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.
Lauren Rose is a design team leader at High Concrete Group (HCG). She started in the concrete construction industry while in college at New Jersey Institute of Technology, where she double-majored in architecture and concrete industry management. After graduation, she started working at HCG in the engineering department. She now leads a team on both architectural and structural precast projects.
PCI-MA: How do you describe your job to people?
Rose: As a design team leader, I oversee an internal engineering team where we design both structural and architectural projects. We are problem-solvers, creative thinkers, and go-getters.
PCI-MA: How did your career journey lead you to your company?
Rose: While I was in college, I connected with people who worked at HCG through career events on campus. My first experience working at High Concrete was when I interned in the quality control department. The following year, I interned in project management. Both of my internship experiences gave me a better understanding of how we produce precast pieces and how they fit together with other trades to create complete structures. Before I graduated in December 2017, I was offered a position to work at HCG in the engineering department as a design team assistant. Since then, I was promoted to Associate Design Team Leader, and now I am a design team leader where I manage an engineering team.
PCI-MA: What is one of the greatest challenges you’ve faced in our industry and how have you overcome it?
Rose: When I worked on my first project, I was intimidated by how many parts of the structure I needed to understand. It wasn’t just the precast that I needed to understand, but how it worked together with all the other trades. I was worried that because I didn’t know everything I thought I should, that the project wouldn’t be as successful as I hoped. Instead of letting my lack of knowledge take over, I leaned into it. I started asking a ton of questions to gain as much information as possible. I became a sponge and wanted to absorb as much as I could. I started making notes, writing checklists, and putting together spreadsheets of all the data, references, and documents I gathered. This helped me have a successful project and still helps me today.
PCI-MA: What do you enjoy most about your job?
Rose: The people I work with. They are extremely supportive, patient, and want everyone to succeed. My team consistently has a positive attitude and wants to do the best work for the projects.
PCI-MA: Do you have a mentor or role model? If so, how does this person support you in your personal and professional growth?
Rose: I have been very lucky to have been supported while working at HCG. In each role I was in, from my first day as an intern and still today, there are several people that I’ve been able to rely on who want me to be successful and have helped me grow.
PCI-MA: What are your career and life aspirations and goals?
Rose: I want to continue to work on challenging projects. What I love most about my job is that each project is different. I want to keep exploring new kinds of projects and gaining more skills.
PCI-MA: What advice would you give a young woman entering the construction industry?
Rose: Be fearless.
About High Concrete Group
High Concrete Group is a PCI-certified “AA” producer of architectural precast and manufacturer of structural components, 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. Our precast concrete offers design flexibility, improved safety, reliable performance, long-lasting durability, and unbeatable cost savings. Contact us today at concrete.answers@high.net to connect with our precast concrete specialists.
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.
