SheBuilds, a local woman-owned construction firm, is building a fifth house in the Elsipogtog First Nation community with the help of three woman apprentices from the community.
Owner Donna Ferguson said She Builds Communities for Life was created for a couple of reasons. One was for the company to be used as an entry point and spread awareness to get more women into trades; another was to help the ongoing housing issue, which is where the name for the construction company came from.
“There’s a difference in my mind between work and meaningful work and if ever I get an opportunity to do meaningful work, we will take it. So that’s how She Builds Communities for Life was really set up,” said Ferguson.
Ferguson said that thought snowballed and, after meeting the right people, working within the Elsipogtog First Nation has been a good experience for her team.
“They are very respectful of all of the expertise that’s been brought to the table,” said Ferguson.
This initiative started when Ferguson got in touch with Lynn Francis, Elsipogtog’s director of economic development. After discussing the possibility of SheBuilds coming to the community, three women from the Elsipogtog community were in the process of getting their carpentry red seals.
That’s when they partnered together and started building houses in the Elsipogtog community.
Ferguson said while the partnership started because there is a need for housing in the community, there is also a need for employment opportunities.
“For us, it was an opportunity to be involved in that,” she said. “You just have to step back for a minute and just let them provide the opportunity and then watch them succeed and help them along the way.”
Right now, there are three young women apprentices working alongside Ferguson’s company, Olivia Gehue, Devonya Levi, and Diana Augustine.
Gehue, one of the three apprentices, is attending New Brunswick Community College and is working towards her red seal.
Gehue got involved with SheBuilds when she saw a post looking for people working in trades. The post said they were only hiring two people but when only three showed up, all were hired.
“I think it’s a great opportunity because this is exactly where I want to be, helping my community,” said Gehue.
They have already built three houses and are currently working on two more.
SheBuilds started the partnership with the Elsipogtog First Nations community unofficially last summer, but work officially started before Christmas. The three women worked through the winter building three houses.
Ferguson said there’s a shortage of workers in the skilled trades. Meanwhile, women make up half the population but only four percent of trades workers. She said this partnership is important because it brings a different dynamic to the construction site.
“There’s no reason why women can’t be successful in construction because, as far as I’m concerned, you just need to use the right tool for the job,” said Ferguson.
Jessica Saulnier is a summer intern for Huddle, an Acadia Broadcasting content partner.
