In a field where females are rare, Linnius Construction of Bend has put three women in key roles in the companies it owns.

While that shouldn’t be news, women make up a small fraction of the U.S. construction workforce, even though nearly half the nation’s entire workforce (47%) is women, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. In 2021, only 11% of the 11.3 million construction workers nationwide were women. In Oregon, only 2.2% of women were employed in construction, according to the bureau.

The average Oregon construction worker earned $70,087 in 2021, according to Oregon Employment Department data.

The National Association of Women in Construction surveyed females in 2020 and found that many felt opportunities in construction were increasing. And, with an ever present labor shortage, many workplaces are ignoring gender and instead looking at the quality of the applicant.

“The construction industry has a massive amount of talent and skill retiring over the next decade, and the current labor shortage is going to get a lot worse,” said Grant Hanson, president of Linnius Construction, which also owns 541 Cabinets and Natural Edge Furniture in Bend. “It seems that sometimes women do not feel they are qualified for construction-related positions, either in the office or in the field.

“We need to be better as an industry to ensure they feel confident in applying and welcome when the arrive.”

At the family of companies, operated at Natural Edge Furniture’s site in the Makers District of Bend on Second Avenue, hiring women just happened. The three companies have a total of 14 employees, said Amanda Conde, Linnius Construction project manager.

“It’s great and refreshing to be working alongside a woman in our workplace,” said Gabriel Dansky, a co-owner of Linnius Companies. “The construction industry is dominated by men and I think women fit right in the manufacturing industry.

“In cabinetry, there are many positions available from sales and marketing to bookkeeping and scheduling to drafting and engineering. We have a lot of powerful women working here and it feels good to help empower them to move forward and take charge.”

Alexa Gennarelli, a 23-year-old project manager, had experience in managing accounts, but not construction accounts. That was about three months ago. Now she commands a staff, estimates construction jobs and makes sure that everything runs smoothly.

“I didn’t have construction experience before this,” Gennarelli said. “I came from the dental field where I was the business manager there. But I’ve always been interested in construction.”

The skills Gennarelli used to ensure the dental office ran smoothly transferred well into project management, she said. She will be able to grow in this field with the mentorship of the owners and the men in the field, she said.

“Right now it’s a learning process, so I run my estimates through my boss first before I send them out,” Gennarelli said. “The hardest part is learning how to read the blueprints.”

Alexandra McCrea, a Linnius Construction project coordinator, plays an important role in maintaining client relationships and scheduling workers on projects. The 27-year-old orders materials and oversees crews at remodeling or home addition job sites.

“I’ve been lucky and been mentored by people who have more experience than I do,” said McCrea. “Construction is one of those fields that you have to learn by doing and you can’t really learn from a book. Each job offers unique challenges.”

Sometimes her gender poses a challenge. And sometimes, she has to assert herself in a role that is more than an assistant or a note taker.

“I started my degree in business management with the goal of becoming a project manager,” McCrea said. “I’m surprised, though, that there aren’t more females in project management.”

McCrea said that as a female working in a male-dominated field, she must display confidence. Her advice to others wanting to get into the field is to “go for it.”

“If you see a chance for a position, no matter if you feel qualified or not, you should take it,” McCrea said. “A lot of times, I see an applicant for a position, and a male may have half the qualifications of a woman but they’ll have the confidence. So whether you feel you have the qualifications or not that will get you the position, go for it.”

Conde said that what really has been encouraging at the company is how everyone works together, sharing knowledge.

“Everyone has been generous and willing to share knowledge, whether it’s about the characteristics of different woods or how to create an estimate in the scheduling software that we use,” Conde said. “Where I am lacking in experience or expertise, I feel I add value by managing communications with clients and making sure everyone is on the same page so we can complete the work on time while delivering great service.”