Three Sixty is proud to be involved with the new chapter of the Professional Women in Building (PWB)!
Formed in January 2019, the council is an affiliate of the Lee County Home Builders Association and the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB). As a female-owned business, we believe it is important to promote the interests of women in the building trades. While women constitute more than half of the U.S. workforce, they represent only 9% of the labor in the construction industry.
We may not see fruit during our time, but nothing will ever change if we don’t start now. We’re in it for the long haul – it’s not going to change overnight because we’re looking for a cultural shift.
Lisa Campfield, Co-owner & Design Director, Homeworks of Alabama
Until recently, there was no local chapter of the PWB. That changed when Lisa Campfield, Co-owner and Design Director of builder Homeworks of Alabama, pitched the idea of a Lee County chapter to several of her colleagues in the industry. We were thrilled that Lisa reached out to Three Sixty co-founders Tricia Young and Nonet Reese, broker Elizabeth Rose, and REALTOR® Emmy Martin Sorrells. Emmy Martin Sorrells serves as the vice president.
I am proud to serve as Vice President for this inaugural year. I think it’s important in our industry to support and encourage women to enter the trade field in all aspects of construction.
Emmy Martin Sorrells, REALTOR®, Three Sixty {real estate}
Starting Strong
The chapter is already working with our local school system to promote industry awareness and education among young women. We have partnered with Jessica Bowlin, an Auburn University Building Science grad who teaches Architecture and Construction at Auburn High School. Jessica came on board to operate the education subcommittee and will be running a summer camp and other educational projects.
Construction leaders must help overcome the outdated perceptions that our industry is necessarily male focused. Lisa is leading that charge in our local community and I was thrilled and honored that she asked me to join her.
Jessica Bowlin, Building Construction Instructor, Auburn High School
The Lee County chapter meets monthly with a mission to empower women in the building industry. The group offers networking, education, legislative awareness, and personal development opportunities. Our focus is to support women in all fields related to building, including construction, building trades, real estate, brokerage, and land development.
We place great value on education and giving back to the community. Involvement in PWB offers a perfect opportunity to expand our expertise and promote young people to enter careers that are vital to our entire industry.
Nonet Reese, Co-founder and Broker-in-Charge, Three Sixty {real estate}
Opportunities to Learn from Local Leaders
The most recent meeting, which we hosted at our East Alabama office, was a presentation from Eloise Stewart of Eloise Design Company. This local company offers branding and career counseling services to students, and creative design, branding and event services to entrepreneurs. The talk focused on personal branding and design services.
I enjoyed sharing with this group of women and I hope I encouraged them. They brought up great discussion points on building up reputations and finding the correct social media presence for their business.
Eloise Stewart, Eloise Design Company
We can’t wait to see the relationships and opportunities that grow within our local chapter of the PWB! Are you a woman working in the building and construction industry who would like to be part of this group? You can find us on Facebook at Professional Women in Building Lee County, Al-PWB or email Emmy Martin Sorrells for more info: emmy@concepttoclosing.com.