Women in Building Performance is Going Viral
Women in Building Performance is making a run for it. With the generous support of several industry organizations and individuals, we've decided that it's time to make this more than just an awesome gathering at HPC's national conference (That is happening too, by the way!) I’m excited to take the opportunity at the conference, and with some generous donations, to continue building the path for more women and diversity in our industry. In my new role at Pearl Certification, I’ve had the opportunity to attend several non-building performance conferences, focused on predominantly HVAC. There are lots of amazing wonderful people in that trade; there are very very very few women. And as we broaden our tent as an industry and look for ways to welcome in more trades, this HVAC problem becomes OUR problem - and we already have that problem!
I’m asking for donations for the reception, and for the Women in Building Performance Initiative. We’ve already raised enough money for 200 drink tickets! With your donation, we’ll be able to dedicate some staff time to building out things like mentorship programs outreach to young women/colleges, and building resources to help companies recruit and keep more qualified women on their payrolls. Mike Rogers raised funds for the scholarship fund, dedicated specifically for women in the industry, and even offered some of his expert consulting to the winners. There was one entry. ONE. I would love to have a robust scholarship fund, but if women aren’t applying to it, we have more work to do! Why is this important? In case you needed the reminder - women make the majority of purchasing decisions in the home. Women in Building Performance has some aggressive goals, which you can find here.
The conference is just an event. I’d like to see us raise enough money to augment the to build out a funded initiative to support women in the industries we support. And yes, there will be some free drinks. I’d love to have your support. You can donate here, and HPC will issue an invoice, as your donation is tax deductible. Many individuals as well as some companies have donated already - please give what you can! (Note that the link goes to the scholarship donation page - There isn't a dedicated link for Women in BP yet)
So far, I know that Mike Rogers has done some amazing outreach to fill the HPC scholarship coffers for scholarships specifically for women in the industry. Pearl Certification, BPI, Elizabeth Chant, Steve Byers (who won’t even be there!), Larry Zarker, and Energy Circle have graciously offered up some cash to offset the costs, and HPC is providing staff support on the day of, and in answering my late afternoon/evening calls and emails to promote this. What can you offer up?
Yes your money will cover drinks. But it will also cover some educational opportunities for women who may not have it. And it will set the ball in motion for us to have real resources dedicated to addressing this need in our industry. If you can’t spare some funds, I know you’ll support this effort by supporting women in the industry.
I look forward to seeing your beautiful shining faces in a few weeks!
Women Rocking Home Performance in All Roles at Ecotelligent Homes
The women of Ecotelligent Homes, from left to right: Fay Cantwell, Shelly Hein, Amanda Godward, Jamie Dusina.
Ecotelligent Homes is a home performance company that has been servicing the Metro Detroit area for six years. Amanda Godward founded the company doing third-party independent energy audits and has grown Ecotelligent Homes into a home performance company with an in-house insulation crew. Ecotelligent Homes has a dedicated staff of nine people, and has women in several key roles from owner and sales to insulation installer and office manager.
Macie Melendez: How did you come about having so many woman on staff in a home performance company?
Amanda Godward: I didn’t set out to hire women, I just kept an open mind in the hiring process. I wanted to hire hard-working folks that shared our focus on customer service and pride in quality work. We didn’t focus on experience in the industry, we focused on people who had the desire and ability to learn more about the industry. It just so happened that the ladies proved to be the best candidates.
MM: Can you tell me about the hiring process?
AG: Jamie’s story is pretty unique, but really shows the concept of hiring people with desire and ability. Jamie is our leading Energy Consultant (sales role, BPI Certified Building Analyst). She toured Europe as a professional figure skater after college, then came to Ecotelligent Homes when her job in Corporate America as an inside sales rep at U.S. Steel proved to be unrewarding. I figured if she could perform the same skating show day and night in front of crowds, she could do audits and make our customers feel like their home was a unique snowflake. And if she could learn about the differences in annealing steel, she could be taught building science.
MM: Did you have to develop any unique programs to train your female staff?
AG: Like most growing companies, our new employee training is become more robust with each new hire we make. We haven’t made any female unique training programs per se, but we do try to make our training fun and relatable to all new hires. It just so happens that the ladies have some funny analogies. Jamie refers to attic evaluations in the summer as ‘hot yoga.’ And my personal favorite is when Fay (Insulation Installer) said that installing spray foam or sealing top plates was like ‘frosting a cake.’
MM: Are your customers or competitors surprised to find women performing these roles?
AG: Sure, we occasionally get comments from customers that seem surprised to see women evaluating crawl spaces or insulating attics. But just like most home performance companies (at least the good ones), our customers are more impressed with our building science knowledge and that our energy audit process has identified the solution to their comfort concerns, than they are impressed by the fact that we are ladies.
MM: In your opinion, what are the biggest challenges for women in this industry?
AG: Don’t take this the wrong way ladies, but I think we can be our own biggest challenge. From thinking that you can’t do something because it’s primarily been a ‘man’s role’ to talking negatively about your female co-workers’ shoes (my work boots have pink accents, and our Office Manger Shelly always wears heels, even when she’s receiving our cellulose delivery). We should support each other, no matter if you are the owner of a consulting company or an HVAC technician. I am pleased to see the Women in Home Performance initiative gaining support!
MM: What advice would you give to a woman starting out in the home performance industry?
AG: Don’t be afraid to be yourself. You don’t have to be a member of the good old boys’ club to be successful. Respect the knowledge that has been gained by those who have worked in this industry, but learn the concepts well enough that you can recite them in your own way. There are plenty of homes out there that need our help, so don’t worry about your competitors or what others may think, just be genuine and support the other genuine folks (male or female) around you.
Women in Building Performance: Cindy Ojczyk
Cindy Ojczyk (pronounced o-check) is the owner of Simply Green Design, where she helps clients navigate the process of creating beautiful as well as energy and resource efficient homes. She also started morethanabeautifulhome.com, a website that’s “on a mission to improve the environment by empowering homeowners to create greener homes.”
Macie Melendez: How did you get started in the home performance industry?
Cindy Ojczyk: I was attending USGBC GreenBuild in 2004 when I heard about energy auditing as a tool for improving home remodeling and new construction. I started applying it to interior design projects in 2005. By 2006 I had created successful relationships with several home performance professionals. They were valuable assets that helped my interior design and consulting company, Simply Green Design, create the first silver-level LEED new home and the first certified Green Built Home remodel in Minnesota. The experience taught me that I could significantly improve a home by leaning on the expertise of the home performance professional. I have been hooked ever since.
MM: How has your career evolved?
Ojczyk: I began my interior design career with the hope that I could make homes more sustainable. I realized quickly that solving home problems with energy solutions was a way to connect homeowners to sustainability: It became a gateway to discuss even more green solutions. That led me down a path of sharing my experiences and knowledge with others so they can be successful as well. I became co-author of the GreenStar Certified Green Homes and Remodeling Program to create a tool specific to the needs of cold climate housing. I have been their principle trainer since 2007. I also do many professional and consumer outreach programs. Two years ago I launched www.morethanabeautifulhome.com as a site for beautiful, accessible, inspiring information on creating greener, energy efficient homes. Many posts promote home performance. I recently collaborated with the Minnesota Building Performance Association to write consumer-friendly content on home performance topics from ice dams to comfort, to insulation, to hiring an energy professional.
MM: When you started out, what was your biggest obstacle? How did you overcome it?
Ojczyk: Consumers are driven by beauty and the confidence they get from other peoples’ success. The lack of design/build/remodel professionals and the media promoting the value of home performance was, and is, a big obstacle. To overcome it, I just keep talking and writing about it.
I also see a continued reluctance of designers, remodelers and builders to work with home performance professionals and vice versa. I would like to see a wider bridge built between these industries.
MM: What is the most rewarding thing about your job?
Ojczyk: There’s nothing better than watching the light bulb turn on when someone finally understands how she can have something extraordinary rather than ordinary by taking a few more steps—such as doing a home performance assessment. That someone can be a homeowner, but I am equally excited when a design or construction professionals gets it as well.
MM: In your opinion, what are the biggest challenges for women in this industry?
Ojczyk: Women continue to be stereotyped as incapable by homeowners and professionals. Oddly enough, when a female client has worked with a woman energy professional, she is usually quite pleased with the results. As more women enter the industry, this will become less of an issue.
MM: What advice would you give to a woman starting out in the home performance industry?
Ojczyk: Follow your gut. If you believe in something, you will find ways to succeed.
Cindy Ojczyk, owner of Simply Green Design
Women in Building Performance: Maureen Mahle
Maureen Mahle, Vice President and Director of Steven Winter Associates' Sustainable Housing Services
Maureen Mahle is an engineer and specialist in high performance homes. As the vice president and director of Steven Winter Associates’ Sustainable Housing Services, Mahle provides expert sustainable design, specification, and construction consulting for a variety of project types including community developments, private residences, mixed-use, and multifamily buildings.
Macie Melendez: How did you get started in the home performance industry?
Maureen Mahle: My family bought older homes and renovated them for resale, so I spent a lot of time as unskilled labor between the ages of 8 and 18. When I went to college, I thought I wanted to study mechanical engineering so that I could design rollercoasters, but then I found my way to civil engineering with a construction management emphasis because it turned out residential construction was in my blood. I was drawn to the necessity of that field of study and the opportunity to improve the shelters we rely on daily.
MM: How has your career evolved?
Mahle: In addition to my civil engineering/construction major, I minored in environmental studies because that was an interest passed down from conservationist grandparents. I stumbled upon papers by the founders of the modern green building movement and decided that was a perfect solution, but nobody knew what I was talking about it when I said I wanted to get into green construction. After graduate school I was hired by a local environmental consulting firm in Madison, Wisconsin that focused on behavior change. They purchased an old building and hired me to oversee a green renovation—at intern wages. With a successful project under my belt, I found my way to Steven Winter Associates at the suggestion of a former professor, and I’ve been here for the last 10 years. Initially I focused on research for new and emerging residential building technologies, but with the growth of the green home certification market, I now work almost exclusively for private clients seeking help with specific residential projects.
MM: When you started out, what was your biggest obstacle? How did you overcome it?
Mahle: While many of the principles have been around in various forms for a long time, green building was barely recognized in 2005. Around 2008, I noticed a definite shift in public awareness, and telling strangers on an airplane that I was a green building consultant suddenly made sense. Mainstream industry professionals started to talk about incorporating resource efficiency, human health, and environmental stewardship into their practices. In this instance, patience and a lot of preaching were the keys to overcoming a lack of awareness about green building.
MM: What is the most rewarding thing about your job?
Mahle: There is absolutely always something new to learn. Being there for the 'aha!' moment when a builder connects the dots about air sealing during a blower door test, or seeing a design team propose a totally new strategy that starts a frantic email chain among the building science geeks at the office—it's all about refusing to accept the status quo, and believing that we can make buildings better.
MM: In your opinion, what are the biggest challenges for women in this industry?
Mahle: Ours is an industry that is slow to change. As a result, moving the needle forward requires aggressive salesmanship. I think sometimes women (myself included) are challenged by the need to convincingly promote our message and our services. We may be more comfortable doing good work and hoping that will do the talking for us, but effectively selling our principles is key to success in home performance.
MM: What advice would you give to a woman starting out in the home performance industry?
Mahle: Near the end of college in the early 2000s, I interviewed for jobs with construction management firms and mentioned my interest in green building. Their response was that I should follow the conventional project manager route for a few years, and then perhaps there would be room to incorporate this additional interest in sustainability. Then I spoke to a green building believer who gave me the opposite advice: ‘Why learn it wrong?’ That is the advice I would give any woman starting out in the home performance industry: Don't pay your dues learning conventional practices with the hope of someday doing something more innovative. Seek out the most innovative practitioners you can find, and pay your dues learning to do things right the first time.
This is the first blog post in the Women in Building Performance series. Learn more about the series here.