Story Feature: Stephanie
Quote:
“I don’t have rivals, I have friends” - Stevie Nicks
Highlights from Stephanie’s Story:
Stephanie may not be the one pouring concrete or raising steel, but make no mistake, as a Human Resources Professional she is still building. She’s building safety, dignity, awareness, and working towards building a future where no one on a job site feels unseen.
“It was kind of a happy accident,” Stephanie says, reflecting on how she landed in construction. “I didn’t grow up knowing much about it, my uncle was a superintendent, but to be honest, he was a bit intimidating.” Stephanie grew up watching her mom work as a nurse and later as a teacher. Her dad a disabled Air Force veteran, held several jobs before returning to school to become a science and elementary teacher. Her brother became a firefighter and paramedic. The value of hard work was in her bones, even if the construction and trades industry wasn’t really in view.
As a child, Stephanie shared that her dreams shifted constantly. “At that age I just wanted to be the boss. I didn’t really know what that meant, but I knew I wanted to be in charge,” she laughs. “There were some times I wanted to be a lawyer, or a writer, honestly, I was a bit booksy, so the idea of construction was not even on my radar.”
It wasn’t until her final year of college, while earning her business degree in human resource management, that Stephanie stumbled into construction via an internship at Kiewit Corporation’s Omaha headquarters. “It was a really big deal for me,” she says. “Kiewit has this huge presence” This was her first real glimpse into the construction industry which was new to her, but filled with possibility.
Stephanie graduated in 2008, at the height of economic uncertainty. She needed full-time work, so she took an HR role at a debt collection call center while pursuing her MBA, but she wanted to do more. Eventually, she applied to return to Kiewit because of her amazing experience with them early on, but this time in Phoenix, Arizona as an HR generalist for their Southwest District. “This role was a pivotal experience and opportunity, both in my career and in my life in general. Through this job I had the opportunity to learn about the industry and really get into what I consider the heart of construction: the people who are actually building the work and building our communities.”
Stephanie describes her first day with honesty, honesty that a lot of individuals face when not having that initial exposure to construction or the trades: “My boss had told me, ‘We need to get you on the job site,’ and I didn’t even know what that really meant, I didn’t know what I needed because I was not familiar.” She didn’t have boots, so she bought whatever fit from Walmart, which were boys' boots, and stepped onto site. “There’s a picture my mom loves where I have this blonde pixie cut, bright pink purse, and work boots. I looked like I didn’t belong.” She shares that she was intimidated by walking the construction site because there was so much she was unfamiliar with.
Stephanie showed up, again and again and over time, her intimidation shifted into admiration. “Job sites are intimidating, especially if you’ve never been on one. But getting to see how technical, how physical, how smart this work is, it changed me. I definetly have respect for everyone out there doing this work”
Stephanie shares that she had mentors like Tiffany Reddy, who pushed her beyond her comfort zone. “She was such a fantastic advocate, mentor and leader. She actually had me go through the entry-level project engineer training, so I’ve driven a Cat 777 haul truck, I’ve welded, I’ve walked and learned about wastewater treatment plants. This experience led me to be more in tune with the work we were doing and most importantly the people building these projects.”
Stephanie’s field exposure wasn’t symbolic it was boots on, sleeves rolled, fully immersed. “I’ve walked wastewater treatment plants, light rail extensions and airport expansions, at Sky Harbor” she says. “And I got to walking the rebar as we built the Raider Stadium, which was scary but also a proud moment for me.” These weren’t just jobs, they were moments where she earned her place by standing alongside the crews, learning the importance of the work, and showing up without flinching. “It gave me a different appreciation, not just for the job, but for the communities we serve.”
Being an HR leader in construction didn’t shield her from the challenges that women can often face. “It’s wild to everyone when I say this, but yes, I’ve been harassed as HR. She recalls dealing with the inappropriate jokes, unsolicited messages, and even being grabbed during her first industry event. “ Early in my career, I didn’t feel comfortable rocking the boat and I also didn’t want people to walk on eggshells around me.” Stephanie discussed how we tend to avoid confronting these issues for these same reasons and how this shows the emotional labor women often carry: the constant balancing act between standing up for themselves and not being cast as “difficult.”
As she found her confidence and her voice, she found power. She describes a later occurrence in her career “One guy told me, ‘You HR gals are like bait.’ I responded, ‘Well you know, you could just not say something inappropriate.’ His response? ‘Well, it’s like a beautiful sunset, you just want to say something.’ I plainly told him, ‘Or you could silently enjoy it.’” This unfamiliarity with women on the job site that some men may still have to this day is the reason why it is important to build a culture where women are the norm and not unusual or ornamental.
Still, the hardest moments weren’t always what was said, but what wasn’t. “There were times when someone crossed a line, and I knew people around me noticed, but nothing happened in the moment,” Stephanie recalls. “It can be incredibly isolating, especially as an HR professional. You’re seen as the authority, but you’re still human, still affected.” Stephanie stays motivated on tough days with the connections she has made in construction, “they’re different, they’re not surface level or transactional and there’s a depth to them that I haven’t found in any other industry. You go through difficult times together: long days, impossible deadlines, jobsite tension, and still… you build, not just the structure, but the trust, the team.”
That’s what led Stephanie to her new purpose. After two decades in HR, she founded The Wounded Workforce: an organization dedicated to building trauma-informed workplaces and confronting the mental health crisis in construction. “Construction has one of the highest suicide rates in the U.S. People in this field are five times more likely to die by suicide than all of the fatal four combined. That’s unacceptable.”
Goals/Achievements:
Her recent achievements include being a presenting sponsor during Construction Suicide Prevention Week and launching the Building Resilience Construction Mental Health Certification, a first-of-its-kind training that speaks directly to the unique stressors of the trades. “Construction workers are some of the smartest, most innovative professionals I’ve ever met. This work takes intellect, technical skill, problem-solving. So why wouldn’t we bring the same sophistication to how we talk about mental health?”
She’s currently working on a mobile-friendly training through an app that provides bite-sized, five-minute content in English and Spanish workers can access right from their phones. “We can’t always pull crews into a trailer for an hour-long session so we can give them five minutes a day to learn something that could save a life of someone around them.”
Stephanie’s passion for the industry runs deep. “I met my husband in construction. I’ve built lifelong friendships. It’s a massive industry, but it can feel like a small town.” She’s fiercely proud of the people she’s helped hire, mentor, and walk through difficult situations. “Watching them continue to succeed, that’s everything.”
Her story is one of resilience, but also clarity. “Culture isn’t defined by what a company puts on the wall, it’s defined by the worst behavior you’re willing to tolerate. If you want better, you have to expect better, and you have to build it.”
You can Follow or Connect with Stephanie at:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephanielemek/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-wounded-workforce/
https://www.instagram.com/the_wounded_workforce/
stephanie@stephanielemek.com