Anna Stern, Vice President at Tri-North Builders, Inc.

Anna Stern grew up in the construction industry and is currently the vice president of Tri-North Builders Inc., a full-service construction management company that counts her father as one of its founders. But it wasn’t a straight line to her current position at Tri-North. Stern first began her career in construction in a legal sense after earning her Juris Doctor from the University of Wisconsin-Madison Law School and joined the law firm Michael Best & Friedrich for 5 years. In 2010, Stern joined Tri-North and made the leap to the operational side of the business.

In addition, Stern spends a lot of time trying to move the industry forward as the current vice president, and incoming president, of the Wisconsin chapter of the Associated General Contractors of America (AGC). “The construction industry is full of good people and fun projects, and you get to do fun things. It’s one of the best industries to be a part of,” said Stern.

Stern recently attended the AGC National Convention and is excited about the future of the industry based on what she learned there, especially with regards to how the industry is changing and evolving to make work easier to get done. “I was wowed by the number of software and technological field programs available now. [These are] a huge time saver, not only in the field but also on the legal end. It lets us focus on actually building projects. I’m most excited about technology right now. I also think there’s an increased focus on culture and diversity within the industry and I think that’s a trend I’d love to see continue.”

Championing women in the industry has long been a goal for Stern. “I have tried hard throughout my career to promote and build up women in construction. It’s not only about encouraging women to join the industry, but also making sure the industry is welcoming to women. It’s not just about surviving in a man’s world, but understanding that women are different in some ways and that’s okay. That different perspective is valuable,” said Stern.

Stern has come to this advice and has learned to combat marginalization with confidence as a result of experiences in her early career. “Once, in a contract negotiation, I was told, ‘You actually know this pretty well for a young lady.’ The assumption that a female doesn’t know as much is common. Being able to speak my mind and know my stuff tends to shut out that kind of talk,” said Stern. She places a great deal of importance on teamwork and engaging her employees and has recently restructured Tri-North to adopt a heavily team-oriented structure wherein team accountability is stressed above individual accountability.

To further this goal, Stern stresses the need for close mentor relationships for women in the industry. “One of the most important things is to find a mentor that you trust and get along with. One of my mentors has become one of my closest friends. Male or female, you will encounter frustrations, and if you are feeling marginalized or overwhelmed or uncomfortable it’s important to have someone that you feel safe having those kinds of conversations with,” she said. What else? “Get involved. AGC and other organizations are working hard to promote diversity and make sure women feel included and comfortable.”

As president of AGC Wisconsin, Stern is helping to improve industry life for women and dovetail those concerns to also address diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I) efforts. Two initiatives are already in place: Women Building Wisconsin and Kids Build Wisconsin are both programs designed to encourage and grow the workforce by making connections within the industry. Events for these programs include a virtual reality simulation of excavation equipment, Home Depot Kids Workshop, Build a Brick Wall, Cement Handprints, Construction Equipment, Sidewalk Chalk City and more.

Stern’s commitment to her community is apparent; for years, she has been involved in several local nonprofits and events, including United Cerebral Palsy of Greater Dane County (currently, she serves as president of the board of directors), Kids Building Wisconsin, Variety the Children’s Charity of Wisconsin, Junior Achievement of Wisconsin, Tequila For Tatas (an annual event started by a Tri-North employee to raise funds and awareness for Stage IV breast cancer research and outreach) and Logan’s Heart and Smiles, among others.