Women in the Concrete Restoration Industry Andrea Finlayson discovers opportunities, challenges in the field at Davroc Consulting Engineers Canadian Design and Construction Report special feature Andrea Finlayson has achieved success as a project manager with Davroc Consulting Engineers by balancing her creativity, problem solving ability, and desire not to be behind a desk. “When I was in high school I knew I was good at math and physics, but considered architecture for its design and artistic side,” she said. “Engineer- ing kept popping up on ca- reer testing but I really had no idea what the field was all about.” Finlayson says she re- searched and discovered she liked the profession's technical and problem-solving challenges. However, she did not really fully appreciate the career until she took her first co-op civil engineering semester. Growing up in a rural community, she also had the opportunity to work under the county’s civil engineer, who she says provided invaluable insight and experience. She learned she needed to gain confidence. “One of my co-op reports noted I came off as timid and sug- gested I would have a hard time working on site,” she said. She says that confidence came with time and knowl- edge. Some site crews still make her work for their re- spect. “Some sites you arrive on and you just know it’s going to be a rough start. All you can do is show up every day, do your job, demonstrate you know what you’re talk- ing about, and eventually they get it.” Despite the challenges of being on site, Finlayson knows that is exactly where she wants to be. She said she never wanted a career behind a desk, preferring in- stead to see things being built. The site-based insights help with her own design process and technical under- standing. She says the uneven distribution of men and women within the industry begins to feel normal after awhile, but on occasion she notices the imbalance. “This was driven home to me at an industry event when the speaker got up and said ‘welcome lady and gentlemen.’ I looked around and realized I was the only woman in the room.” She says the opportunity to work with other women in her office and female clients is sometimes a welcome experience. “Women often think differently, have a dif- ferent approach, or focus on different aspects,” she said. “Having a woman at the table can provide a balance to the process and outcome.” Finlayson says she would recommend an engineering career to women and encourages them to research the profession's opportunities. For more information about Davroc visit davroc.com. The Canadian Design and Construction Report — Summer 2014 – 51