Alicia Martin, President at Associated Builders & Contractors, Illinois Chapter

No.1 Must-Have: “One of the most powerful sources of motivation for me is perspective. The one thing that you can control is your reaction to a set of circumstances. Your perspective is yours and yours alone — it’s powerful and it’s sometimes the difference between success and failure.”

Alicia Martin came to construction with a focus on helping people, led in part by her degree in psychology. Prior to her current position as president of the Illinois Chapter of Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC), Martin was a social worker, helping runaway youths and single mothers. She went on to tackle the role of juvenile probation officer, later still becoming a legislative aide. It was then that she became familiar with ABC, its mission and statewide involvement, and the support it brought contractors who sought help in running their businesses.

Martin, who is philosophically like-minded with ABC in terms of its mission to support the merit shop philosophy and promote free enterprise and diversity and inclusion, accepted her first industry role as membership director in 2007. “It was an opportunity to help the small and midsized construction firms — that were in the field, still working, but also trying to manage their company — by providing business development tools and advocacy.” Martin became chapter president in 2010, and pays her success thus far to being surrounded with the mission-focused and hardworking colleagues and ABC members who were always willing to help her grow.

Martin manages the chapter’s apprenticeship training, political advocacy and business development programs for chapter members. “When we have some challenges regarding policy and regulatory changes at the state level, I spend a lot of time making our members aware, getting them the right information, keeping them abreast of those changes and helping them stay in compliance,” said Martin.

She also meets with legislators to bring awareness to the Community Builders Program she helped found in 2016, which focuses on creating diversity in the construction industry while also working to fill the workforce shortage. The program began with a grant in 2017 and a goal to bring it into struggling communities to teach valuable skills, and connect candidates with employers who are hiring.

The Community Builders Program, which Martin views as one of her greatest achievements, reaches the underserved and underrepresented in construction and takes training to them in a blueprint-style model program, where, in 12 weeks, they graduate with credentials.

“We focused on three core industry credentials, which are basically Construction 101, an NCCR credential, which includes some leadership skills, communication skills, blueprint-reading, mathematics, etc.; then Carpentry Level 1, which provides the fundamentals of all crafts; and then OSHA 10 certification, which teaches basic safety and health information to entry-level workers in construction. Since 2017, the program has graduated nearly 200 individuals trained in the electrical and carpentry trades, of which 87% are Black, 5% are white and 8% are Hispanic. “We most recently graduated an electrical training cohort of 16 African American women and one Latino woman,” said Martin, “all taught by two African American female instructors.”

Martin has also held a leadership role as a member of the Illinois Workforce Investment Board Apprenticeship Committee, where she influenced state policies that highlight the need for a diverse and inclusive workforce. She currently sits on the Inclusion, Diversity and Equity Committee of ABC National, where she works with other chapter leaders to ensure that everyone has a chance to build a career in the construction industry. Along with ABC’s inclusion, diversity and equity initiatives, Martin says, “It’s really about protecting everyone’s right to be able to perform construction work in [Illinois].”

According to Martin, “There’s always opportunity for everyone to do better at reaching out to minority communities and being a more inclusive industry, especially to help meet the demand in our industry.” Martin says one of the keys to the success of her programs is partnering with nontraditional allies. “We’re working with Black ministers, with the Hispanic Chambers of Commerce — folks that you don’t historically think of working with as part of our industry — but that’s how we are able to get our message to individuals in the communities where there is lack of opportunity and high barriers to employment. We get the message out,” said Martin. “And it’s been a great way to help diversity in the industry, but also help build the talent pipeline.”

As a member of more than seven professional associations, Martin aims to help people find their place in construction. “Letting them know that there are multiple entry points into our industry and that there’s opportunity not just for a job, but for a lucrative career that has endless opportunities,” said Martin.

“You can go to work as a skilled craftsperson, or you can become the CEO and owner of your own company. And there’s lots of things in between.” But finding success, Martin says, is only possible by surrounding oneself with people who are positive and successful. “A competent, positive circle of people around you is critical to your success,” she said. And, as Martin has demonstrated her throughout her career, a little help doesn’t hurt, either.