WOMEN IN SCAFFOLDING Angela Romita builds relationships and handles senior responsibilities as Nutech's managing director Canadian Design and Construction Report special feature Angela Romita grew up in the con- struction industry and always knew her future would be in the family busi- ness. Her father founded LenStar Welding and Fabricators Ltd. 50 years ago and 15 years ago she helped ex- pand that business by becoming man- aging director of Nutech Scaffold and Steel Forms Inc. in Concord, Ontario. Romita says she started working alongside her father, Len Romita, dur- ing summer breaks from school, learning the business and beginning the long-term succession plan that would see her one day grow to run the company. She later took business courses which helped cement that path. “My father’s Italian background meant he was very progressive in his thinking. It was never an issue that I was a girl in construction.” While she says the industry is largely filled with men she sees many examples of successful women as well working as engineers and busi- ness owners and the trend is slowly shifting. She says there is that moment when she walks into a meeting with new people and the question hovers about whether she is there as admin- istrator has greater responsibilities. “But it doesn’t take long to show that I know what I’m talking about and that I am the decision-maker,” she said. Within Nutech, she says she hires the best person for the job and as a result there are several other women working for the company. She recog- nizes both personally and profession- ally that career women experience different challenges than men. “You work a full day and then go Angela Romita home and the work continues be- cause you are a mother or a wife and there are more responsibilities to deal with,” she says. Another personal challenge she says is developing relationships out- side the boardroom. Recognizing that a lot of deals are cemented on the golf course, she says this is a void in her own experience that is hard to fill and she has to be creative in finding alter- native opportunities. She doesn't however seek out women-to-women connections just as a means to doing business. “I think we need to break down barriers and con- nect with the people we should be meeting whether they are men or women.” The challenges of her role are more than offset by the satisfaction she gets from seeing products manufactured and installed in their final projects. The industry is challenging, but in a good way, and dynamic. “My advice to anyone considering the field is that if this is what you like, make sure you know your stuff and work hard,” she says. “There is a lot more competition now so you have to be ready to put the effort in and you can work to get what you want.” She says gender has no bearing on a person’s success and that there is no job a woman can’t do if she has knowl- edge, passion and drive. CUSTOM FABRICATION: Steel forms, hoppers, capitals, columns, barrier forms, struts, aluminum stages, window-washing systems, beam forms, architectural forms. lenstar construction equipment specialists SCAFFOLD EQUIPMENT: access standard frames, STARLOCK system scaffold, stairways, ladders, braces, struts, steel planks, ply-planks, jacks, baseplates. Lenstar is a name synonymous with quality, innovation and satisfaction. Since 1965 Lenstar has been meeting the special fabrication needs of the construction and industrial maintenance sectors throughout the global marketplace — customizing our products to meet the discerning needs of all our customers. 10 Costa Road, Concord, Ontario, L4K 2R9 T: 905-738-2339 F: 905-738-9072 e-mail: info@lenstar.ca wwww.lenstar.ca The Canadian Design and Construction Report — February - March 2015 – 35