Women enter industry in record numbers.

In recent years women have entered the construction industry in record numbers, but they still have not gotten their share of the pie.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the number of women entering the industry increased 20% from 1995 to 2000; and between 1992 and 1999 the number of women-owned construction firms grew by 68%. Those number have remained steady.

Although women comprise about 10 percent of the construction industry, women-owned firms continue to be under-represented in the government, contracting arena, according to a 2003 report by National Women's Business Council. In federal sub-contracting in particular, they received fewer than 5% of reported sub-contracts in FY1999 and 2000.

"Women in construction face challenges and obstacles daily that most men in the industry never will," said Kara D. Roberson, director of marketing communications for the National Association of Women in Construction. "Women fight constantly for equal pay, the opportunity to bid and work on federal contract jobs and for respect within the industry. The outlook is bright, however, for women in this industry. The numbers of women in construction are up more than 18 percent since 1995."

Eleonora Shtytser, owner of Floor Fantasy Inc, is part of the movement of women-owned construction related businesses. She opened her bamboo flooring company in Fort Lee, N.J. in 2000.

"I used to go to my job and they told me what to do and now I am my own boss," said Shtytser, who immigrated from the Soviet Union in 1980 and worked as a computer programmer in New York until she was laid off. "You have to follow your dream, but I'm not only a dreamer. Being successful is not going to be easy and it's not going to happen overnight."

Shtytser works around the clock to market her environmentally-friendly product that has a stiff competition with regular hardwood flooring.

"When I opened this business nobody knew about bamboo," she said. "But if you have a good product the people will find you."

One of the ways in which women business owners can market their business or product is to network.

"Don't do it alone," said Lenore Janis, president of Professional Women in Construction. "Join an industry association with members who have 'been there, done that.'"

PWC has several networking events throughout the year that help women and minority business owners meet the movers and shakers in the construction, engineering and architectural design industries.

"Over the past 25 years PWC has re-invented the art of business networking to the extent that the good old boys don't want to be excluded from our venue," said Lenore. "We created an agenda where businesswomen and industry decision makers interact with ease, often one-to-one. It's the next best thing to the deal making that goes on in the men's locker room--and we have no intention of invading that space."

Michele Medaglia, president of ACC Construction, a New York-based WBE general contracting and construction management firm, has been successful in marketing her firm and building and maintaining a large client base.

"You really have to work it," said Medaglia. "Women do have a special knack with relationships. We like to build relationships built on trust and integrity. These are the things that make us stand out."

To market her product, Shtytser became a member of the National Wood Flooring Association, the New York Building Congress, Regional Alliance for Small Contractors and has recently applied for a membership with PWC.

"It can really be the bridge between big and small companies," she said. "Where else would you get a chance to meet the president of Skanska (at a PWC function)?"

Shtytser is beginning to get bites on the commercial side after several months of marketing to that arena. She is hoping to hear about a $25,000 to $30,000 project by the end of the year. She has also has gotten several invitations from architectural design firms to introduce her product.

Along with networking, for a business to prosper getting certified as a women- and or minority-owned business in order to participate in government contracts is important, said Janis.

A large number of governmental entities must set aside a percentage of contracts to women and minorities, and private companies that want to bid for these jobs must use a percentage of women-and minority-owned businesses.

"History shows that government regulations persuade major companies to include the 'new kid on the block,'" Janis said.

Medaglia agrees.

"You can't change the past. History was that there wasn't a place for women in the workplace," she said. "There are qualified women-owned businesses that deserve a fair chance to get that business."

Research proves this to be true. An analysis of the capacity of women-owned small firms has disproved the theory that this under-representation in government sub-contracting may be due to a lower ability of women-owned firms to perform in the federal procurement arena, said a NWBC report.

Like it or not, women are making inroads in the traditionally male construction industry.

"We are beginning our own construction companies," said Medaglia. "We are breaking those glass ceilings. We are breaking down doors."

Breaking down those doors, however, takes a lot of effort.

"You have to use anyway to market you product," said Shtytser. "You never give up. Exhaustion is not the word."