Construction Business Owner Magazine Announces 9 Finalists for 2021 Outstanding Women in Construction Honor

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (Nov. 5, 2021) — Construction Business Owner (CBO), the leading business magazine for contractors, is pleased to announce the nine finalists of its Outstanding Women in Construction (OWIC) 2021 honor.

OWIC was designed to recognize industry-leading females and their skills, achievements and contributions to the construction industry. The nine finalists selected for OWIC 2021 are:

• Andrea M. Barnett, President & CEO at 360 Specialties, LLC
• Giovanna Brasfield, Construction Diversity & Inclusion Expert at Brasfield & Associates
• Katie Freed, Infrastructure & Construction Management at Facebook
• Kimberly A. Hullfish, Director of Accounting & Compliance at C. Abbonizio Contractors
• Meredith Leapley, CEO & Founder at Leapley Construction Group
• Alicia Martin, President at Associated Builders & Contractors, Illinois Chapter
• Lauren Redden, Assistant Professor at Auburn University, McWhorter School of Building Science
• Stephanie Schmidt, President at Poole Anderson
• Anna Stern, Vice President at Tri-North Builders, Inc.

These finalists will be recognized in a special section in CBO’s November 2021 print edition and on constructionbusinessowner.com throughout the months of November and December. 

OWIC 2021 received nearly 200 nominations from the colleagues, coworkers, friends and spouses of outstanding women in every corner of the construction industry. “Once again, the industry has really showed up to support the women leading the way in construction,” said Kathy Wells, editor of CBO, “and that’s something we’ll never tire of seeing.”

Many of the women working in the construction industry must push to hold their place in the largely male-dominated environment. “But the industry has recognized that women continue to play a big part in the future of construction,” said Wells. “It’s encouraging to see such respect and praise, and we’re excited to honor these women and share their experiences with our readers.”

Nominations for OWIC 2021 opened July 5 and closed Sept. 3, and required that nominees must:

• Be a female of any age
• Work in construction (general contracting, subcontracting, specialty trades, and others allied to the field) in the United States
• Be respected by industry peers, leaders and clients
• Show outstanding leadership and/or management skills
• Make outstanding contributions to their company, industry and/or community

“On the whole this year, every single OWIC nominee came with their own story of perseverance and growth, making our nine finalists extremely worthy of representing such a strong group of women,” said Wells.

Nominations for Outstanding Women in Construction 2022 will open July 7, 2022, and close Sept. 2. 2022.

Visit constructionbusinessowner.com/owic2022 for more information.