‘You Have to be Fearless’: Women Build Each Other up at Development Services Event

Gatherings of builders and construction professionals don’t often involve cheers, laughter, and bouquets of flowers, but Dallas Development Services mixed things up by honoring female building professionals in the first-ever “Women Who Build” Luncheon.

The event was held Friday on International Women’s Day at the Black Academy of Arts and Letters. 

Keynote speaker Sharon Douglas, owner of Potere Construction, began building homes at Joe Pool Lake in 1996. The disabled U.S. Army veteran said when the market plummeted in 2008, she took a hard look at her life and what it was she loved about the houses she built.

“It was concrete,” she said. “At 2 a.m. I would get up, go out there to meet my guys, and watch them pour concrete. I put rubber boots on. Why? Because I wanted to know exactly what they were going through. What impact was this having on their lives?” 

So she rebuilt her business around concrete. Her first contract was with the City of Fort Worth. 

“I did that job and I enjoyed it so much,” she said. “I was one of the best contractors they had, but I grew.” 

Now Potere does about 60 percent heavy highway jobs with the Texas Department of Transportation and the U.S. DOT, and 40 percent commercial projects. 

Women Who Build Panel Discussion: ‘I Belong Here’

Service work appeared to be a theme among a powerhouse group of female panelists.  

Kimberly Shaw, founder and CEO of Just Call Shaw real estate brokerage and former president of the Regional Black Contractors Association, said leadership roles happen organically when people are willing to help others. 

“What happens is, when you serve others, people will see something in you and they will ask you to lead,” she said. 

Linda McMahon, president and CEO of The Real Estate Council, joked that she grew up as the middle child with four brothers and “had to survive.” 

“You learn early … that you have to be strong,” she said. “I learned an awful lot when I got into the business world. This isn’t just fighting with your brothers anymore. It’s trying to figure out your own path and how you can survive in a male-dominated industry. You have to be fearless. You have to say, ‘I know I can do that,’ and look them right in the eye and show them that you can. At some point, you have to steel yourself and say, ‘There’s nothing that can stop me, and you’re not going to get in my way.’” 

Indria Hollingsworth, senior Diversity Equity and Inclusion manager for JE Dunn Construction, talked about the moment she realized she’d earned a seat at the table — not to take notes but to participate in decision-making. 

“The biggest barrier, when I really stopped and thought about it, was myself,” Hollingsworth said. “I’ve been in a lot of rooms where I was the only woman and the only person of color. A lot of times I didn’t think I belonged in those rooms. As I got more confident and looked around at the people who were sitting at the big conference table, I realized I was probably smarter than them. Based on some actions and some behaviors, I recognized they’re not that special. I stopped taking notes in meetings that I didn’t schedule. I started sitting at the big conference table. These are little things but for me, it was saying, ‘I belong here.’”

Women Empowering Women

Kathleen Lenihan, design director for Dallas ISD, said recently she observed a conflict between two female project managers. Men who observed the same issue “alluded to the fact that the women were very loud,” Lenihan said. 

“I said, ‘It’s not easy being a woman in construction,’” she said. “At some point, we learn that we don’t have to be loud anymore, but for a really long time we have to speak loud and be better and be smarter and nicer than everybody else at the table in order to get to that point.” 

The panelists encouraged attendees, who were honored for years of service and contributions to the Dallas Fort Worth housing stock and economic development, to be kind and authentic. 

Douglas said she believes in giving back and investing in others. 

“My investment is making sure you’re here for tomorrow,” she said. “My investment is to sit at the table with you and tell you yes — and also to tell you no. I’m straightforward. When you get on that fence line, don’t teeter. Move forward.” 

Show people how to treat you, and when someone needs assistance, help them, Douglas said. 

“Don’t be afraid,” she said. “Walk through the fear. The fear will keep you from doing some things you would love to do in your lifetime. We need you. We need you in construction.” 

Shaw ended her remarks with a quote from Maya Angelou: “You may shoot me with your words. You may cut me with your eyes. You may kill me with your hatefulness. But still, like air, I’ll rise.”