Monthly Member Spot light November

 
 Gina Cullen, Vice President Dynalectric Colorado

Gina Cullen, a Vice President with Dynalectric Company in Colorado, has 23 years experience in the construction industry with a background in the construction of large, complex projects as well as post-construction project analysis. With much of her career spent working on jobsites, her experience includes business development, contract administration, scheduling, layout and installation coordination, estimating, material procurement, change order management, submittal preparation and review, drawing modification, record drawing preparation, quality control, and safety compliance.

Ms. Cullen's journey into the construction industry started after a stint in the United States Navy. While working at an international construction management and claims litigation firm as a construction claims research associate, she came across an article in Engineering News-Record describing the construction of the new Denver International Airport (DIA). Excited by the magnitude of the landmark project, she relocated to Denver and was hired by Dynalectric as a project coordinator for DIA's Automated Ground Transportation System and Aircraft Fueling System projects.

To further develop her skills, she earned a construction industry technician certificate through Clemson University and participated in the National Electrical Contractors Association's (NECA) industrial electricity, electrical design/build methods and estimating courses, as well as LEED technical and practical workshops. She also completed NECA electrical project supervision courses, and became a certified level 1, 2 and 3 trainer, teaching the course to members of IBEW Local #68 and Local #113.

Ms. Cullen encountered NAWIC during her first year at the claims litigation firm, interacting with members who demonstrated a resolve to open doors for women in the construction industry. She began to fully appreciate the value of the organization after Dynalectric transferred her to a data center project in Memphis, Tennessee. New to the area, she relied on the network of contacts NAWIC provides to get up to speed on local resources.

"Coming to a new territory, I discovered that NAWIC is truly a nationwide network of women in construction," Ms. Cullen explains. "Members in Memphis were anxious to help me adjust to the local community, offering invaluable insights on the local labor force as well as suppliers, vendors and subcontractors who could be counted on to perform."

Over the years, Ms. Cullen has taken up the NAWIC banner to ensure that its network of women in construction continues to thrive. She has served as Secretary, Vice President and President of the Denver chapter and has chaired a host of committees. She has also served on various committees within Region Eight.   "I am dedicated to giving back to the construction community, helping other women to succeed just as I was given a leg up in my early years," she says.

After 23 years, Ms. Cullen has worked her way up through the industry, from project coordinator to project engineer, project manager, contract administrator, preconstruction manager, business development manager and Vice President of Dynalectric. "NAWIC provided valuable networking, leadership and educational opportunities every step along the way," she notes. " I have forged lifelong connections with strong women who collaboratively support the advancement of women in the construction industry. Today, though hurdles certainly remain, NAWIC continues to offer women options to overcome obstacles and solutions to challenges in navigating a career path in construction. "

Gina M. Cullen is a Vice President with Dynalectric Company in Denver, Colorado, an EMCOR company.  

For additional information see: www.dyna-co.com.

2011 Presidents Retreat - October 20th & 21st 2011

Scottsdale, AZ.

I was honored to attend the presidents retreat Oct. 20th & 21st in Scottsdale, AZ. This two day conference was attended by all of the wonderful chapter presidents in Region 8. This retreat was packed with great information. The retreat started off with a wonderful presentation by Otto Siegel of Genius Coaching on how to be a great leader and work with different personality types. We all took a personality survey known as the "DISC" assessment. For two hours we analyzed how personality traits effect an individual's body language, interpretations of linguistics and reactions. Please be sure to chech out more about Otto Siegel's presentation in Alice Sanchez, Director, and Veronica Dutczak's ACP report as there is a lot of great information about how to work effectively alongside different personalities.

I would like to share with you some of the information that was passed on to us presidents about what our national board has been doing these past two months. National has begun to circulate the proposed 2013 dues increase. Please be sure to check it out at the national webpage (www.nawic.org). The past two years national has really struggled to maintain a balanced budget. Unfortunately, due to the poor economy, national has had to use reserve funds and work at a deficient. Our national membership has dropped from 6000 strong in 2000 to 4000 this year. This year there is a very large focus on maintaining our current members and actively recruiting new members. The key to this is by running professional meetings, providing strong educational programs and networking and continuing to be actively involved in the community. This year, Amy Powell our Vice President, has done a terrific job of just that!

We as a chapter are getting back to the basics and are really focusing our efforts to be sure to provide all of our members with tools that they can use in their careers and lives. We have developed a chapter strategic plan to ensure our goals can be achieved and hone in our focus on our members and their needs. This year the 2011 NAWIC National Convention is being held in our own backyard, Denver, August 29th - September 1st. We want to encourage everyone who can to attend as there are very valuable presenters and prime networking opportunities!

Our Region 8 Director, Linda Kofford, has also developed this year's membership contest "The Great Desert Race" each one-reach one project. The race is a challenge between all the chapter members in region 8 to reach out to one new lady each week and spread the rewards of NAWIC while trying to recruit new ladies to join the great NAWIC cause. $200 will be award to the chapter that recruits the most new members and $100 for the chapter with the most retained members. So we need your help ladies! We need you to reach out to your contacts and spread the work of all the great work we do in our chapter and support we provide the wonderful women in the construction industry. For more information about this contest please visit our website or Region 8 Website.

Also, please mark your calendar for 2011 Forum May 3rd-5th in Tucson, AZ at the Lodge at Ventana Canyon. The lodge boasts one of the most scenic locations in the southwest along with the always terrific educational programs and networking opportunities that Forum provides to all those who attend.

As always, this chapter could not be as successful as we are without each and every one of our members! We have a terrific year planned packed full with great volunteer opportunities, wonderful guest speakers and educational programs and a wide contact base that is ideal for networking. We look forward to seeing you all Thursday November 10th at our membership meeting where E.J Frank will be presenting on how to manage conflict, deal with generation differences and more communication tools.

I always welcome your thoughts and comments.

Kira Chaffee, LEED AP BD+C

Denver #112 Chapter President

 Please take a look inside for our communities job postings!

Job Center

Good afternoon ladies,

We have a wonderful program this month that will incorporate very relevant topics including managing conflict, gender differences, and more with better communication tools. It will be presented by E.J. Frank who has been a non-traditional working woman for over 22 years.

Meeting Details:
When: Thursday, November 10th at 5:30 PM

Where: Piccolo
Address: 3563 S Monaco Pkwy
Denver, CO 80237

Program: Combating communication issues in the workplace
Cost: $20*

*(PAY NOW! Did you know you can now pay in advance through Paypal? Just click on this link http://nawicdenver.org// to be transferred to our web-site. Under meeting Information click the "Pay Now" button which will transfer you to Paypal)

Please RSVP no later than Monday, November 7th, 2011.


As always, please forward this on to anyone that may have been missed or anyone you'd like to invite to the meeting.

CANCELATION POLICY TO BE STRICTLY ENFORCED. Please remember that unpaid attendees, "no shows" and those who cancel after the RSVP deadline will receive invoices for dinner/meeting dues the week(s) following the meeting.

If you are not a chapter member and would like your name removed from this distribution list, please e-mail Amy Powell at apowell@gtc1.net