1
00:00:00,160 --> 00:00:03,760
Speaker 1: Welcome. I am Rashawn McDonald. I host the weekly Money

2
00:00:03,760 --> 00:00:07,520
Speaker 1: Making Conversation Masterclass show. The interviews and information that this

3
00:00:07,600 --> 00:00:10,920
Speaker 1: show provides off for everyone. It's time to start reading

4
00:00:11,000 --> 00:00:14,560
Speaker 1: other people's success stories and start living your own. If

5
00:00:14,560 --> 00:00:16,960
Speaker 1: you want to be a guest on my show, please

6
00:00:17,079 --> 00:00:21,759
Speaker 1: visit our website, Moneymaking Conversations dot com and click the

7
00:00:21,840 --> 00:00:25,119
Speaker 1: be a Guest button. Now let's start this show. My

8
00:00:25,239 --> 00:00:29,120
Speaker 1: guest is the Atlanta Chapter President of the National Association

9
00:00:29,200 --> 00:00:33,920
Speaker 1: of Black Women in Construction. She is committed to empowering

10
00:00:34,000 --> 00:00:38,879
Speaker 1: and advancing Black women in construction through leadership, advocacy, and

11
00:00:38,960 --> 00:00:44,839
Speaker 1: professional development. Please welcome to Money Making Conversations Masterclass. Monique Strong.

12
00:00:44,960 --> 00:00:46,440
Speaker 1: How are you doing, Monique?

13
00:00:47,400 --> 00:00:50,319
Speaker 2: Hi, Rashon, I'm doing. Grading you pretty good, pretty good.

14
00:00:50,520 --> 00:00:52,640
Speaker 1: I've tried many times to get you on the show

15
00:00:52,640 --> 00:00:55,600
Speaker 1: because I felt what you do is important for people

16
00:00:55,640 --> 00:00:58,320
Speaker 1: to understand, because it's a very unique journey. When you

17
00:00:58,400 --> 00:01:01,800
Speaker 1: say unique, when I say women in construction, let alone

18
00:01:01,840 --> 00:01:03,080
Speaker 1: black women in construction.

19
00:01:04,600 --> 00:01:11,959
Speaker 2: Absolutely just imagine right, a force of unstoppable leadership innovation

20
00:01:12,720 --> 00:01:17,080
Speaker 2: where Black women in construction don't just participate, but we

21
00:01:17,160 --> 00:01:21,520
Speaker 2: are the standards. And so this is the essence of

22
00:01:21,520 --> 00:01:24,440
Speaker 2: what the National Association of Black Women in Construction is.

23
00:01:24,880 --> 00:01:31,839
Speaker 2: We're a powerhouse of trailblazers. We build legacies, breaking barriers

24
00:01:32,040 --> 00:01:36,120
Speaker 2: and the driving force in the industry. And so this

25
00:01:36,160 --> 00:01:40,000
Speaker 2: is opportunity for women in this industry to gain like

26
00:01:40,240 --> 00:01:46,520
Speaker 2: unparalleled opportunities of advancement, high power, networking, and a community

27
00:01:46,560 --> 00:01:49,080
Speaker 2: that empowers you to lead.

28
00:01:49,440 --> 00:01:52,800
Speaker 1: You know, it's really amazing when I think about it, Monique.

29
00:01:52,800 --> 00:01:58,040
Speaker 1: You know, because you're breaking stereotypes. Because everybody go construction.

30
00:01:58,200 --> 00:02:00,720
Speaker 1: You all see the you know, life looking women walk

31
00:02:00,760 --> 00:02:04,200
Speaker 1: about construction women because workers they flirting in whistling, cat

32
00:02:04,280 --> 00:02:07,560
Speaker 1: call and all that. You guys are the individuals. Can

33
00:02:07,600 --> 00:02:09,200
Speaker 1: you give us a sense of when I say the

34
00:02:09,200 --> 00:02:13,080
Speaker 1: word construction, what does that entail? When I say black

35
00:02:13,120 --> 00:02:17,440
Speaker 1: women involved in the model of construction industry that's very

36
00:02:17,480 --> 00:02:21,240
Speaker 1: much male dominated and very much white male dominated. What

37
00:02:21,400 --> 00:02:23,200
Speaker 1: is construction when I said.

38
00:02:23,000 --> 00:02:28,640
Speaker 2: To you, construction to me is women owned businesses where

39
00:02:28,760 --> 00:02:34,200
Speaker 2: they are whether they have they're the tradesmen for mechanical

40
00:02:34,680 --> 00:02:39,880
Speaker 2: electrical plumbing that are able to have contractual opportunities, that

41
00:02:39,960 --> 00:02:44,080
Speaker 2: are building that own projects where they can be probably

42
00:02:44,120 --> 00:02:47,680
Speaker 2: like a million dollar projects or let's say they're the GC,

43
00:02:48,520 --> 00:02:52,920
Speaker 2: the general contractor that's actually the prime that's handling these contracts.

44
00:02:52,960 --> 00:02:56,160
Speaker 2: Is when you look at construction now, it's not just

45
00:02:56,440 --> 00:03:00,280
Speaker 2: about the feald, it's also now about the office, the

46
00:03:00,360 --> 00:03:03,720
Speaker 2: corporate part. Whether you're a project manager, whether you're an estimator,

47
00:03:04,280 --> 00:03:06,919
Speaker 2: or if you decide to even go into the safety aspect.

48
00:03:07,000 --> 00:03:10,560
Speaker 2: We're dominated in the safety. There are so many avenues

49
00:03:10,600 --> 00:03:15,600
Speaker 2: and construction that it is beyond It blows people's minds

50
00:03:15,600 --> 00:03:18,919
Speaker 2: to know how we have infiltrated this system and that

51
00:03:19,120 --> 00:03:23,799
Speaker 2: the image of the old has now transformed into what

52
00:03:23,840 --> 00:03:26,519
Speaker 2: you see now in the future. Wow, when you look

53
00:03:26,520 --> 00:03:30,120
Speaker 2: at us, you won't even you can't even tell but

54
00:03:30,240 --> 00:03:32,560
Speaker 2: that we are a woman in construction. It might be

55
00:03:32,560 --> 00:03:34,639
Speaker 2: because we weren't a red bottoms, but don't let the

56
00:03:34,680 --> 00:03:35,600
Speaker 2: red bottoms for you.

57
00:03:36,520 --> 00:03:38,920
Speaker 1: I love it. I love it. I'm talking to Monique Strong.

58
00:03:39,320 --> 00:03:42,400
Speaker 1: She is committed to empowering and advancing black women in

59
00:03:42,440 --> 00:03:46,800
Speaker 1: construction through leadership, advocacy and professional development. I got to start,

60
00:03:46,960 --> 00:03:50,120
Speaker 1: what inspired you to get into construction and what has

61
00:03:50,160 --> 00:03:53,520
Speaker 1: your journey been like as a black woman in this industry?

62
00:03:55,320 --> 00:03:59,120
Speaker 2: Great question and thank you for asking that. So It

63
00:03:59,320 --> 00:04:07,320
Speaker 2: started with my grandfather. Both my grandfather's on my mom's dad,

64
00:04:07,440 --> 00:04:11,320
Speaker 2: and also my father's dad were in construction. And so

65
00:04:12,120 --> 00:04:15,119
Speaker 2: my grandfather, my mother's dad, built the house I grew

66
00:04:15,200 --> 00:04:20,760
Speaker 2: up in, and so he was a carpenter and he

67
00:04:21,760 --> 00:04:25,320
Speaker 2: and my grandmother actually did the concrete for the house.

68
00:04:25,960 --> 00:04:28,880
Speaker 2: And so that was the house that my yeah, my

69
00:04:29,160 --> 00:04:32,599
Speaker 2: and I learned that recently through my grandmother not knowing

70
00:04:32,640 --> 00:04:35,479
Speaker 2: all this time, that that was always a part of

71
00:04:35,520 --> 00:04:40,200
Speaker 2: my history, a woman in construction. And so the house

72
00:04:40,240 --> 00:04:42,240
Speaker 2: that my mother grew up in, I grew up in,

73
00:04:42,800 --> 00:04:45,800
Speaker 2: and and then I was around it because my grandfather,

74
00:04:46,000 --> 00:04:50,480
Speaker 2: I'm originally from Memphis, Tennessee, and so he actually had

75
00:04:50,480 --> 00:04:54,080
Speaker 2: a towel company and so he would get contracts through

76
00:04:54,080 --> 00:04:57,920
Speaker 2: the city of Memphis and to do cow whether it's

77
00:04:57,960 --> 00:05:01,760
Speaker 2: residential or commercial. And I I remember one time where

78
00:05:01,800 --> 00:05:03,920
Speaker 2: my father would take me to. At this time, it

79
00:05:03,960 --> 00:05:06,479
Speaker 2: was called the Mall of Memphis. It was like a

80
00:05:06,520 --> 00:05:11,480
Speaker 2: really affluent mall, and my father would walk me down

81
00:05:13,200 --> 00:05:15,680
Speaker 2: in the mall and he would point out different stores.

82
00:05:15,720 --> 00:05:18,320
Speaker 2: I remember him pointing out the gap and he said,

83
00:05:18,600 --> 00:05:22,480
Speaker 2: your grandfather did that, just looking at the different towel

84
00:05:22,520 --> 00:05:24,200
Speaker 2: on each of the floors, and he says, I want

85
00:05:24,240 --> 00:05:27,320
Speaker 2: you to remember that your grandfather did that. And I

86
00:05:27,320 --> 00:05:30,200
Speaker 2: would sit sometimes even after school instead of going to

87
00:05:30,279 --> 00:05:33,200
Speaker 2: the after school program. My father worked for my grandfather

88
00:05:33,839 --> 00:05:36,200
Speaker 2: and would take me and I would sit, you know,

89
00:05:36,560 --> 00:05:39,080
Speaker 2: not of course in the near the construction, but I

90
00:05:39,080 --> 00:05:43,680
Speaker 2: will watch my grandfather and my father work, and so

91
00:05:43,839 --> 00:05:46,599
Speaker 2: I was always around it, not really knowing that that

92
00:05:46,720 --> 00:05:48,920
Speaker 2: was something that I was supprised I was gonna do,

93
00:05:49,279 --> 00:05:52,839
Speaker 2: because at that time it was meant for the boy

94
00:05:52,960 --> 00:05:58,719
Speaker 2: cousins to actually go into that field. But surprisingly the

95
00:05:58,800 --> 00:06:02,600
Speaker 2: person that actually went and two construction later on one ended up.

96
00:06:02,560 --> 00:06:06,080
Speaker 1: Being me, right right. You know that's the stereotype. You

97
00:06:06,080 --> 00:06:08,880
Speaker 1: think that's a male feel. The boys are gonna do it,

98
00:06:08,920 --> 00:06:12,119
Speaker 1: and you send you know they are miscuriosity. You taking

99
00:06:12,160 --> 00:06:15,839
Speaker 1: in the stories. You're embracing the stories that your father's

100
00:06:15,920 --> 00:06:18,880
Speaker 1: telling you about. And now you know it's all about

101
00:06:18,920 --> 00:06:21,839
Speaker 1: information because I can remember a lot of things I

102
00:06:21,880 --> 00:06:24,400
Speaker 1: was told and now I remember them now at the

103
00:06:24,480 --> 00:06:27,039
Speaker 1: old age, I go, wow, I can remember when that

104
00:06:27,080 --> 00:06:30,520
Speaker 1: information was given to me, and now how it translates

105
00:06:30,560 --> 00:06:33,680
Speaker 1: in my life now. Because I always tell people between

106
00:06:33,720 --> 00:06:38,559
Speaker 1: the ages of eighteen and twenty two. That's that period

107
00:06:38,600 --> 00:06:40,960
Speaker 1: where you feel you can do anything. And when you

108
00:06:40,960 --> 00:06:43,360
Speaker 1: get out of that twenty two then life can kind

109
00:06:43,360 --> 00:06:45,320
Speaker 1: of take over. You know, you might go, you might

110
00:06:45,400 --> 00:06:48,600
Speaker 1: graduate from college, get a job, get married, may have children,

111
00:06:48,920 --> 00:06:52,400
Speaker 1: and then your dreams can get altered. That But if

112
00:06:52,440 --> 00:06:55,000
Speaker 1: you really think about it, between the ages of eighteen

113
00:06:55,080 --> 00:06:57,719
Speaker 1: twenty two, if that's what you want to do, and

114
00:06:57,760 --> 00:06:59,160
Speaker 1: you want to go back and say what I want

115
00:06:59,160 --> 00:07:01,560
Speaker 1: to do with you'ut what my life? Go back to

116
00:07:01,600 --> 00:07:03,800
Speaker 1: that period because that's what you're going to be doing now.

117
00:07:04,080 --> 00:07:06,599
Speaker 1: And that sounds like that's what was happening in your life,

118
00:07:07,000 --> 00:07:07,800
Speaker 1: was it, Monique?

119
00:07:08,680 --> 00:07:12,800
Speaker 2: It was? I actually did have so originally when I

120
00:07:12,840 --> 00:07:15,440
Speaker 2: went to school. When I went to college, I actually

121
00:07:15,480 --> 00:07:20,160
Speaker 2: attended the illustrious Clark Atlanta University and I graduated with

122
00:07:20,360 --> 00:07:23,960
Speaker 2: a baskets of science and engineering. My concentration was electrical,

123
00:07:24,440 --> 00:07:26,840
Speaker 2: so I was on a different path. And it wasn't

124
00:07:26,920 --> 00:07:30,760
Speaker 2: until one day I was I had this moment where

125
00:07:30,760 --> 00:07:32,920
Speaker 2: I felt like I needed to pisit. I just didn't

126
00:07:32,960 --> 00:07:35,680
Speaker 2: figure I was trying to figure out exactly what's the

127
00:07:35,720 --> 00:07:40,720
Speaker 2: next step? And you said engineering, right, that is correct?

128
00:07:40,800 --> 00:07:42,200
Speaker 1: Now? Is an engineering construction.

129
00:07:44,000 --> 00:07:45,280
Speaker 2: You know it's tied.

130
00:07:45,920 --> 00:07:51,440
Speaker 1: So is it not? Because my early degree plan was

131
00:07:51,480 --> 00:07:55,440
Speaker 1: civil engineering and we all know that's the basis of engineers,

132
00:07:55,440 --> 00:07:58,240
Speaker 1: the basis of what you do outside of architect Okay,

133
00:07:58,400 --> 00:08:00,640
Speaker 1: that is correct, and so for you just set up

134
00:08:00,640 --> 00:08:03,440
Speaker 1: on this interview with me, Monique and go, well, you know,

135
00:08:04,040 --> 00:08:06,800
Speaker 1: I got my degree in engineer. That's not really like construction.

136
00:08:06,960 --> 00:08:10,680
Speaker 1: You know, that's not really like dealing with building models

137
00:08:10,760 --> 00:08:14,560
Speaker 1: and moving things. You need to stop talking to me.

138
00:08:14,640 --> 00:08:17,120
Speaker 1: I might end this interview earlier, miss Strong, who you

139
00:08:17,160 --> 00:08:19,080
Speaker 1: advocate for. Is it because I'm a man?

140
00:08:19,960 --> 00:08:25,960
Speaker 2: No, it is not. Yes, So I would say that

141
00:08:26,080 --> 00:08:30,480
Speaker 2: it does help me definitely will reading of drawings and

142
00:08:30,560 --> 00:08:35,400
Speaker 2: plans and feel like you I am. I am grateful

143
00:08:35,480 --> 00:08:39,280
Speaker 2: for it, absolutely because it gave me the stepping stone

144
00:08:39,400 --> 00:08:42,120
Speaker 2: where I didn't have to struggle as much when I

145
00:08:42,320 --> 00:08:46,480
Speaker 2: entered this industry. I did. I did end up going

146
00:08:46,520 --> 00:08:50,280
Speaker 2: to trade school, and so I actually attended Atlanta Technical

147
00:08:50,280 --> 00:08:54,440
Speaker 2: College and went and was a part of the construction

148
00:08:54,559 --> 00:08:59,599
Speaker 2: management program. And that's really how I got introduced to

149
00:08:59,800 --> 00:09:03,079
Speaker 2: the National Association of Black Woman in Construction because I

150
00:09:03,160 --> 00:09:06,480
Speaker 2: actually met a young lady that introduced me to the

151
00:09:06,559 --> 00:09:11,520
Speaker 2: Atlanta chapter and and also there was a chair there

152
00:09:11,679 --> 00:09:15,640
Speaker 2: named mister Sellers. He introduced me to an internship where

153
00:09:15,640 --> 00:09:18,439
Speaker 2: this young lady was and so I served my first

154
00:09:18,520 --> 00:09:27,200
Speaker 2: internship as Skyline Engineering, and that's where I.

155
00:09:27,200 --> 00:09:32,840
Speaker 1: Engineering popping back up there and that's where I met

156
00:09:32,840 --> 00:09:33,640
Speaker 1: my first.

157
00:09:33,480 --> 00:09:37,480
Speaker 2: My first mentor, and I did an internship there for

158
00:09:37,520 --> 00:09:41,520
Speaker 2: a while, and one of the the ladies of one

159
00:09:41,520 --> 00:09:45,440
Speaker 2: of the sisters of the membership of Natwig share with

160
00:09:45,440 --> 00:09:49,719
Speaker 2: me on another opportunity for a company called Yujama Construction,

161
00:09:50,440 --> 00:09:55,080
Speaker 2: and I interned there and that ended up being where

162
00:09:55,120 --> 00:09:57,160
Speaker 2: my career took off.

163
00:09:57,720 --> 00:10:01,320
Speaker 1: Well, you know, when you think about this, okay, socially okay,

164
00:10:02,360 --> 00:10:05,400
Speaker 1: just the word construction, it feels dirty. You think of

165
00:10:05,440 --> 00:10:10,559
Speaker 1: a hard hat. And where are you with your friends

166
00:10:10,720 --> 00:10:15,480
Speaker 1: when you are embarking in this direction, because it feels

167
00:10:15,480 --> 00:10:18,239
Speaker 1: like that's just a dirty job. That feels like a

168
00:10:18,320 --> 00:10:22,240
Speaker 1: very hard, unattractive job and not a job that every

169
00:10:22,559 --> 00:10:24,960
Speaker 1: let alone a woman, but a man may not want

170
00:10:25,000 --> 00:10:27,080
Speaker 1: to do. Where are you at when you're starting to

171
00:10:27,120 --> 00:10:29,640
Speaker 1: tell people this is your dream, this is the path

172
00:10:29,679 --> 00:10:30,520
Speaker 1: you're going to follow.

173
00:10:32,160 --> 00:10:35,680
Speaker 2: I must have met my family, thought I had you know,

174
00:10:35,840 --> 00:10:41,160
Speaker 2: made a mistake and they were kind of really concerned

175
00:10:41,240 --> 00:10:44,199
Speaker 2: at first because they thought, you know, thinking of the

176
00:10:44,240 --> 00:10:48,600
Speaker 2: stereop type, you know, it's a hard type of industry,

177
00:10:49,679 --> 00:10:52,800
Speaker 2: you know, very dirty. I think it was just more

178
00:10:52,880 --> 00:10:57,439
Speaker 2: so where I just had to you have to navigate

179
00:10:57,600 --> 00:11:02,080
Speaker 2: right because there's so many lanes in construction and I'm

180
00:11:02,080 --> 00:11:04,319
Speaker 2: not And I also I did through the field. I

181
00:11:04,720 --> 00:11:08,000
Speaker 2: actually came into my career where I actually spent some

182
00:11:08,080 --> 00:11:10,840
Speaker 2: time on my projects in the field because I feel

183
00:11:10,880 --> 00:11:13,480
Speaker 2: that's the best place to kind of learn and grow

184
00:11:13,520 --> 00:11:16,560
Speaker 2: and develop. But you know, something I must say is

185
00:11:16,600 --> 00:11:20,000
Speaker 2: that you you identify in this industry when you come in,

186
00:11:20,520 --> 00:11:22,360
Speaker 2: is that you have to identify who you are and

187
00:11:22,440 --> 00:11:25,920
Speaker 2: who you're not. And then also as a woman, you

188
00:11:26,040 --> 00:11:30,320
Speaker 2: have to acknowledge and embrace that you are a woman

189
00:11:30,520 --> 00:11:33,200
Speaker 2: and you are different. And so no, you don't have

190
00:11:33,320 --> 00:11:36,560
Speaker 2: to be hard. That's the past stereotype, because when you

191
00:11:36,600 --> 00:11:39,520
Speaker 2: look back in the past, it shows the women are

192
00:11:39,559 --> 00:11:42,600
Speaker 2: hard and you know, and different things, and so it's

193
00:11:42,640 --> 00:11:45,520
Speaker 2: a lot of stereotypes with that. But there is a

194
00:11:45,559 --> 00:11:49,720
Speaker 2: new generation that has entered this industry that has shown

195
00:11:49,840 --> 00:11:53,600
Speaker 2: that you don't have to be hard, you just have

196
00:11:53,760 --> 00:11:55,680
Speaker 2: to be hungry.

197
00:11:56,400 --> 00:11:58,920
Speaker 1: Well, I think also a relationship player big role in that.

198
00:11:58,960 --> 00:12:00,920
Speaker 1: But before we go to break, I just want to

199
00:12:00,920 --> 00:12:04,400
Speaker 1: give everybody the definition of engineering since my good friend

200
00:12:04,440 --> 00:12:07,320
Speaker 1: Monique Strom said, you know, between the years of eighteen

201
00:12:07,320 --> 00:12:09,680
Speaker 1: and twenty two, she got a degree in engineering, but

202
00:12:09,679 --> 00:12:12,480
Speaker 1: it had nothing to do with the construction future. The

203
00:12:12,520 --> 00:12:17,160
Speaker 1: branch of science and technology concern with the design, building,

204
00:12:17,559 --> 00:12:23,840
Speaker 1: and use of engines, machines, and structures. I think construction

205
00:12:24,000 --> 00:12:27,720
Speaker 1: falls in line with that terminology what you got your

206
00:12:27,760 --> 00:12:29,600
Speaker 1: degree in. Don't you agree that, my friend?

207
00:12:30,360 --> 00:12:33,920
Speaker 2: Absolutely? Absolutely, I am an agreement of that.

208
00:12:35,040 --> 00:12:35,360
Speaker 3: We know.

209
00:12:35,600 --> 00:12:35,800
Speaker 2: You know.

210
00:12:35,880 --> 00:12:38,760
Speaker 1: The great thing about when I'm talking to I call

211
00:12:38,800 --> 00:12:41,680
Speaker 1: you a trail baser, Monique because of the fact that

212
00:12:43,360 --> 00:12:47,520
Speaker 1: when everybody wants everybody I always say, people want you

213
00:12:47,559 --> 00:12:50,200
Speaker 1: to live the path they think you should live, you know,

214
00:12:50,800 --> 00:12:55,040
Speaker 1: and then when you start deviating from that path, people

215
00:12:55,280 --> 00:12:59,959
Speaker 1: tend to start questioning your own dreams. Tell me about

216
00:13:00,120 --> 00:13:00,559
Speaker 1: that moment.

217
00:13:01,760 --> 00:13:10,400
Speaker 2: H Wow, When I first entered into this industry, I

218
00:13:10,480 --> 00:13:13,920
Speaker 2: must say, it was a very hard season for me.

219
00:13:16,080 --> 00:13:22,160
Speaker 2: It I was young, I'm a young black woman in

220
00:13:22,160 --> 00:13:27,000
Speaker 2: the industry surrounded by men. I didn't at that time.

221
00:13:27,160 --> 00:13:30,280
Speaker 2: It wasn't I went to I worked in the field

222
00:13:30,280 --> 00:13:32,040
Speaker 2: with men. I worked on my projects were men. When

223
00:13:32,080 --> 00:13:34,800
Speaker 2: I even went to some of the walkthroughs where we

224
00:13:34,800 --> 00:13:38,640
Speaker 2: were competitively bidding, I would be surrounded by nothing but

225
00:13:39,120 --> 00:13:42,200
Speaker 2: white men. I remember a time when I went to

226
00:13:42,280 --> 00:13:45,840
Speaker 2: did a job and I walked up and it was

227
00:13:45,880 --> 00:13:50,680
Speaker 2: these older white men and they were looking around to see,

228
00:13:50,720 --> 00:13:53,040
Speaker 2: you know, number one, who am I and why am

229
00:13:53,040 --> 00:13:57,200
Speaker 2: I there? And not knowing that I'm there to also

230
00:13:57,360 --> 00:14:01,559
Speaker 2: competitively bid for this for this project as well. And

231
00:14:01,640 --> 00:14:03,960
Speaker 2: so it was really an eye opening moment for me.

232
00:14:04,080 --> 00:14:06,800
Speaker 2: And it was if I even go back to the

233
00:14:06,920 --> 00:14:11,960
Speaker 2: struggle it took to to get to where I am now.

234
00:14:12,760 --> 00:14:17,720
Speaker 2: It was not easy because you're fighting let's just say, fear, doubt,

235
00:14:17,720 --> 00:14:21,720
Speaker 2: and unbelief. Right, you're jumping into something that you don't

236
00:14:21,760 --> 00:14:26,040
Speaker 2: know what you don't know. You're also hoping that you're

237
00:14:26,080 --> 00:14:29,000
Speaker 2: getting the right advice for those that support you, right,

238
00:14:29,360 --> 00:14:31,600
Speaker 2: But then there's those that support you, but they don't

239
00:14:31,600 --> 00:14:34,080
Speaker 2: know either, right, they don't know. They just want you

240
00:14:34,160 --> 00:14:38,400
Speaker 2: to succeed and and and and want the best for

241
00:14:38,520 --> 00:14:44,040
Speaker 2: You're not sure exactly what that looks like. So I

242
00:14:44,080 --> 00:14:47,280
Speaker 2: think in that moment, you really have to go within yourself.

243
00:14:47,400 --> 00:14:50,440
Speaker 2: And every time I kept telling myself because I kept

244
00:14:51,440 --> 00:14:54,000
Speaker 2: I kept feeling, this is what I was supposed to do.

245
00:14:54,600 --> 00:14:58,920
Speaker 2: Those those those instances where I was going having visions

246
00:14:58,960 --> 00:15:02,200
Speaker 2: back in the past. Was my dad and my granddad,

247
00:15:02,280 --> 00:15:04,440
Speaker 2: and you know when I was one of them was

248
00:15:04,640 --> 00:15:08,600
Speaker 2: in the house with my grandfather, which was the carpenter

249
00:15:08,680 --> 00:15:11,640
Speaker 2: they built the home. It was just reminding me that

250
00:15:12,200 --> 00:15:14,120
Speaker 2: this was something you was supposed to do.

251
00:15:14,840 --> 00:15:18,040
Speaker 3: Please don't go anywhere. We'll be right back with more

252
00:15:18,080 --> 00:15:28,160
Speaker 3: money Making Conversations Masterclass. Welcome back to the Money Making

253
00:15:28,240 --> 00:15:33,920
Speaker 3: Conversations Masterclass, hosted by Rashaan McDonald. Money Making Conversations Masterclass

254
00:15:34,000 --> 00:15:38,600
Speaker 3: continues online at Moneymakingconversations dot com and follow money Making

255
00:15:38,640 --> 00:15:42,400
Speaker 3: Conversations Masterclass on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

256
00:15:42,440 --> 00:15:47,200
Speaker 1: Construction, that's right. Construction. You know hard hats. You drive down,

257
00:15:47,360 --> 00:15:50,160
Speaker 1: you look at these big old buildings. You see these cranes.

258
00:15:50,200 --> 00:15:53,080
Speaker 1: You see people with these back holes digging in the ground.

259
00:15:53,400 --> 00:15:56,280
Speaker 1: You see people going working in the sun. Is hot

260
00:15:56,360 --> 00:15:59,880
Speaker 1: out there. You're going, that's a job I don't want

261
00:16:00,080 --> 00:16:04,200
Speaker 1: to do. Let alone, see a woman doing it and

262
00:16:04,240 --> 00:16:07,600
Speaker 1: she's happy. On the phone. I have the president of

263
00:16:07,640 --> 00:16:11,080
Speaker 1: the Atlanta chapter of the National Association of Black Women

264
00:16:11,200 --> 00:16:15,360
Speaker 1: in Construction, beating the drum saying, come on down, this

265
00:16:15,440 --> 00:16:18,560
Speaker 1: is the place to be. Their opening is their opportunity,

266
00:16:19,000 --> 00:16:21,040
Speaker 1: is that the attitude is that the person I'm talking

267
00:16:21,040 --> 00:16:21,800
Speaker 1: to more Nick.

268
00:16:21,640 --> 00:16:28,200
Speaker 2: Strong, absolutely, absolutely, I believe that we as women do

269
00:16:28,480 --> 00:16:32,560
Speaker 2: very well in this industry because we are very detailed.

270
00:16:33,920 --> 00:16:36,440
Speaker 2: And that is the number one thing when you're working

271
00:16:36,440 --> 00:16:39,840
Speaker 2: with your client that even though you do you've done

272
00:16:39,840 --> 00:16:43,160
Speaker 2: all the construction, the thing that your client looks at

273
00:16:43,160 --> 00:16:45,400
Speaker 2: when they walk that project, it's not the construction and

274
00:16:45,480 --> 00:16:49,320
Speaker 2: how it's done, it's the finish. It's the detail in it. Right,

275
00:16:49,600 --> 00:16:52,320
Speaker 2: did you bring their vision to life that you manifested

276
00:16:52,360 --> 00:16:54,280
Speaker 2: this way that they showed it to you? And we

277
00:16:54,360 --> 00:16:57,320
Speaker 2: women were so detailed that we ask questions to make

278
00:16:57,360 --> 00:16:59,560
Speaker 2: sure that we actually created the vision.

279
00:17:00,360 --> 00:17:03,720
Speaker 1: Well, you know, it's really interesting because there are a

280
00:17:03,760 --> 00:17:08,520
Speaker 1: lot of opportunities for just black people in general and construction.

281
00:17:09,200 --> 00:17:11,919
Speaker 1: There are a lot of jobs to be bid on

282
00:17:12,280 --> 00:17:15,119
Speaker 1: because I you know, I'm always being RFPs. You know,

283
00:17:15,200 --> 00:17:18,440
Speaker 1: where they you know, they request for a proposal, that's

284
00:17:18,440 --> 00:17:21,760
Speaker 1: what RFP means, and you have to compete with a

285
00:17:21,840 --> 00:17:24,600
Speaker 1: lot of people. And I'm in that marketing, I'm in

286
00:17:24,680 --> 00:17:29,520
Speaker 1: that design studio, graphic design, social media. There's a lot

287
00:17:29,560 --> 00:17:33,000
Speaker 1: of people to do that. Now, what happens is if

288
00:17:33,040 --> 00:17:36,879
Speaker 1: you are a general contractor and you get a government contract,

289
00:17:37,119 --> 00:17:41,560
Speaker 1: then the government will force people to bring on other vendors.

290
00:17:41,600 --> 00:17:44,480
Speaker 1: In other words, they just kind of like it really

291
00:17:44,560 --> 00:17:47,640
Speaker 1: is a diversity, equity inclusion. The government has always been

292
00:17:47,680 --> 00:17:51,320
Speaker 1: that when it comes to government contractors, otherwise it will

293
00:17:51,359 --> 00:17:53,879
Speaker 1: be controlled by just two or three companies because they

294
00:17:53,920 --> 00:17:56,960
Speaker 1: got the pot. But they've always said, you got to

295
00:17:57,200 --> 00:17:59,880
Speaker 1: do business with other people, and it's all and that's

296
00:18:00,080 --> 00:18:04,280
Speaker 1: where the opportunities and blacks being able to get into construction.

297
00:18:04,440 --> 00:18:06,880
Speaker 1: You just have to have the relationship. And that's what's

298
00:18:07,000 --> 00:18:10,359
Speaker 1: why it's important to be with organizations like your organization,

299
00:18:10,840 --> 00:18:14,000
Speaker 1: because it's who you know that helps you get to

300
00:18:14,040 --> 00:18:15,919
Speaker 1: know with the right people.

301
00:18:16,040 --> 00:18:21,680
Speaker 2: Correct, Monique, Absolutely, I think this whole industry is really

302
00:18:21,720 --> 00:18:26,480
Speaker 2: about relationships and when you can find an organization that

303
00:18:26,800 --> 00:18:30,439
Speaker 2: can support you and actually is rooting for you and

304
00:18:30,520 --> 00:18:33,679
Speaker 2: wants you to succeed, because when you win, they win, right,

305
00:18:34,600 --> 00:18:37,399
Speaker 2: And then not only that, we reach you back and

306
00:18:37,440 --> 00:18:38,480
Speaker 2: pull up the next sister.

307
00:18:40,040 --> 00:18:44,959
Speaker 1: Now now when we talk about women. Okay, my first job,

308
00:18:46,160 --> 00:18:50,080
Speaker 1: I was unloading boxes fifteen years old in the summer

309
00:18:50,119 --> 00:18:54,359
Speaker 1: of July. I was driving a forklift and that son

310
00:18:54,480 --> 00:18:56,680
Speaker 1: was beaming down on my back on Nick. I said,

311
00:18:56,720 --> 00:18:59,680
Speaker 1: I will never ever do this kind of work again.

312
00:19:00,000 --> 00:19:01,960
Speaker 1: This wasn't for me, just wasn't for me. That he

313
00:19:02,160 --> 00:19:05,120
Speaker 1: was killing me and I have I have never went

314
00:19:05,160 --> 00:19:07,600
Speaker 1: back out there unless I was just out there having fun. Okay,

315
00:19:08,440 --> 00:19:11,359
Speaker 1: So so it's not a dream job all the time.

316
00:19:11,880 --> 00:19:15,120
Speaker 1: But what drives you? What when at that moment when

317
00:19:15,119 --> 00:19:17,480
Speaker 1: that heats on you, When when the air condition is

318
00:19:17,520 --> 00:19:19,879
Speaker 1: not available, when you're out there and you and you

319
00:19:20,040 --> 00:19:23,359
Speaker 1: and the clock is ticket what what is motivating you?

320
00:19:23,440 --> 00:19:27,320
Speaker 1: Because I'm trying to find out how you are so

321
00:19:27,600 --> 00:19:30,240
Speaker 1: happy working in construction.

322
00:19:32,320 --> 00:19:33,080
Speaker 2: I like to build.

323
00:19:34,920 --> 00:19:36,240
Speaker 1: I love it. I love it.

324
00:19:36,359 --> 00:19:38,760
Speaker 2: I like I like to take something that's nothing to

325
00:19:38,800 --> 00:19:41,400
Speaker 2: make it something. You know. I like to build and create.

326
00:19:41,840 --> 00:19:45,000
Speaker 2: I love it. I love the satisfaction that I get

327
00:19:45,359 --> 00:19:47,240
Speaker 2: is that when I get an opportunity to have a

328
00:19:47,280 --> 00:19:50,800
Speaker 2: client and I and with the various different projects I've done.

329
00:19:51,040 --> 00:19:55,760
Speaker 2: I love working with entrepreneurs. I love working with small

330
00:19:55,800 --> 00:19:59,960
Speaker 2: business owners, whether it's their first coffee house or whether

331
00:20:00,000 --> 00:20:05,200
Speaker 2: and it's their first gym or uh, you know, retail space.

332
00:20:05,800 --> 00:20:08,800
Speaker 2: They had this vision, this dream. They stepped outside of

333
00:20:08,840 --> 00:20:11,000
Speaker 2: the norm and decided that they wanted to go into

334
00:20:11,000 --> 00:20:13,960
Speaker 2: business for themselves, and they were getting ready to uh

335
00:20:14,000 --> 00:20:16,680
Speaker 2: and they want to create a space where they can

336
00:20:16,920 --> 00:20:20,080
Speaker 2: be able to showcase that. And they come to us

337
00:20:20,359 --> 00:20:22,600
Speaker 2: and say, this is my vision, and then being able

338
00:20:22,640 --> 00:20:25,560
Speaker 2: to manifest that and walk them through the stages of construction.

339
00:20:26,480 --> 00:20:28,600
Speaker 2: And then you stand in the space when you get

340
00:20:28,600 --> 00:20:31,960
Speaker 2: ready to do the ribbon cutting and you look around

341
00:20:32,080 --> 00:20:34,280
Speaker 2: and in this the vision that they actually saw in

342
00:20:34,320 --> 00:20:37,960
Speaker 2: their mind. That's why I do it.

343
00:20:38,160 --> 00:20:41,280
Speaker 1: I'm gonna tell you something made me jump in line.

344
00:20:42,560 --> 00:20:44,439
Speaker 1: You go from like that, you know, the little tossing

345
00:20:44,480 --> 00:20:46,840
Speaker 1: the other dirt with the shovel when you break the ground.

346
00:20:49,400 --> 00:20:52,440
Speaker 2: It's exciting. It's exciting because they get a chance to get,

347
00:20:52,640 --> 00:20:56,480
Speaker 2: you know, share with their family members and they built legacy.

348
00:20:56,600 --> 00:20:59,960
Speaker 2: Right so now they're family members, whether it's they're children

349
00:21:00,600 --> 00:21:05,399
Speaker 2: or their mother can see the manifestation of that vision.

350
00:21:06,200 --> 00:21:09,240
Speaker 2: And so that's what it is. Shout out to all

351
00:21:09,280 --> 00:21:12,440
Speaker 2: the women that are in the trade that or whether

352
00:21:12,520 --> 00:21:16,359
Speaker 2: they are you know, poor in concrete or whether they're

353
00:21:16,359 --> 00:21:20,960
Speaker 2: doing the mechanical, electrical, plumbing or the other part of

354
00:21:21,040 --> 00:21:23,479
Speaker 2: it is that they might not be so much hands

355
00:21:23,480 --> 00:21:26,240
Speaker 2: on in the field, but they may be the project

356
00:21:26,280 --> 00:21:30,920
Speaker 2: manager or the estimator, or the safety coordinator, a director,

357
00:21:31,800 --> 00:21:36,520
Speaker 2: or they're the CEO. Right are they the designer? Because

358
00:21:36,560 --> 00:21:39,520
Speaker 2: we have women in this construction is so vast, you

359
00:21:39,560 --> 00:21:40,520
Speaker 2: can be the architect.

360
00:21:41,600 --> 00:21:43,480
Speaker 1: Well, you know. The beauty of this is that every

361
00:21:43,520 --> 00:21:48,240
Speaker 1: last one of the jobs from welder, plumba electrical you know,

362
00:21:49,080 --> 00:21:53,920
Speaker 1: a construction laborer, a well paying jobs that have help

363
00:21:53,960 --> 00:21:57,760
Speaker 1: benefit's tied to it. These are outstanding jobs that really

364
00:21:57,800 --> 00:22:00,560
Speaker 1: can give you a lifestyle that can be very very

365
00:22:00,600 --> 00:22:04,080
Speaker 1: healthy and also can lead you to other opportunities. But

366
00:22:04,119 --> 00:22:07,080
Speaker 1: it's all about willing to put in the work. As

367
00:22:07,160 --> 00:22:10,240
Speaker 1: we go near this interviews in I would need you

368
00:22:10,240 --> 00:22:12,199
Speaker 1: to answer a couple of questions for me. Why do

369
00:22:12,280 --> 00:22:16,400
Speaker 1: you believe diversity and inclusion and construction leadership are so

370
00:22:16,480 --> 00:22:18,960
Speaker 1: important and how can the industry do better?

371
00:22:22,040 --> 00:22:28,360
Speaker 2: I believe it's important because the country is diverse, right.

372
00:22:28,840 --> 00:22:31,919
Speaker 2: I believe it's important because one of the things that

373
00:22:32,119 --> 00:22:34,919
Speaker 2: so that makes us great at who we are is

374
00:22:34,960 --> 00:22:39,920
Speaker 2: our diversity and being able to be in spaces where

375
00:22:40,040 --> 00:22:44,720
Speaker 2: you can utilize your skill, especially being in construction to

376
00:22:44,840 --> 00:22:50,280
Speaker 2: design and build is needed. I believe that women in construction,

377
00:22:50,720 --> 00:22:53,679
Speaker 2: we are the unicorns that people are looking for. You

378
00:22:53,760 --> 00:22:59,000
Speaker 2: see it well in the federal contracting industry, right they

379
00:22:59,040 --> 00:23:02,439
Speaker 2: have to have a certain prince percinach because of to

380
00:23:02,440 --> 00:23:06,359
Speaker 2: to be able to employ diversity and even now. I

381
00:23:06,480 --> 00:23:10,480
Speaker 2: understand that things are changing based on the administration, but

382
00:23:11,240 --> 00:23:14,560
Speaker 2: it's so important because it makes us who we are.

383
00:23:14,800 --> 00:23:17,280
Speaker 2: It also inspires us to continue to be leaders of

384
00:23:17,280 --> 00:23:21,520
Speaker 2: our communities and to be able to build and grow.

385
00:23:22,080 --> 00:23:26,800
Speaker 2: We were being able to increase the unrepresentation, the lack

386
00:23:26,840 --> 00:23:32,159
Speaker 2: of divisibility. It's important to be able to expand the

387
00:23:32,200 --> 00:23:37,199
Speaker 2: workplace culture. And then number one, it's important to be

388
00:23:37,400 --> 00:23:41,880
Speaker 2: able to have mentors and sponsors, right sponsorships. I think

389
00:23:42,840 --> 00:23:47,040
Speaker 2: the challenges are there, but I believe we can overcome them.

390
00:23:47,080 --> 00:23:50,679
Speaker 2: We overcome the stereotypes because it's already changing. What we

391
00:23:50,800 --> 00:23:53,840
Speaker 2: look like years ago is different for what we look

392
00:23:53,960 --> 00:23:54,399
Speaker 2: like now.

393
00:23:55,200 --> 00:23:58,280
Speaker 1: I can attest to that. I remember in high school,

394
00:23:59,080 --> 00:24:01,879
Speaker 1: I'm a good friends who classmates there were the Sloans

395
00:24:02,400 --> 00:24:07,000
Speaker 1: and they told me they dad run a Cemen truck. Now,

396
00:24:07,240 --> 00:24:10,639
Speaker 1: were you own the Cemen truck? You were making money? Okay,

397
00:24:11,200 --> 00:24:13,520
Speaker 1: and they was living in the same neighborhood. I still

398
00:24:13,520 --> 00:24:16,120
Speaker 1: don't understand that because we weren't living in a good neighborhood.

399
00:24:16,160 --> 00:24:19,360
Speaker 1: But they would have the Seamen truck. And and you're

400
00:24:19,560 --> 00:24:21,879
Speaker 1: on the Seamen truck. That's like white gold. That's like

401
00:24:22,000 --> 00:24:25,080
Speaker 1: that's like almost like printing money. And that was the

402
00:24:25,119 --> 00:24:29,520
Speaker 1: first time I heard construction and it was tied to

403
00:24:29,560 --> 00:24:32,160
Speaker 1: black people. And I could never wrap my head around

404
00:24:32,280 --> 00:24:37,320
Speaker 1: that because it is so unique. And but but that's

405
00:24:37,320 --> 00:24:41,000
Speaker 1: back then, like you were saying today, it's not unique.

406
00:24:41,119 --> 00:24:44,439
Speaker 1: And as you talk to women doing this interview, what

407
00:24:44,640 --> 00:24:47,840
Speaker 1: advice and how would you tell me to advance their

408
00:24:47,840 --> 00:24:51,160
Speaker 1: careers in the construction and what advice would you give them?

409
00:24:51,800 --> 00:24:54,680
Speaker 2: Okay, Well, I still think that it's still unique, right

410
00:24:54,760 --> 00:24:58,600
Speaker 2: because when we're we are better than we we was

411
00:24:58,680 --> 00:25:01,120
Speaker 2: years ago. When we still have you know, we still

412
00:25:01,160 --> 00:25:03,600
Speaker 2: have some ways to go, right, And I think the

413
00:25:03,640 --> 00:25:06,960
Speaker 2: most important part about it is that what this organization does.

414
00:25:07,080 --> 00:25:11,639
Speaker 2: It advocates for fair contracting opportunities and connecting members to

415
00:25:11,920 --> 00:25:15,720
Speaker 2: procure and resources and also we educate. If you are

416
00:25:15,760 --> 00:25:18,399
Speaker 2: a woman in construction or you are a woman that

417
00:25:18,440 --> 00:25:21,640
Speaker 2: would like to be in construction, the number one thing

418
00:25:21,680 --> 00:25:24,119
Speaker 2: I would say is get around a community that supports

419
00:25:24,119 --> 00:25:26,280
Speaker 2: that so that it can be able to create a

420
00:25:26,320 --> 00:25:30,120
Speaker 2: pathway for leadership and mentorship for you. Because you don't

421
00:25:30,160 --> 00:25:32,399
Speaker 2: know what you don't know, and there are women that

422
00:25:32,400 --> 00:25:35,639
Speaker 2: will share their nuggets with you. They'll share there. We

423
00:25:35,680 --> 00:25:37,919
Speaker 2: would have something every week in the chapter where we

424
00:25:37,920 --> 00:25:40,640
Speaker 2: would get on the call and talk about roses and thorns,

425
00:25:41,440 --> 00:25:43,919
Speaker 2: our wins, and even our losses, because your losses can

426
00:25:44,040 --> 00:25:48,159
Speaker 2: educate someone right, it can help them to be able

427
00:25:48,200 --> 00:25:52,560
Speaker 2: to steal events. Because if you're saying you've been there,

428
00:25:52,880 --> 00:25:55,359
Speaker 2: there's always people at the beginning, the middle, and the end,

429
00:25:56,520 --> 00:25:59,600
Speaker 2: and each one of them have nuggets. And so my

430
00:26:00,119 --> 00:26:05,479
Speaker 2: advice would be is connect yourself with individuals that are

431
00:26:05,480 --> 00:26:07,399
Speaker 2: in the middle of the beginning of the end of

432
00:26:07,480 --> 00:26:09,400
Speaker 2: construction that you can grow.

433
00:26:09,720 --> 00:26:13,600
Speaker 1: Wow, I'm talking to she's special Monique Strong. She is

434
00:26:13,600 --> 00:26:16,960
Speaker 1: the president of the Atlanta chapter of the National Association

435
00:26:17,080 --> 00:26:19,280
Speaker 1: of Black Women in Construction. You heard it first right

436
00:26:19,280 --> 00:26:21,879
Speaker 1: here on one and making conversations Mastercreli. She's doing it

437
00:26:21,920 --> 00:26:25,919
Speaker 1: down here black women in Construction, building ground laying the

438
00:26:25,920 --> 00:26:29,840
Speaker 1: groundwork and building. Like she said, Rashan is when you

439
00:26:30,200 --> 00:26:33,639
Speaker 1: somebody bring a dream to her and she take that

440
00:26:33,800 --> 00:26:36,680
Speaker 1: dream and make it happen. That's why she do it.

441
00:26:36,840 --> 00:26:38,920
Speaker 1: She don't care how hot it is outside or how

442
00:26:38,920 --> 00:26:41,840
Speaker 1: long the days are. Is being able to build somebody's

443
00:26:41,920 --> 00:26:44,959
Speaker 1: dream and then for them to shake her hand and

444
00:26:45,000 --> 00:26:45,720
Speaker 1: say thank you.

445
00:26:46,640 --> 00:26:46,840
Speaker 2: Yes.

446
00:26:47,560 --> 00:26:50,520
Speaker 1: Sound like some engineering to me, Miss Clark, Atlanta University.

447
00:26:54,280 --> 00:26:56,679
Speaker 1: I appreciate you coming on myself more. Nick Strong, you

448
00:26:56,720 --> 00:26:59,120
Speaker 1: keep dreaming girl eighteen to twenty two, because you're doing

449
00:26:59,119 --> 00:26:59,520
Speaker 1: it now.

450
00:26:59,600 --> 00:27:02,800
Speaker 2: Okay, thank you so much. Thank you for having me.

451
00:27:03,119 --> 00:27:06,600
Speaker 1: We'll talk soon. Our friend Monique Strong, the Atlanta Chapter

452
00:27:06,680 --> 00:27:09,600
Speaker 1: president of the National Association of Black Women in Construction,

453
00:27:09,880 --> 00:27:12,000
Speaker 1: Be Strong anytime you nabe, please call me.

454
00:27:12,080 --> 00:27:13,879
Speaker 2: Okay, all right, thank you.

455
00:27:14,160 --> 00:27:17,400
Speaker 1: This has been another edition of Money Making Conversation Masterclass

456
00:27:17,440 --> 00:27:20,600
Speaker 1: hosted by me Rashaun McDonald. Thank you to our guests

457
00:27:20,600 --> 00:27:23,159
Speaker 1: on the show today, and thank you o listening to

458
00:27:23,280 --> 00:27:25,640
Speaker 1: audience now. If you want to listen to any episode

459
00:27:25,720 --> 00:27:27,760
Speaker 1: I want to be a guest on the show, visit

460
00:27:28,040 --> 00:27:31,960
Speaker 1: Moneymaking Conversations dot com. Our social media handle is Money

461
00:27:32,000 --> 00:27:35,240
Speaker 1: Making Conversation. Join us next week and remember to always

462
00:27:35,320 --> 00:27:37,159
Speaker 1: leave with your gifts. Keep winning,