By Karalynn Cromeens, Cromeens Law Firm, PLLC
The number one Forbes Self-Made woman is Diane Hendricks, who is worth over 15 billion dollars. Diane is the owner of ABC Supply, one of the largest suppliers of roofing, siding, and windows. Diane also owns Hendricks Holding Co., Inc. a private investment firm that supports small businesses pursuing the American dream through financial assistance and other business resources. Diane grew up on a dairy farm in a small town in Wisconsin. Her story is so inspiring to me. She’s a small-town girl with only a high school diploma, who became one of the richest women in the world.
The construction industry is full of opportunities for a fulfilling, successful and lucrative career, especially for women. Women have always been in the construction industry; normally, in the office making sure money was collected, the bills were paid, and the customers were happy. In recent years women have come to the forefront of the construction industry by owning their own businesses and being out in the field. Women bring a much-needed touch to the industry, proving that things can be accomplished without brute force. Women are natural problem-solvers and caretakers, and they bring this mindset with them to the construction industry. We consistently use our creative problem-solving approach to make the industry a better place to work.
I own and run a successful construction law firm that is currently 100% staffed by women. There are some huge differences between my firm and firms run by my male counterparts. First, our missions are different. Our mission is to help construction companies run better businesses by offering them the tools to keep them out of legal trouble before it happens. We approach this preventively with services that include contract reviewing and contract drafting. This is our care-taker mindset at work. Many other law firms wait until their client is in trouble to do anything. When our clients do have legal issues, our approach is to solve the issue as fast and efficiently as possible, by creating leverage that makes what our client wants the path of least resistance for the other side. This is our problem-solving mindset at work. Many law firms look to see how they can bill the most hours. While they are billing by the hour and do not guarantee a completion date, we try to make sure that working with our firm is affordable and predictable. We do this by offering as many flat fees as possible with guaranteed turnaround times, because we understand what it’s like to run a small business.
Diane’s guiding principle when she started ABC Supply was to treat contractors with respect and provide excellent customer service, while providing the materials they needed. When women go into business, they do it because they want to help and make a difference in their customers’ lives.
Women bring a much needed perspective to construction that makes the industry a better place. While we might not all make it as big as Diane Hendricks, we will still make a difference.
