Women in Construction: Blueprints & Brushstrokes Event Recap & Photos

On March 3rd, the DEI Committee traded specifications and spreadsheets for paint brushes and panel discussions at BNBuilders for Women in Construction: Blueprints and Brushstrokes, an evening designed to be equal parts conversation, creativity, and connection. In celebration of WIC Week, the event brought together professionals from across the AEC industry for a casual, low-stakes gathering where attendees could hear from industry leaders while putting brush to canvas.

Meet the Project Team
The panel featured five women, each bringing a unique perspective from their corner of design, engineering, construction, and project leadership. Together, they shared insights from their career journeys, the challenges they’ve navigated, and the lessons that helped shape their paths in the industry.

Panelists from left to right:
Megan Coffland | A Project Executive at BNBuilders who leads major life science, laboratory, and higher-education construction projects.

Sierra Spitulski | Associate Principal and Healthcare Group Leader at P2S, focused on designing high-performance healthcare environments.

Lily Vu | A Sales Engineer at ACI Mechanical & HVAC Sales who delivers HVAC solutions for complex commercial buildings and is passionate about healthcare.

Sarah Simchuck | A Senior Associate and Project Manager at MG2 Architects specializing in retail design and tenant improvement projects.

Sheideh Shanahan | Founder and Principal of Evergreen Project Managers, bringing more than two decades of experience managing complex projects and representing owners.

Alex Amimoto & Kharma Garcia | The moderators of the panel and Chairs of the YEA and DEI Committees within Puget Sound ASHRAE.

 

Pre-Construction: preparing for success with highlights from the panel
Our conversation explored career growth, mentorship, leadership, and the lessons learned along the way. Panelists shared candid stories about navigating challenges, finding confidence early in their careers, and discovering that sometimes the most impactful career moments come from saying yes to unexpected opportunities.

For those who are aspiring to take on a leadership role, it’s really helpful to know what to focus your development on. What should we focus on in order to stay competitive for those leadership positions?

“It’s really about learning the technical rigor and learning to speak up for yourself. In this business, it’s all about relationships. You just have to speak up; you don’t have to have all the information. It’s making the connection to come back with stronger information.”  -Sarah Simchuck

“Sometimes we have to just step it up, prove that you’re good enough, and then look the part. [Back then], I answered every email right away. Didn’t matter what I was doing. Anytime [the client] needed something, I would step up until he trusted me, then I could prioritize my own work”  -Sheideh Shanahan

“To get out of your first stage of your career, particularly as a woman, you have to know everything about the project. You do not have the benefit of saying “I don’t know”, and that’s an unfortunate reality. Know your technical stuff, develop your soft skills, because to be a leader, people have to want to follow you.”  -Megan Coffland

Mentorship is very important as women in the construction industry, and it also plays a really powerful role shaping our careers and its trajectories. What advice do you have for searching for a mentor? 

“The most common mistake I see is that women think they need to find one perfect mentor that embodies all the things. You need 20. They are your peers, above you, people to help you figure out costs or technical things, and people that will help you figure out how to navigate the politics of your organization. You don’t have only one friend. You have lots. Go find lots of mentors.”  -Megan Coffland

“Find mentors that will help you through the financial parts of business and the business part of business. Find them, latch on to them, tear apart their brains with all the questions that you have. Fill those gaps that you didn’t know you had, that others are getting.”  -Sierra Spitulski

“Have someone to ask for advice, for support, to vent to. I feel lucky to work at ACI, where there’s so many people that are willing to, if you have any question or just need to talk, they’re ready to go and talk and get coffee.”  -Lily Vu

 

RFIs from the Audience
This panel so far has been encouraging women to say yes, show up, go for it. What advice would you give for the introverts in the room? 

“[At networking events] don’t try to be too strategic. Just follow the people that you find cool and interesting.”  –Sarah Moore | Buro Happold

“I started my own business and had to network in massive rooms. Going with someone or meeting people there works best for me.” -Sheideh Shanahan

“[Conversations at large networking events are] not the only form of networking. The best connections I’ve gotten are where I get to introduce other people, like, “Hey, I know this person that’s going to be useful to you. Here’s five amazing things about them that I find delightful”. I call it the awkward fan girling. It demonstrates your warmth. It still demonstrates your value. I also love reaching out to somebody that I saw or heard, cold on LinkedIn, and just own the awkwardness. I will actually send a message that says, “Hey, this is hella awkward, but I saw you speak, and you seem really amazing. Can we grab coffee sometime?” Embrace being okay with being awkward and networking doesn’t need to be in big loud rooms.” -Megan Coffland

“At large events, getting just one connection from it feels like a win. I try to not go in with so many expectations. You’re just starting to build your network, and it’s really just starting small.”  -Lily Vu

 

Project Closeout
A big thank you to ACI Mechanical & HVAC Sales and BNBuilders for sponsoring and hosting the event, to Vi Truong, Jack Roberts, Shanelle Solorio, and Janay Brown for helping set up and for physically making this possible, and to the attendees who took the time to join us this evening.

All photos shown below were taken by Iris Kim Photography. Participants are able to download the photos at this link; for others, please request access: info@pugetsoundashrae.org