Phoenix Masonry CEO Christy Crook Named to “Women in Colorado Construction” List
Christy Crook, president and founder of Phoenix Masonry, was recently recognized as one of the “Women in Colorado Construction.”
Phoenix Masonry CEO Christy Crook was recently singled out as one of the “Women in Colorado Construction” in the Winter 2022 issue of the Colorado Public Works Journal. In this edition of the Phoenix Masonry blog, Christy talks about how this recognition came about and adds her commentary and opinion on the state of women in the construction industry.
How did this award come about?
“It’s really more of a recognition than an award. The editor of the Colorado Public Works Journal, Jo Taylor, reached out to me—and quite a few other candidates—at the end of 2021 to let us know she was working on a special pullout section featuring the top women in Colorado’s construction industry. Taylor is very connected to the industry in the Denver area, and she’s also involved with Transportation & Construction GIRL (T&C GIRL). In putting together this list of 50+ females, she’s shown how she works tirelessly to showcase female leaders.”
How does it feel to be a female owner in a male-dominated industry?
“I do relish the role of being a female construction owner, but I really feel like I just do what I have to do to get work done—like any other CEO. To me, there’s real value in celebrating my role, along with others, with organizations like T&C GIRL. It can be very rewarding to take note of the impact we’re making. Recently, we had a reception for many of the young women who have gone through and completed this program. So many of these women simply didn’t understand how construction could be an option for them. Now, they recognize that the doors are open, and they can visualize and experience all of the possibilities in front of them.”
In what ways do you use your influence to empower other females?
“The influence that I have is always top of mind for me. It involves my approach and the ways that I purposely set out to uplift women in the business world, which affects all aspects of my life. It’s something that’s so important to me because it’s changing lives. I want to be clear that I don’t feel like I’ve personally been held back or held down. I share my challenges, but I don’t really see it any differently than my male counterpart construction owners—having that attitude isn’t productive. I guess you could say that there’s no chip on my shoulder.”
In what ways should the industry be recruiting women?
“I think it’s important that we get past the mottos and the slogans and focus on more actionable initiatives. Women are still scarce in the bricklayer community. I think that’s because there’s just a particular personality that can make it work. More women than ever are entering the construction industry, but most are still white-collar workers. We may need more focus on recruiting for the blue-collar positions.”
What type of progress do you see for women in construction in the next 10 years?
“I think there’s a lot of progress. We’re moving from behind the scenes and taking a stronger position as leaders, changing the ways the industry is run. I’m very hopeful for making incredible progress in the years to come. Word of mouth about female success stories is helping this become a grassroots effort and the statistics are changing. When T&C GIRL first started back in 2018, the industry was 8% female. Now, we’re up to 10%. That might not seem like a lot, but we’re making slow but steady progress. We still have to focus on getting past the antiquated gender roles. We’ve got to do better showcasing what construction has to offer—like the fact that wage gap disparity is basically nonexistent.”
To read Christy’s profile and that of other women in Colorado construction, simply follow this link.