Join us in celebrating the 25th Annual Women in Construction Week
PCI-MA: How do you describe your job to people?
Melissa: In the simplest terms: I lead a team of precast cheerleaders. Together we promote general awareness and the benefits of using precast concrete building solutions. As a marketing team, our primary goal is to captivate our audience and to help them make informed buying decisions. We do this through a number of communication and marketing channels including social media, email marketing, in-person and virtual CEUs, attending and speaking at industry events, producing thought leadership, and our blog, to name a few.
PCI-MA: How did your career journey lead you to your company?
Melissa: Like many of my peers, my career has meandered. I started as a journalism student interning with The Washington Post. I then spent several years in the federal government business development space while residing in the Washington, DC area. My career really took off in 2014 when I landed my job at CBRE, the world’s largest commercial real estate services firm. I was hired to manage business development and marketing at a national level for the company’s government sector, which included federal, state, and local work. After a couple successful years, the company moved me over to a newly developed high-growth business unit, data centers, where I was again responsible for marketing and business development – but this time at a global level. As the business grew from $25M to $750M in revenue over the next several years, I rose through the ranks just as quickly. Toward the end of my tenure, I landed the Senior Managing Director role, where I led a large global sales and marketing team responsible for revenue generation, brand awareness, and product promotion. In 2020 as COVID took place and my global travel ceased, my husband and I took the opportunity to better balance work and life and decided to move from the DC metro area to Lancaster, PA where his family resides. A year after moving and working entirely remotely, I felt a void in my life because I was not well integrated with my local community. It was at this time I started perusing the local job listings and happened to see that High Concrete was hiring a marketing director. With my background in commercial real estate and construction, I already knew of the impeccable reputation of the High Companies. Since joining High Concrete in September 2021, I have been able to better balance work and life, integrate with the local community, and pursue passions that I did not previously have time for.
PCI-MA: What is one of the greatest challenges you’ve faced and how have you overcome it?
Melissa: In nearly every role that I have had in my career, I have been challenged with being one of the youngest in the room or youngest in my role. This, coupled with being one of a limited amount of females, has been a consistent obstacle throughout my career. My professional success has not come easy. As a young female who has always worked in male-dominated industries, I have had to work twice as hard as my older male counterparts in order to receive the same level of respect for my work and contributions. For this reason, I would say one of the hardest professional challenges I have had to overcome is gaining the courage to speak up or even pose critical questions, especially in big groups. Early in my career I found it difficult to ask questions or challenge ideas during meetings where I was the youngest and/or the only female. I took for granted that my older co-workers knew all of the answers, and I was always intimidated to contribute in fear of disclosing my limited knowledge. Instead of asking those questions I would write them in my notebook and wait to see if someone else asked them. Eventually I learned that my questions and ideas were valid and may have even helped the team in that moment. Through time I gained the courage to speak up. My advice for anyone going through this same challenge is to never doubt yourself. There are no dumb questions, and no matter how many years of experience someone may have, nobody has all the answers. Your contributions matter and they could spark the inspiration that the team needs.
PCI-MA: What do you enjoy most about your job?
Melissa: My initial response would be the people I work with. From co-workers to industry peers, to partners – they are all so incredibly talented, bright, and generous. Secondly, I love the diversity of my work. No two days are the same in the world of marketing: from campaign management to photo shoots, to industry events and site visits. Every day I am thankful for the variety or projects that we work on and the impact we make to the business, our employees, and our local community.
PCI-MA: Do you have a mentor or role model? If so, how does this person support you in your personal and professional growth?
Melissa: Throughout my career I have had a number of mentors to support me in both my personal and professional growth. Their guidance and input have helped me see the ‘bigger picture’ of my career and life goals.
PCI-MA: What are your career and life aspirations and goals?
Melissa: Professionally, I aspire to be a positive role model and leader within my community and industry. Personally, I would like to extend my Spanish language skills to full fluency, complete a marathon, and add more countries to my list of places visited.
PCI-MA: What advice would you give a young woman entering the construction industry?
Melissa: Find a mentor that you can really connect with and ask them what they see in you, and how you can apply those traits to achieve your goals. Sometimes it’s hard to see your own potential.
High Concrete Group is a PCI-certified “AA” producer of architectural precast concrete and a manufacturer of structural precast concrete, 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 Midwest, 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.