Commanding the Room: Five Women Rewriting What a “Man’s World” Looks Like

Originally published on my LinkedIn on March 8, 2026.

When my daughter, Kika Drake, recently interviewed for a job in the building industry, she called me with a familiar worry: an interview question about a software program she didn’t know.

I picked up the phone and called my friend Victoria, a registered architect and business owner who’s spent over 40 years at the intersection of design and technology. She didn’t have the answer on that particular program—but she had something more powerful: a network.

Within minutes, she had texted a few colleagues. One replied immediately, shared his name and phone number, and spent over 45 minutes on the phone with my daughter, walking her through the software and the interview, for no reason other than to help a young woman he’d never met.

That quiet chain of generosity is one of the reasons I still believe so deeply in this industry. For all its history as a “man’s world,” it is also full of people who quietly bet on one another’s success.

The original intent for the Build Perspectives Podcast was and still is to make these stories visible—and, we hope, to encourage a new generation to see a place for themselves in the architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) ecosystem.

For International Women’s Day, I asked a handful of rockstar construction industry women to answer four simple questions:

1. What do you do, and how long have you been in this industry?

2. Who helped you, and what did that look like?

3. What still needs fixing for women?

4. Are you open to young women reaching out?

Their answers, generous and unfiltered, are shared here

“I get to command the room.”

Linda McCandless – Director of Specifications 30 years in building products

Linda’s career spans distribution and multiple manufacturer roles, with a focus on design development and the building envelope.

Early in her career, she was working for a distributor, promoting products to general contractors. She walked job sites, answered every question, and obsessively followed up on project changes and confirmations. One project manager called her boss to say she was one of the most professional, personable, and polished representatives he had ever dealt with from a distributor. That call changed things. Linda returned to manufacturing with a new level of confidence in her capabilities.

But she’s blunt about the culture she’s navigated.

“There is still a stigma for women in a ‘man’s’ world. In the roofing sector, in particular, there are not as many women entering this arena. In some instances it is still the good old boys’ club.”

Women often ask her how she feels about being the only woman in the room.

Her answer is simple and subversive:

“I get to command the room.”

She doesn’t pretend the culture is fixed. She refuses to shrink inside it—and she’s clear that promoting more women in the building envelope sector is, in her words, “ripe for the picking.”

Linda is open to mentoring and connecting with young professionals via LinkedIn (below), email [email protected]

Structure, transparency, and the cost of silence

Rumi Okaniwa – Business Professional 20+ years in building products

Rumi has spent more than two decades working across sales, warranty claims, corporate planning, and analytics. Much of that time has been under international management in an American business environment; only more recently has she reported directly to American leadership.

That transition has been both challenging and rewarding. Her previous international managers provided structure and discipline—the foundations of her work ethic and skills. Her current manager shares analytical knowledge and supports her in taking ownership of learning and applying new tools. The combination of strong foundations and growing autonomy continues to expand her confidence and strategic impact.

Rumi’s critique of the industry is precise:

“The industry needs more transparency and measurable growth opportunities. When expectations and paths aren’t clear, capable women often leave — which impacts both talent and business performance.”

This isn’t framed as a “women’s issue” alone. It’s a systems issue. Vague pathways and opaque decisions quietly push out the very people companies say they want to keep.

Rumi is absolutely open to connecting with young women—LinkedIn is the best way to reach her (see below).

“You’re pretty in a different way.”

Sarah Spoelstra – Graphic Designer, Marketer, Entrepreneur 18 years in building materials

Sarah has been in the building materials space for 18 years, 13 of those as an in‑house graphic designer for Sashco Inc. In 2021, she struck out on her own and founded Moonshine Design. Today her clients span log homes, building materials, consumer products, and nonprofits. She works across channels—from printed collateral, displays, and packaging to websites, social media, and email marketing.

Along the way, she’s had the kinds of interactions many women will recognize instantly.

“Beyond my work at Sashco, I’ve run into gender stereotypes. I’ve received comments such as ‘You’re pretty in a different way than our last marketing manager.’ Or ‘That’s the problem after the World War II, women aren’t in the kitchen anymore.’ These are good people and I don’t think they realize what they’re saying. But we still have a ways to go when it comes to being appreciated for the skills we bring to the table. We’re still expected to do it all.”

Those comments matter—not because they come from “bad people,” but precisely because they come from people who see themselves as fair-minded. They reveal the quiet expectations still attached to women’s presence in professional spaces: be competent, be pleasant, be decorative, and don’t complain.

The counterweight, for Sarah, has been collaboration with women like Charis Babcock, now a brand manager. They worked side by side for 13 years in marketing at Sashco and still collaborate through Moonshine.

“She started out as a copywriter. I’d have lots of creative ideas and she’d rein me in a bit or we’d brainstorm ideas together to come up with marketing collateral, emails, or social media that spoke to the log home and home improvement audiences. She taught me how to keep the customer the central focus of my designs and marketing and how to talk to customers through writing.”

Sarah is delighted to talk to the next generation of women. You can reach her at [email protected].

Underestimation, pay gaps, and the power of a sponsor

Meghan Boyd – Inside Sales Manager 10 years in the industry

Meghan has spent a decade in inside sales, and she can name the women who fundamentally changed her trajectory.

“Amber Davis has been my mentor since day one, she has always pushed me and showed me what I’m capable of achieving. She always encouraged me to go after it and that I deserved a seat at the table.”

She also credits Suzanne Diaz, MBA, LSSGB, her former director, for taking a chance on her as a leader and including her in industry events that expanded her knowledge and connections.

These aren’t grand gestures. They’re concrete choices: an invitation, a recommendation, a public vote of confidence. Over time, they add up to a career.

Meghan is equally clear about what still isn’t working:

“Underestimating women’s knowledge and the pay gap. Countless times I’ve been underestimated and questioned on my industry knowledge especially when it comes to the technical side. The pay gap for women isn’t just our industry, but in male dominated industries like construction it’s more noticeable.”

Her experience captures a reality many women in construction and manufacturing will recognize: being the person with the answer and still being asked to prove it twice.

Meghan would love for young women to reach out to her; LinkedIn is the best place to find her.

The long view: four decades of giving back

Victoria Shipley– Registered Architect, Educator, Business Owner 40+ years in the industry

Victoria is a registered architect and the owner of MicroCADD Solutions. Over more than 40 years, she has worked as an architect, educator, and business owner at the intersection of CAD, design technology, and practice.

Her impact shows up in countless ways: students who find their footing in her classes, professionals who lean on her technical expertise, and, more quietly, people like my daughter, who benefited from her network without ever having met her.

When I called about that interview question, Victoria did what she has done for decades: she opened a door. She didn’t know the software in question, but she knew who might. She texted friends, one responded immediately, and a young woman on the other end of a phone call walked into her interview more prepared and more confident.

For Victoria, that wasn’t a special favor. It was muscle memory.

Their unfiltered verdict: what still needs fixing

None of these women are interested in performative outrage. None of them is pretending the work is done.

Across different roles—specifications, analytics, sales, design, and architecture—the themes come back to:

• Culture and language. “Good old boys’ club” dynamics, offhand comments about women belonging in the kitchen, and appearance‑first remarks (“You’re pretty in a different way…”) signal that some people still see women as visitors in this space rather than owners of it.

• Clarity and fairness. Unclear expectations and growth paths push capable women out. Pay gaps—especially in male‑dominated fields where comparison is harder—send a quieter but equally powerful message about whose expertise is valued.

• Technical doubt. Even when they are the subject‑matter experts, women are still too often asked to prove their technical knowledge twice.

• The expectation to “do it all.” Many women feel they must overdeliver on performance, emotional labor, and appearance, just to be treated as equal.

These are not abstract complaints.

They are specific, fixable problems—for leaders and champions who are willing to look closely.

These five stories are just a small chorus of voices from across the industry, willing to name both the progress and the problems.

In my graduating class at Georgia Tech I was 1 of 6 women out of 108 in my major. The industry didn’t look very different at the time either. In my own career, most of the people who opened doors for me were men — because men held the keys. That’s simply the reality of who had the power to open them. That’s changing. Which means our responsibility is changing too.

Two women stand out as exceptions—not because they were the only ones who helped, but because they did so without competition or intimidation: in the late 90’s Judy Menke during my time at Motorola, and later as I re-entered the work force, Victoria Shipley, already mentioned here. Linda McCandless, Jennifer Krokus Cooper, Susan W. Fernandez, too. They model what it looks like when women make space for one another instead of guarding it.

I wish I could say that was always the norm. It wasn’t. Too often, the very few women at the top have been distant, unapproachable, or overtly unsupportive.

That’s why I feel so strongly that we, as women, have to do better for each other. I have tried—imperfectly, and not always with the results I hoped for—to champion other women everywhere I’ve worked. I haven’t always gotten it right. But I keep trying.

So my call today is for all of us who hold seats at the table, who gate access,—whether just entering the field, transitioning into leadership, inching toward retirement, or sitting in executive and board seats: remember that someone helped you get where you are. Don’t pull the ladder up behind you. And to those of you who champion younger people, recognize talent, hunger, ambition and drive and promote it. Thank you!

A call, not a slogan

The stories here highlight a pattern of ACTION. A project manager who takes the time to call Linda’s boss. A manager who shares hard‑won analytical skills with Rumi. A copywriter who helps Sarah sharpen her voice and keep the customer at the center. Amber and Suzanne insisting that Meghan belongs at the table. Victoria quietly mobilizing a network for a young woman she has never met.

On this International Women’s Day, the question isn’t whether we post a slogan or a stock photo, or even a photo of actual women that work in your company.

The questions we must keep asking year-round are:

• Who are you willing to bet on this year?

• Whose name will you say in the room when they are not there?

• What information about pay, promotion, or opportunity can you make clearer than it was for you?

• What offhand comments will you choose not to make—or gently correct—because you know they land differently than they were intended?

If you’re established in this industry, consider this an invitation to open a door, share your playbook, talk honestly about how advancement really works, or simply answer the email from a younger professional.

This week, do one of these:

• Forward an opportunity to a woman in your network who’s ready for it — even if she hasn’t asked

• Say someone’s name in a room where it matters

• Answer the email from the younger professional you’ve been meaning to get back to

• Share this article and tag the woman who opened a door for you

If you’re just starting your journey in building, design, or construction: you are not alone here. There are more champions than you think. Many of them are hiding in plain sight—and several of them have already said they would be happy to hear from you.

A special thank you to Linda McCandless , M. Victoria Shipley , Sarah Spoelstra , Rumi Okaniwa , Meghan Boyd for commanding the room, even when it wasn’t built with you in mind.

PS: If your company is navigating sales team development, market entry, building product innovation, or field-ready training in the building products or construction space — that’s the work I do through Profit Arc and Project Fluent. I’d love to connect.