Mike McWhorter, of Tri-City Regional Chamber of Commerce board (left) and (at right) Paula Linnen, the 2012 ATHENA Leadership award winner, presented Khris Judy of Randolph Construction Services with the 2013 ATHENA Leadership Award at the 2013 Women in Business Conference in January.
Khris Judy knows first-hand the struggles of being a woman in male-dominated industry.
Judy, president of Randolph Construction Services, and her sister bought out their father?s business and took it from a sheet metal business doing $3 million annual to a full service construction company that had $71 million in sales last year.
Despite her vast knowledge and experience in the industry, being a female project manager in the construction industry was always an uphill battle, Judy told a crowd of more than 230 women at the 2013 Tri-Cities Women in Business Conference. The one-day conference was held in January at TRAC Center in Pasco.
Judy said when she was in high school, her name was Khristie. That changed when she got into the construction industry.
?I hid behind a name,? Judy said, explaining that she would do everything in writing and always sign her name as ?Khris.? ?And it worked.?
It worked on paper, but, in person, she still faced blatant cases of discrimination and disrespect from male counterparts.
As a project manager on one job, Judy and one of her construction managers were at a site inspecting a problem that two engineers were disagreeing about. When the engineers, both male, came to a conclusion about how to fix the problem, they started talking to her male employee about it. He told them they would have to talk to ?his boss,? and motioned to Judy. They looked at her and continued to tell him about the possible solution.
?You learn to set pride aside,? Judy said. ?And sometimes, as women, we have to go about things a little differently. But that?s okay.?
As long as the job gets done correctly in the end, Judy said.
And her insistence on that goal is what has helped build Randolph?s reputation and business through the years. It?s also helped her gain the trust of her peers, she added.
Judy was just one of a lineup of inspirational and informative speakers at the conference, which was presented by the Tri-City Regional Chamber of Commerce.
The event included presentation of the ATHENA Leadership and the ATHENA Young Professional awards during the Network Tri-Cities Luncheon, which attracted 450 attendees. The keynote speaker for the event was Sharell Klaus, founder and CEO of Dry Soda.
Judy was presented with the ATHENA Leadership award at the luncheon and Jennifer Lenzi, of CliftonLarsonAllen LLP, was honored with the ATHENA Young Professional award.
?These awards reflect the countless contributions and what the women in our community give to improve the quality of life for others,? said Lori Mattson, president and CEO of the Tri-City Regional Chamber of Commerce. ?Khris and Jennifer are both outstanding role models for others to emulate.?
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Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business
Source: http://www.tricitiesbusinessnews.com/2013/02/judy-lenzi-honored-at-women-in-business-conference/
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