Chandra Reilly has been a Project Director at Sundt since 2013. She is responsible for the development and leadership of our hospitality practice at a national scale. Prior to joining Sundt, Chandra held positions as Project Coordinator, Estimator, Project Controls Engineer, Assistant Project Manager, Project Manager, Program Manager, Business Development Representative and Program Director at an international construction and engineering firm.
She is a proud alumna of Arizona State University with a bachelor’s degree in Global Business, a minor in Spanish and certificates in International Marketing and International Finance. She is the wife of an architect, the daughter of two incredibly supportive parents and the mother of a precocious 8-year old girl who she hopes will someday consider a career in construction.
How did you get involved in construction?
Purely by accident. I was transferring from Northern Arizona University to ASU and needed a summer job to pay tuition. I interviewed for a Project Coordinator position with a company that I didn’t initially know was even in the construction business (because apparently when we’re 19, we don’t think to do things like show up to interviews knowledgeable about a company’s primary business). I ended up clicking really well with the folks who interviewed me and loved every minute of my first few months there. I adjusted my class schedule to evening classes, stayed on there through the completion of my degree, and never looked back. Twelve years and several promotions later, I left that company for Sundt.
What would you say to people who think the construction industry is primarily for men?
There are obviously more men than women in this business right now but I think that’s more inertia than anything else. Our industry has changed dramatically just in the last two generations and the gender mix is still catching up. Construction has evolved into a business that thrives on professionalism and creativity. I’ve never felt any barriers in my career that were due to my gender, at Sundt or anywhere else. Part of what makes this company unique is the familial atmosphere. I think women who thrive on that kind of camaraderie, with both men and other women, will thrive at Sundt.
How important is it for our industry to have more women majoring in STEM subjects in college?
I think it’s important in general, gender differences aside, to have more people with a high level of emotional intelligence majoring in STEM subjects. Women do tend to score higher in the areas of empathy, intuition and team building, etc. – so we can take that information and say that yes, it is extremely important for more women to take their talents into the technical realm. It can be very easy for a highly technically skilled person to get lost in the data, particularly if it’s the data they love. Math, sciences, engineering – these are all very concrete subjects with clear answers and little room for interpretation. But what we do with the information, how we communicate it, what great things we choose to build with it – those decisions are all made better by people who also excel at human connection.
Have you had many opportunities to mentor women in the industry?
Opportunity is everywhere. That special combination of time, desire and purpose is pretty rare though. Every once in a while, a woman in my professional life will start to shine a little brighter and I’ll realize she has something really special that I want to help foster. Mentoring is a funny thing – the more you try to formalize it, the less effective it seems to be. My role in any mentoring relationship is just to be honest, to listen, to provide thoughtful feedback and to be that person’s champion when they are ready to take the next step.
What would you say to a woman who wanted to start or continue her career by becoming a Sundt employee-owner?
For those considering entering the industry – just do it! I can’t think of a single more satisfying career than one where you get to truly change the world, one piece of the built environment at a time. Your gender has no bearing on all the great things you can do. Your skills are in demand and what you get out will be directly proportional to what you put in. That equation doesn’t change just because you don’t have a Y chromosome.
For those who are already in the business and considering a change, consider the reasons you’re restless and then consider what Sundt can provide. I go to work every day knowing that every person I work alongside (man or woman) has my back and would go to the ends of the earth to help me be successful. And I would do exactly the same for them. Maybe that’s part of the employee ownership culture or maybe it’s just because we hire amazing human beings. Either way, it gets me through even the toughest of days.