Women in Remodeling

"There was a time that I wasn’t able to get a business loan or a credit card without having my husband or father co-sign for me,” recalls Karen Nakamura, CEO of the Building Industry Association of Hawaii, of the not-so-distant past, when women didn’t have nearly the opportunities in business that they now enjoy. Times have definitely changed for the better and women in business are making enormous contributions not only in the larger business world, but particuarly in remodeling where women have long forged new paths.

The U.S. Census Bureau reports that women owned 6.5 million (non-farm) businesses in 2002, employing 7.1 million persons and generating $940.8 billion in revenues — representing more than a quarter of all business activity in the country. Government statistics also show that women business owners, as a group, are expanding their enterprises at twice the national rate for all businesses, growing 20 percent between 1997 and 2002. But according to Nakamura the number of women business owners in residential construction lags behind many other industries. Today women owners comprise only 3 percent of the home building, remodeling and home improvement markets. “This is just the beginning of women-owned building companies,” says Nakamura. “We have much more to offer.”

The Owner
“Migrating into a nonconventional field was very intimidating at first,” says Nicole Goolsby, president of Rion Home, Inc. and chairperson of the National Association of Home Builders Women’s Council “But I found the industry to be very supportive and welcoming.” The Women’s Council represents more than 2,500 women members of the NAHB working in all aspects of the building industry — as owners, managers, marketers, interior designers and mortgage bankers. Many, like Ronda Pashia Fohey, see their womanhood as a strength — a business asset in male-centric industry. She even put it front-and-center in the name of her St. Louis company: A Woman’s Touch Remodeling.

“When I was deciding what to name my company,” says Pashia Fohey, “I kept going over the positives of why someone would want to hire me rather than all the other contractors. Two points kept coming to mind. First, I was a woman in a male-dominated field. Second, that women have an uncanny ability to see details as well as the big picture and pull it all together. I ‘get’ what women want because I am a woman!”

The Partner
Another important role for women in the remodeling industry is as part of a husband-wife team. Joan Stephens, CR and president of Stronghold Remodeling in Boise, Idaho, wanted to help her husband who was up late every night, working outrageous hours. “It all evolved from there, typing a few contracts, helping out with bids,” says Stephens. “I find that women homeowners typically are very comfortable and more receptive to a female remodeler.” Today, Stronghold Remodeling also employs three women in its sales and marketing department.

The Employee
Women have gained stature in the real estate market making many candidates for positions in remodeling. According to the National Association of Realtors women account for 21 percent of all purchases made by single homebuyers. That’s compared with only 9 percent of their male counterparts. As such, remodeling company’s are shifting their marketing efforts towards women. And many have hired female salespersons to close the deal. At Harrell Remodeling in Mountain View, Calif., 17 of the 22 employees are female. “Women offer something different. We are very detail-oriented and communicate entirely different,” says Harrell. “This often gives them advantage in this market. It’s refreshing.”

Another emerging trend is women DIY’ers. Heidi Baker, co-owner of BeJane.com, a Web site dedicated to women DIY’ers, says that women are becoming very involved in their own home improvement. She cites a survey conducted by BeJane.com, which found that 67 percent of women describe themselves at DIY’ers. The scope of this trend is large considering that 17 million single women own homes today.