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Woman's Work: The remodeling industry is slowly realizing the benefits of bringing a female perspective to offices and jobsites.

Nina Patel, Excerpted from REMODELING Magazine, January 1, 2006

This article features two Byggmeister crew members: Anita Rogers and Ruth Ewing

Tom Kelly's father, Neil Kelly, began hiring women as salespeople and carpenters in the mid-1970s. "In those days, it was a great business strategy for my father. More of our clients then were stay-at-home wives," he says. As a young man working for his father, he recalls one instance in which the saleswoman invited women in the neighborhood to see the project. That inclination toward relationship building has benefited Neil Kelly Designer/ Remodelers in Portland, Ore. The company's years of creating an atmosphere that encourages women has paid off. Now, of the company's 12 design/build salespeople, 7 are women, and since 1985, 10% of its carpenters have been women.

Kelly is not the only remodeler to realize that women bring a different perspective to the office and the field — a perspective that he believes improves the remodeling process. Many company owners are becoming increasingly aware that creating an atmosphere in which women thrive helps everyone in the company.

Read the full article at Remodeling Magazine Online »



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