can really see the difference when you participate in a project from beginning to end.

What do you think women should know upon entering the land surveying field?

The number of women in the land surveying field is continuing to grow. The divide is getting less and less, the ultimate goal is to provide an accurate professional product and that is what everyone is working towards.

What are the challenges of your career?

The work/home life balance is difficult because it always seems there is more you could do on both ends.

09 Mar 2018
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Celebrating Women In Construction Week! Meet Maureen Kelly, TFMoran Civil Project Engineer.

March 9, 2018 | 0 Comments | , ,

March 5 – 11 is National Women in Construction Week.  According to the National Association of Women in Construction (NAWIC) website, “The focus of WIC Week is to highlight women as a visible component of the construction industry. It is also a time for local chapters to give back to their communities. WIC Week provides an occasion for NAWIC’s thousands of members across the country to raise awareness of the opportunities available for women in the construction industry and to emphasize the growing role of women in the industry.”

In celebration of WIC, TFMoran is highlighting our own Women In Construction, one TFMoran woman engineer or surveyor each day this week. TFMoran is proud to have these women in construction, along with other women professionals on our team.

Maureen Kelly – TFMoran, Inc. Civil Project Engineer

Maureen Kelly is a Civil Project Engineer at TFMoran, Inc. who started with the company in January 2017. She graduated from the University of Massachusetts Lowell with a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil and Environmental Engineering, along with a Masters degree in Structural Engineering. She was president of the Chi Epsilon Civil Engineering Honor Society Chapter. Maureen stays connected with her alma mater by partaking in student engineering excursions to the Haiti Development Studies Center. She has been to Haiti twice over the past year to help with developing a more sustainable system for waste in the Haitian communities. Her professional experiences include; watershed analysis, drainage assessment, storm water retention, and calculations for residential and commercial structures.

Why did you go into engineering?
The relationship between the built world and the natural world has always interested me. Civilization can coexist with nature if we make it a priority. As the name suggests, civil engineering is one profession where you can study and influence that relationship.

What are the challenges of your job?
Stakeholders on a project often have competing priorities. Through discussion and compromise the project takes a shape that’s suitable for everyone, but sometimes getting to that point is a challenge. 

What do you like about your job?
I love the variety of my work and the diversity of people involved in each project. I’m new to the field, but I know that after 20 years on the job there will still be more to learn. 

What skills does one need to enter the engineering field?
The ability to make mistakes, learn from them, and move on. That one skill gives you freedom to study anything. Objectivity and patience are also very important. Contrary to common belief, it’s not all about math!

05 Mar 2018
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TFMoran is Celebrating National Women In Construction Week! Meet TFM’s Jen Porter, Civil Engineer.

March 5, 2018 | 0 Comments |

March 5 – 11 is National Women in Construction Week.  According to the National Association of Women in Construction (NAWIC) website, “The focus of WIC Week is to highlight women as a visible component of the construction industry. It is also a time for local chapters to give back to their communities. WIC Week provides an occasion for NAWIC’s thousands of members across the country to raise awareness of the opportunities available for women in the construction industry and to emphasize the growing role of women in the industry.”

In celebration of WIC, TFMoran is highlighting our own Women In Construction, one TFMoran woman engineer or surveyor each day this week, starting off with civil engineer, Jennifer Porter. Jen Porter is also representing TFMoran in the March issue of High-Profile, in their Women In Construction section. To view Jen’s High-Profile story click on this link Jen Porter – WIC – High-Profile March 2018 or read below:

Jen Porter – Civil Engineer at TFMoran, Inc.

One of TFMoran, Inc.’s women engineers is Jennifer Porter, PE. Jen serves as a project engineer in the civil and traffic engineering departments. She has been with TFMoran for nearly 20 years, after graduating from Bucknell University with a Bachelor of Science degree in civil engineering. Jen is a licensed Professional Engineer in New Hampshire, with extensive experience in site planning, grading and drainage design, sewer design, and permitting. She typically designs sites for commercial, industrial, residential and institutional projects. Though most of her engineering work takes place in the office, her job sometimes requires putting on a hard hat and safety vest for engineering inspections on the construction site.

Throughout her career, Jen has tackled obstacles with good management, open communications and being a dependable team player. “I was a competitive hurdler on the track team in high school and college, which is somewhat of an individual sport. Everyone works toward a common goal: the better my performance, the better my team does”, explains Jen. “I use the same teamwork approach in the work place. My career choice to remain as a project engineer is because I enjoy the role as a “worker-bee”, using my talent for the good of the team.”

By being one who makes up the 14% of women in the engineering profession, Jen provides a positive influence on her nine-year old daughter, Jocelyn. “I encourage her to go into any field that she wants to. She is outgoing, smart and creative, she can do whatever she sets her mind on.” As an engineer, role-model, wife, and mother of two, Jen always does her best.

TFMoran is honored to have Jen, along with other women professionals on their team.

 

In addition to Jen’s High-Profile story, TFMoran’s marketing assistant Kelsie Gagner asked her the following questions:

Why did you go into engineering?

 “My favorite subject in high school was mathematics, so engineering seemed like a likely career path. I was undecided between civil and mechanical, but opted into the civil program after a few months into my freshman year at Bucknell.”

 

What are the challenges of your job?

 “Every project is different, but you can use what you learn at one site to assist in developing and improving the next.”