WOMEN IN CONSTRUCTION Lori Gobert, Murphy Construction, Pemberton, BC Encouraging others to consider construction careers Canadian Design and Construction Report special feature Lori Gobert has applied her administrative and ac- counting background towards a construction industry ca- reer. She is now general manager with Murphy Construction of Pemberton, B.C. “I started working with Murphy as a contract book- keeper when it was just a staff of five,” says Gobert. She later sold her bookkeeping business and joined the company full-time, progressing from office adminis- trator and project co-ordinator to operations manager be- fore becoming general manager. “The owner of Murphy has always been very support- ive of continuing education and of me developing my ca- reer,” Gobert said. “I’ve taken courses through the CHBA (Canadian Home Builders’ Association) and the PMI (Pro- ject Management Institute) to acquire the skills and knowledge I need.” Gobert says she has never been discouraged by any- one she works with or she has come across in her work. She has seen a few questioning glances but these quickly disappear. “Whether it’s construction or some- thing else business is business and knowledge and skill aren’t gender related.” Her networking opportunities have been limited in the small community in B.C.’s Sea to Sky Region from Horseshoe Bay through Whistler to the Pemberton Val- ley. However, she says she has found support through a local association for women in business. Working with successful female entrepreneurs and business women gives her the opportunity to share ideas, solve problems and connect with peers. She says that small-community environment means work and personal life often intertwine. She says she is fortunate to enjoy the people she works with and for and looks forward to the challenges and successes they share. Gobert appreciates the continually changing and evolving construction industry and encourages young people, male and female, to consider careers in the in- dustry both on the trades and management side. “When people think about a career in construction the conver- sation shouldn’t be why would they consider it but why not,” she says. 50 – Summer 2014 — The Canadian Design and Construction Report