Andrea M. Barnett, President & CEO at 360 Specialties, LLC

Andrea M. Barnett grew up working for global engineering companies such as Parsons and Jacobs. “I worked in business development, so I understand the relationship part of the business and how important it is to build strong business development and front-office knowledge.” Business is familiar territory for Barnett, who holds an undergraduate degree in management and an MBA in applied management. “The education piece prepared me to run really any business in any industry,” said Barnett. But she chose construction.

Following the Great Recession, Barnett struck out on her own. “That’s when I decided I needed to create my own wealth and start my own business,” said Barnett. Barnett formed 360 Specialties, LLC in 2012, and became 100% woman owned and certified doing more scopes of work and other divisions in interior finishes. “The areas where we self-perform are interior finishes, drywall, ceilings, millwork, paint, doors and hardware,” said Barnett. 360 Specialties recently partnered another prime contractor on its largest project to date — the interior drywall package and the exterior framing for Savannah, Georgia’s arena project.

In April 2021, Barnett received the Outstanding Georgia Citizen Award for her efforts in workforce development, particularly, her work on an Atlanta housing authority project. The contract required her to hire eight to 12 Section 3 residents on the job. Often, the expectation is that these workers, with no construction experience, would just clean up or direct traffic. “They’re young, with no real job or career path, so I decided I needed to develop a workforce,” said Barnett.

She offered them the opportunity to earn an OSHA 30 certification as part of their jobs on her project. “It’s a way to help them see that they don’t have to live their entire lives as an unskilled laborer. They can start by getting OSHA training, fine-tune a skill, then look at the different careers and get a decent salary. “It’s not just working in the field, either, but helping them learn what it means to be a project manager, foreman or superintendent, or to work in an office environment, and then, even consider the idea of becoming an entrepreneur. I say, ‘You can own your own construction company.’ And their eyes light up to think of it,” said Barnett.

Barnett’s dedication to workforce development didn’t stop there. She has also held a board position on the Construction Education Foundation of Georgia (CEFGA), where she helps to recruit specialty contractors to build workforce development training programs they can incorporate into their operations. She has also served as executive director of the Atlanta chapter of the National Association of Minority Contractors (NAMC), where she sits on the board of its workforce development committee and leads the development of a technical assistance program (TAP) designed to help grow businesses by providing consultation for best-in-class delivery, operational excellence and effectively becoming profitable.

Barnett is also involved in the Women in Construction group at Kennesaw State University. “There are 40 women majoring in construction management there, and our first project is working with the Girl Scouts of Metro Atlanta to host construction industry events,” said Barnett. She hopes to see even more women in the field in supervisory positions in the coming years, identifying their inherent nature as agile and creative taskmasters in daily life, but especially in the field. “Women self-punch. We have this natural ability for quality assurance and quality control. We have a white-glove effect — we can immediately spot when something is not right.”

When it comes to delivering on that quality, Barnett believes there is a trickle-down effect that flows across all departments and all trades. “If everyone thinks the same way in terms of individual quality, then everyone can stay on track. I tell my own children: ‘Whatever you do, you make sure you do it right the first time.’”

To that end, Barnett’s daughter is on track to become a permanent fixture in the industry. “She’s getting her master’s in civil engineering and construction management at the University of Alabama at Birmingham’s school of engineering. She’s my succession plan,” said Barnett, “She has a mind for strategy and is built for it.” To other women considering a future in construction, Barnett offers this advice: “It is a feast or famine business, but it is very rewarding. If you have integrity and honesty, enjoy creating things, and find success in an end product you are proud to say is yours, it is very fulfilling work. To see something you’ve built being useful in the community, it’s fulfilling in a 360-degree way.”