This month, we’re celebrating Women in Construction Week (March 6-12) with a blog series highlighting the value and ingenuity women bring to our member businesses. We’ll also feature careers and opportunities available to women interested in a rewarding, full-time job and being a part of the precast, prestressed concrete industry’s bright future.
My name is Brittany Colmery, and I have been a design engineer with High Concrete Group for six years, where I have loved growing professionally while designing precast. I am a wife to a loving husband and mom to a precious little boy. In my free time, I teach tumbling classes at a local gym and love to stay active through hiking and running races.
PCI-MA: How do you describe your job to people?
Colmery: I am a design engineer who designs precast concrete structures. Mostly parking garages, but my company does other things as well, such as stadiums, apartment buildings, and offices.
PCI-MA: How did your career journey lead you to your company?
Colmery: I graduated college in 2014 with a civil engineering degree. Throughout my college career, I was involved with several design-type internships, so I was already on the path towards structural/design work. When I got married in 2015, I moved from Pittsburgh to the Philadelphia area, where I began searching for entry-level engineering positions. High Concrete welcomed me and trained me on everything there was to know in the precast world.
PCI-MA: What is one of the greatest challenges you’ve faced in our industry and how have you overcome it?
Colmery: From 2019 through 2021, I was involved with designing the largest parking garage that High Concrete has ever completed to date. Being on the design team for such a large project that lasted multiple years required a lot of endurance and attention to details.
PCI-MA: What do you enjoy most about your job?
Colmery: I love seeing my work come to life from the computer screen to the job site. When visiting a parking garage I designed, I love to look at all the little details that no one cares about except me, who spent hours thinking over how to make it right.
PCI-MA: Do you have a mentor or role model? If so, how does this person support you in your personal and professional growth?
Colmery: I’ve had several mentors during my time with High Concrete. When I was first hired in 2015, I had a mentor who really went out of his way to teach me the tricks of the trade and get me started on the right path in my position here. If I didn’t have that one-on-one personalized training, I wouldn’t be able to be as effective as I am today.
PCI-MA: What are your career and life aspirations and goals?
Colmery: I would love to continue to be a working mom. I’ve found a really good work-life balance, and it allows me to keep my family a priority while also allowing me to still grow and contribute professionally.
PCI-MA: What advice would you give a young woman entering the construction industry?
Colmery: Don’t let fear or intimidation get you down, work hard, and prove yourself in everything you do!
About High Concrete Group
High Concrete Group is a PCI-certified “AA” producer of architectural precast concrete and manufacturer of structural precast, committed to driving innovation, delivering quality, and building trustworthy relationships. Since 1957, High Concrete Group has served a variety of structure types, including parking, healthcare, government, office, multifamily, data center, education, and mixed-use facilities. Our market reach spans throughout the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, and Mid-West, with precast concrete production facilities in Denver, Pennsylvania and Springboro, Ohio. Whether you're an architect, general contractor, construction manager, or engineer, precast concrete from High Concrete Group can benefit your project in a number of ways.
Want to learn more about a career in precast? Check out our workforce Career Center for job descriptions, career paths, job listings, and other helpful resources.
