Meet some of our female employees in Shiel Sexton…
Women in Construction Week is a great way to celebrate the roles women play in the construction industry. At Shiel Sexton, we are proud to celebrate these women. Meet some of our female employees that play a huge role in our success:
Amy Fletcher is our Safety Manager and has worked at Shiel Sexton for just under five years now. Through her role, she visits our project sites and assists with making the work environment safe by helping with job startup, subcontractor safety, preconstruction planning, inspections, compliance, and so much more. Amy has worked in the construction industry since 1996 and transitioned to working in Safety in 2001. Amy contributes her success in this industry through field experience, interacting with coworkers, peers, and by taking various classes to build upon her plethora of skills. What she loves about the safety industry in Indianapolis is the fruitful sharing of resources and information between others. Amy understands the importance of safety within our industry, and greatly enjoys mentoring and coaching people to help them better understand the options and reasons behind safety rules and requirements.
Cierra Vondohlen is our Schedule Engineer. Before joining us full-time last year, Cierra was one of our beloved interns in 2019. At Shiel Sexton, Cierra creates proposal schedules and maintains project schedules as they cycle through the construction process. Furthermore, she also develops Takt planning schedules and helps others understand Takt planning. At a young age, Cierra always knew that she wanted to be in the construction industry as she wanted to pursue a career that was out of the norm for a female, and a role in construction fit that. One of Cierra’s favorite memories at Shiel Sexton is when she participated in a Takt simulation by Elevate Construction. She loves being an integral part of Shiel Sexton’s journey towards Takt planning. This simulation helped Cierra understand how Takt planning and Takt control can revolutionize the construction industry in the way projects are scheduled and built.
Courtney Smith is also a Safety Manager within Shiel Sexton and has worked with us for a little over 5 years. Like Amy, she visits our project sites to ensure the construction site as well as our employees are safe throughout all stages of our building process. Courtney has worked in the construction industry since 2000 and began her career as a laborer in the field before transitioning to Safety. One of the things that Courtney loves about construction is working with all of the different trades and watching the start and finish of a project.
Jaci Benatti is our Special Projects Manager and has worked for Shiel Sexton for five years now. In her role, Jaci facilitates commutation and progress updates, builds dashboards, and helps XBE management and reporting. What Jaci likes about her role is the challenge that comes with planning as well as working with creative people and in a positive team atmosphere. Before her current role, Jaci worked in business and accounting management for a Shiel Sexton global client before joining our office in Shiel Sexton. Jaci has a lot of favorite memories at Shiel Sexton, but specifically she loves when she meets completion milestones and retains repeat clients. A fun fact about Jaci is that she enjoys learning and taking on new challenges, especially when it comes to learning new languages.
Colinda Walker is our Cost Engineering Manager and has worked at Shiel Sexton for 22 years. In her role, she provides training and assists operations with entry and distribution of subcontracts, changing orders, and she helps with cost reports to determine the profitability of a job. Before this role, Colinda was in accounting for 16 years, and she actually stumbled upon a career in construction. At Shiel Sexton, she believes she has been given the opportunity to grow and because of that, she was able to move into our Support Services. What she loves about working at Shiel Sexton is the welcoming culture and the freedom to grow and try new things. She loves having the ability to share ideas, and in her experience, she believes that if you want to be a part of something or have a say, all you have to do is speak up.
Heather Brooks is our Senior HR Generalist and has worked at Shiel Sexton for 20 years. Originally, Heather worked as our Safety Coordinator before switching to HR. In her role, she meets every new hire that starts at Shiel Sexton. She likes to make sure that every employee feels a part of the Shiel Sexton family, and she enjoys helping others in areas such as insurance, organizational direction, or personal development. One of her favorite things about Shiel Sexton is being able to drive by our projects and saying, “We built that!” Some of Heather’s fondest Shiel Sexton memories were the Safety Fairs and having the opportunity to drive a Nascar at Indiana Raceway Park with a few coworkers.
Becky Shotts is our Senior Estimator and has worked at Shiel Sexton for nearly 7 years. In her role, Becky essentially is assigned a project to review and price. With that, she has to review the drawings and specifications to determine the complete scope required for a project, collaborate with other estimators, and she has to maintain good relationships with subcontractors and suppliers. What Becky likes about her role within Shiel Sexton is that she can work on a variety of projects, and she can mentor new estimators. At the beginning of her career in construction, she worked as a Detailer/Estimator before working up to the role she has today. A fun fact about Becky is that she enjoys traveling, scrapbooking, and working with her daughter-in-law who now works at Shiel Sexton as well!
We are so proud and thankful for all of your hard work at our company, and for paving the way for future females considering a career in construction.