Journeyman carpenter Patricia Brown started her construction career wanting to build furniture. Many years later, that passion has turned into creating much larger projects.
The assistant superintendent at Chicago-based developer Related Midwest has helped build and renovate major apartment properties in Chicago, including affordable housing projects like Lathrop Homes, Universal City, Northpoint Apartments and Circle Park.
She most recently worked on the market-rate The Row Fulton Market in the city’s Fulton Market neighborhood, doing unit inspections and quality control for LR Contracting, Related’s in-house construction company. She has also had the opportunity to work on nonresidential projects in Related Midwest’s portfolio.
Here, Brown talks with Multifamily Dive about the challenges of urban multifamily work and the benefits of a career in construction.
This interview has been edited for brevity and clarity.
MULTIFAMILY DIVE: What led you to choose construction for your career?
PATRICIA BROWN: My journey in construction began when I came across an ad for Chicago Women in Trades. I always thought it would be interesting to make furniture, which was my idea of carpentry at the time, so I decided to call and find out what the program was about.
CWIT is a program designed to introduce women to the different opportunities in the trades. It prepared me for a construction career with in-class learning and hands-on training, which ultimately led to my journey joining Carpenters’ Local 10 and brought me to the carpentry division of Quality First, a subsidiary of Related Midwest.
What do you do in your current job?
As an assistant superintendent with Chicago-based Related Midwest, I oversee the day-to-day activities of a jobsite, coordinating with different subcontractors, the owner, the architect and project managers. Every now and then I get to put on my carpenter’s hat and use my tools to help complete tasks.
Currently, I am serving as superintendent on the renovation of a 40,000-square-foot warehouse in Bronzeville that will serve as the business and development hub of HIRE360, a workforce development nonprofit that serves underrepresented populations in the Chicago area. Here I coordinate with different trades, volunteers, material donors, developers, architects and HIRE360 and Related colleagues to help realize the vision of the future training facility.
What are a few of the projects you’ve most enjoyed working on and why?
To date, I have worked on a range of apartment projects and the diversity of these projects — ranging from ground-up developments to the preservation of affordable and mixed-income housing communities — has helped me hone my skills and devise innovative solutions to unique challenges.
Before joining Related, I was lucky enough to work on a project at O’Hare International Airport, which I really enjoyed because I was able to tackle different projects for Starbucks, McDonald’s, American Airlines, United Airlines and Frontier Airlines. It was very interesting working behind the scenes there.
I am also enjoying my current work on the HIRE360 training center, as this is the first project where I’ve worked on my own as a superintendent. I had to learn how to become comfortable in the position, but I acclimated quickly and have become accustomed to working independently.
Passing construction expertise on to the next generation of tradeworkers is a big passion of mine, and I have helped guide the apprentices that arrived with instructions from The Carpenters Training Center on floor installation and the building system at HIRE360.
What benefits are there to working in construction?
The construction industry is so versatile, and I have had the pleasure of working on many different jobsites. Instead of being in one location, I periodically get a change in scenery and a new set of challenges.
For anyone considering a career in this industry, I will say that the benefits are great. I’ve been able to take care of my family as a carpenter and superintendent, which is the best benefit of all.
What advice would you give to young women considering construction as a career?
It’s not an easy career, but it is worth the effort, so keep pushing when it gets hard. This is still a male-dominated field, so for women, in particular, I would say never let anyone tell you what you can or cannot do. Don’t allow someone else’s doubts, lack of acknowledgement or negative attitudes stop you from thriving in this industry. Young women entering into construction should seek out companies with an inclusive culture that value everyone’s perspectives and contributions.
I value my experience as a carpenter as this work has opened doors I never knew existed. I have been able to break barriers, challenge myself and accomplish goals that I had been told were out of reach.
