March 5-11, 2023 is Women in Construction Week – a week to promote women in the construction industry! We interviewed a few women at Ellingson to highlight the role they play within the company.
Keep reading below to get to know these talented women!
Tammi Brase – Director of Finance
How long have you worked at Ellingson?
Combined 8 years.
What made you apply at Ellingson?
When I applied, I was looking for a construction company to work for.
What made you interested in your field?
It’s where I started my career, and it will be where I end my career.
Why did you decide to choose a career in construction?
I applied for a job in 1990 at Crane Creek Construction, Inc., and I have never looked back. I like everything about working for a construction company. The environment is fast paced, the people are real, and the work is challenging. You never have a day that you don’t learn something new. The opportunities are endless.
What is your favorite part of your job at Ellingson?
The people. Getting to be part of a team that is all working towards a common goal.
What is your favorite project you’ve worked on?
There is not a favorite project for me. I enjoy working with the employees, helping them understand how their numbers are affecting the goals they are trying to accomplish.
What advice would you give another female wanting to start their career in construction?
Jump in and never look back. It can be challenging when you first start out trying to understand all the different pieces of the construction puzzle, but it is so rewarding when you come full circle.
What has been the most challenging in this position?
Challenging is what keeps me loving what I do. I want to be challenged every day.
Who inspires you?
The people at Ellingson inspire me. They are hardworking, and dedicated to being the best at what they do.
What has been the most surprising part of being a woman working in construction?
That there are not more women who have chosen construction for a career.
Lauren Luedtke – Safety Administrative Assistant
How long have you worked at Ellingson?
6 months.
What made you apply at Ellingson?
Honest answer wine 😊 Local knowledge of it being a great company and what it represents in the community.
Why did you decide to choose a career in construction?
There were multiple opportunities available.
What is your favorite part of your job at Ellingson?
The open communication and everyone’s willingness to help get a project done.
What advice would you give another female wanting to start their career in construction?
Not just women, but people in general, it helps to adaptable plus a sense of humor does not hurt.
What has been the most challenging in this position?
Learning the role.
Sara Peterson – Director of Human Resources
What made you apply at Ellingson?
The culture that I had heard about from both employees and others outside of the company.
What made you interested in your field?
I am a people advocate, always have been. Over the past 30 plus years supporting employees and watching them grow in their career is the most rewarding part of my job.
Why did you decide to choose a career in construction?
Growing up on a farm, I feel I have somewhat of an understanding of the environment that we work in, in construction. Always changing and adapting.
What is your favorite part of your job at Ellingson?
Talking with people about challenges and taking their ideas working towards making that a reality.
What is your favorite project you’ve worked on?
The enhanced Mission, Vision and Values that was launched just this year in January.
What advice would you give another female wanting to start their career in construction?
I think I would share what I have said in classrooms when I talked to them about being a firefighter for over a decade, “go after your dreams, do not let anything convince you that you cannot do something”.
What has been the most challenging in this position?
Hands down, it would be trying to pick up everything we do across our business units and second our acronyms.
Who inspires you?
My mom and Condoleezza Rice.
What has been the most surprising part of being a woman working in construction?
I am unsure if you would call this surprising, but what I am impressed by seeing is our diversity especially out in the field and hope to see that continue to grow.
Amy Blank – Director of IT Operations
How long have you worked at Ellingson?
4 years
What made you apply at Ellingson?
A job description that was unique. In the post I saw attributes of a company that cared about their employees and wanted them to succeed both personally and professionally.
What made you interested in your field?
In 5th Grade my mom brought home a computer and said it was the future. I found I had a natural ability to figure out how to make it work.
Why did you decide to choose a career in construction?
While our work is often not seen because it is underground, I appreciate that the work Ellingson does is critical to the qualify of life for so many people.
What is your favorite part of your job at Ellingson?
Finding ways to use technology to make Ellingson more efficient, successful, or profitable.
What is your favorite project you’ve worked on?
There have been so many that it is hard to choose. The most recent project is a new billing system for our distribution division that we will be rolling out this season. I believe this new system will be a great benefit not only to our internal teams, but to our clients as well.
What advice would you give another female wanting to start their career in construction?
Get comfortable being uncomfortable. Take on challenges in your personal life that push your comfort boundaries. The more you stretch yourself the easier it will become when you are in an uncomfortable situation. Don’t focus on being different than the majority but rather recognize that it is our differences that make us stronger.
What has been the most challenging in this position?
Getting familiar with the construction lingo, processes, and regulations. Underground construction was completely new to me when I joined Ellingson.
Who inspires you?
My Dad. While he has been gone for 20 years now, his memory stays with me and always drives me to do better, be better.
What has been the most surprising part of being a woman working in construction?
How few of us there really are! I was recently at a construction conference and while I don’t have a count, my guess is there were less than 20% women in the room. I believe bringing more women into the industry to both innovate and solve staffing challenges will be critical for the future of construction.
Andrea Kvalsten – HR Manager
How long have you worked at Ellingson?
It will be 9 years this April.
What made you apply at Ellingson?
At the time I applied, I was looking for an HR role that would allow me to continue expanding my HR knowledge.
What made you interested in your field?
I was recruited by a staffing company as an entry-level Recruiter because I was bilingual, and I ended up really enjoying the fast pace of hiring and staffing.
Why did you decide to choose a career in construction?
During the Great Recession, I had to lay off many people. I learned that underground construction, especially at Ellingson, was sable and not negatively impacted like other industries and companies.
What is your favorite part of your job at Ellingson?
Having the opportunity to collaborate with different people on a variety of projects. There is never a dull moment!
What is your favorite project you’ve worked on?
Building interview processes to better meet the needs of the business.
What advice would you give another female wanting to start their career in construction?
Learn to find joy in all challenges.
What has been the most challenging in this position?
Ensuring the hiring needs are met with the everchanging employee and job markets.
Who inspires you?
Women who support women.
What has been the most surprising part of being a woman working in construction?
The passion that people develop for construction, me included. Construction may not be a glamourous industry, but it is honest work, and the world would not be able to function without.
Carrie Saxton – Executive Assistant
How long have you worked at Ellingson?
5 months.
What made you apply at Ellingson?
When I saw the job posting I started to ask people what they knew about Ellingson and everyone that I talked to had nothing but good things to say. I also love that it is a small town, family-owned company.
What made you interested in your field?
My role in administration has been something that I have been interested in since high school. Getting to assist our leaders with running their business and helping employees succeed in their roles is rewarding.
Why did you decide to choose a career in construction?
I initially started in construction with a local residential contractor because I needed a career change. I quickly fell in love with the industry and the people within the industry.
What is your favorite part of your job at Ellingson?
I love being able to assist our Executive Team and our Project Mangers in achieving the goals that they have for our company and our employees.
What is your favorite project you’ve worked on?
My favorite project so far has been to help the team that updated our Mission, Vision, and Values. To see our company leaders come together to set standards and realistic goals for our company and our employees has been an awesome experience.
What advice would you give another female wanting to start their career in construction?
Do it! Don’t let the stigma against women in our industry hold you back. Construction really is an underappreciated industry, and we can be just as successful as men.
What has been the most challenging in this position?
My biggest challenge has been to learn a different side of the construction industry. I started in residential construction, so it has been a little challenging to learn the drainage and utility side of our industry.
Who inspires you?
My family. My husband and my son are my biggest supporters and are always there to push me and drive me towards bigger and better things.
What has been the most surprising part of being a woman working in construction?
That more women don’t work in this industry. There are lots of opportunities for women in construction. Not just from an office standpoint but out in the field too. Women can be successful in construction.
Simone Steiskal – Marketing Manager
How long have you worked at Ellingson?
8 months
What made you apply at Ellingson?
I was looking for a career change and came across a job listing for a company looking for a “Marketing Wizard.” The creative title caught my attention, and after looking at the job details, I thought I would be a great fit with the company.
What made you interested in your field?
I fell in love with marketing during my pre- and post-grad internships working as a promo and advertising intern for a local radio station, and a marketing intern for a company in the music and theatre industry.
Why did you decide to choose a career in construction?
To be honest, I didn’t care about looking for a career in construction. It wasn’t until I interviewed with the Executive team that I understood the importance of everything that Ellingson does within the industry.
What is your favorite part of your job at Ellingson?
I get to be creative, and every day is a new day. I have the opportunity to collaborate with many people within the company and help them achieve their marketing and sales goals.
What is your favorite project you’ve worked on?
This may seem mundane to some but creating processes to streamline the marketing department tasks. Collaborating with internal teams to improve our website.
What advice would you give another female wanting to start their career in construction?
If you’re interested in a role in construction, go for it and don’t sell yourself short. It’s easy to fall into the imposter syndrome trap – know your worth and value you bring to a company and the industry.
What has been the most challenging in this position?
Learning all the different business units within Ellingson.
Who inspires you?
My grandma and mom. They are extremely hardworking and strive to be better than they were yesterday.
Disclaimer: The interviews above do not reflect all the woman that work at Ellingson. The responses were voluntarily submitted.