When I was hired to be a project manager at Proxy, I had just come out of the field where I worked hands-on doing retail display installations. I had worked for 10 years in the national retail installation sector. Prior to that, I worked solely in residential construction for years.
I spent many years struggling to be the best at my craft with little to no guidance. It was an uphill struggle as a woman trying to break through into a field that did not want me as a part of it. It was a long and difficult road that at times was exhausting, lonely, and seemingly insurmountable. Being a woman in construction is not easy.
There's a constant unspoken truth you need to prove yourself beyond your skill set if you're a woman in the construction industry. You have to show you are strong, dedicated, and completely okay with being the only woman on a job site. I loved building things and I dreamt of one day working with other tradeswomen, even if I had to hire them myself.
So, I opened my own company.
I started collaborating with Proxy doing retail fixture installations around 2018. They were an incredible company to work with compared to other national retail installers—a dream client!
I had no idea at the time that the company was owned by another woman. When I found out, I was over the moon. I had never met another woman who owned a construction company! As a woman, the sheer joy to find another woman doing the same thing as you is like the spring after winter.
As I worked with Proxy over the next few years, I saw that gender didn't play a role in how they paid or assigned work. They chose me because I worked hard and consistently offered them my best work. When they offered me the opportunity to step out of the field and join their organization, I jumped on it.
People ask me why I chose to close my company and work for another person. The answer is easy: Anne Brockhaus, the founder and CEO, has built an incredible company whose growth is exploding. And that explosion isn't just because of the quality of work provided—it's also the transparency, honesty, and equality within the company.
While Proxy Retail isn't not my company, I've still achieved my dream: I get to work with fantastic women in the field I love.
I consider myself very fortunate to have found and to now be a part of the Proxy Retail group. After many years of struggle in a difficult industry as a woman, I'm part of an exceptional company—one that values me based solely on my contribution and effort. I’m so proud of the work we're doing all over the country in the national retail installation space.
Let’s build the future together. Contact Proxy Retail for your next project!
Proxy Retail has been awarded the prestigious Woman Owned Small Business (WOSB) certification by the Women’s Business Enterprise Council (WBENC).