Women in Constructions: Kelsey Greco

Kelsey Greco    
Shook Construction    
Project Superintendent     
6 years in the industry    

Kelsey Greco grew up outside of Cleveland in Sheffield Lake with her parents, older sister and identical twin sister. She attended The Ohio State University, where she pursued dual bachelor’s degrees in construction management and architecture. She began her career during college with an internship at George J. Igel & Co. After graduating, Greco took a full-time position with Shook Construction and quickly became one of five superintendents on the new Summa Tower in Akron. This project was over $150 million in new construction. A few notable scopes she managed included the installation of a new MRI machine and connecting new operating rooms into the existing surgery department. Currently, she is running the UH Geneva Pharmacy Addition project. She still gets to utilize her background in architecture when communicating with design professionals, understanding design intent, and quickly getting the field answers resolved. She is always excited for the next new building to work on and the unique challenges to take on. In her free time, Greco enjoys running, having completed three half marathons and is working towards a full. Most of the time you can find her looking for the next cool concert to attend or spending time with her fiancé.    

What brought or attracted you to the construction industry?    
I was always building things as a child and had a strong interest in how things were made. Starting with building blocks, to Legos, to construction materials, the interest never left.    

What do you like most about your work?    
I enjoy being able to help create new things, solving problems in the field and watching drawings come to life. I also like getting to meet new people on different jobs and learn a little bit from everyone with a large variety of knowledge.    

What would you like to see change within the construction industry?    
Even as a child, I never understood why others looked at construction as an “okay” job. We create new spaces for society to enjoy and put a lot of effort into our work. I would like to see the younger generation start having more interest in the trades and give a better name to construction workers. I also think we can start utilizing technology for better documentation, building practices, and safer workflow across the board. This can help teach younger generations for better building in the future.    

What are your long term career goals?    
I want to move up the ranks as a superintendent, to really learn as much as possible in the best practices of building. After that, I want to help the industry and generations to follow use technology and new tools for better and safer building practices.      

What advice would you give to other women interested in construction?    
Go for it.  Don’t be discouraged by the fact that we currently don’t have a large percentage of women in the industry. It’s also okay to be different or separate from the norm. You don’t need to be “one of the boys,” just be yourself and show up with a positive attitude and good work ethic. If you listen to what the older generation is teaching you and treat everyone with respect, you’ll find that you’ll get to where you want to be quickly in the industry.    

Describe the kinds of opportunities in construction available to women?    
Construction has a ton of opportunities, from estimating and project leadership, to being one of the trade members who are a part of building itself. There are a lot of different types of construction and a lot of different trades to master. I’d say to find what interests you the most and go after it. We need all the help we can get.