According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, women make up 47% of all employed individuals but only 10.9% of the people working in construction. That number is slowly rising, but we can do better.
ABC Maine is a strong advocate on behalf of all 182 organizations that belong to our group, but we are especially proud of companies like Ganneston Construction Corp., one of the only female-owned general contractors in the state.
Under the guidance of owner and CEO Stacey Morrison for 21 years, the company has flourished, showing that women can succeed in the construction industry.
“Bringing more women into construction is a big part of what we are about as a company,” Morrison says. “The more diverse our industry can be, the more it will continue to grow.”
Augusta-based Ganneston Construction was founded in 1963. It provides design-build, construction management and general contracting services for the renovation and construction of historical, commercial, industrial, government and multi-family buildings. Some of its clients include the Waldo Judicial Center, the Washington County Courthouse and the Florence House permanent housing project in Portland.
Morrison became owner of the company in 2001 and joined ABC Maine the following year. She says opportunities to engage with likeminded subcontractors, suppliers and consultants and the safety and educational opportunities for Ganneston Construction’s management team and employees were among the reasons the company joined ABC Maine.
“The political affairs representation at the state and federal levels we receive from ABC Maine is the benefit we enjoy the most,” Morrison says. “It is so important to see what is happening and to see how the decisions being made by elected officials will affect our business.”
The Benefits of Membership
ABC Maine offers safety training and education programs throughout the year, and Morrison says Ganneston Construction’s own safety program and is overall company safety has improved dramatically since joining ABC Maine.
In addition to political advocacy, training and education, Morrison says she and her employees enjoy ABC Maine’s in-person networking events that help them meet subcontractors, suppliers and consultants. She also says her team also takes advantage of the ABC STEP program—STEP Is a safety management system that improves safety performance among participants regardless of company size or work.
“Participating in STEP allows us to evaluate our safety program each year, implement best practices, improve our program’s results and utilize the data we receive in our marketing to clients,” Morrison says.
In addition to the benefits Morrison and so many others appreciate, ABC Maine offers an apprenticeship program that includes classroom and on-the-job training. We also offer workforce and business development, discount programs, social media exposure and more. We are also the voice of the merit shop, and it’s our responsibility to ensure your voice is heard.
“Alan Burton [the former vice president of human resources for CIANBRO] once told me that we shouldn’t be afraid to talk to our competitors because we are all in this together,” Morrison says.
“Since we joined ABC Maine, we’ve learned from and supported each other and will continue to do that.”
Thanks to Our Members
We’re so thankful for the support we continue to receive from our members. Here are the 13 companies celebrating membership anniversaries this month:
- Zachau Construction Inc. – 30 years
- Ganneston Construction Corp. – 20 years
- LaBrecque Construction Inc. – 19 years
- Station Class Constructors – 19 years
- Aero Heating & Ventilating Inc. – 16 years
- Landry/French Construction – 16 years
- N.S. Giles Foundations Inc. – 16 years
- Cunningham Security – 14 years
- Erickson Bonding & Insurance Inc. – 14 years
- Great Falls Construction – 13 years
- Electrical Solutions Inc. – 10 years
- E L Vining – 9 years
- Hebert Construction – 3 years
Don’t Forget to Join
To learn more about ABC Maine membership, contact ABC Maine’s Membership Director Tami Staples at (207) 620-6561. You can also email her at tami@abcmaine.org.
Stay safe and have a wonderful fall season!