Editor’s note: As Women in Construction Week continues, Haskell.com features the unique perspective of Stacey Barton, a 30-year industry veteran and Haskell leader who has taken on the new role of Vice President of Construction for Project Management Resources and Development.
When Stacey Barton earned her Bachelor of Science in Building Construction Management at the University of Florida, she was one of only three women in a class of 60 that graduated in 1991.
That same representation was common across the building industry when she started at Haskell as an Assistant Project Manager (APM); she was usually the only woman in the field. Three decades later, women are still a small percentage in the world of construction project management.
While women are better represented in engineering and architecture, they are still significantly underrepresented in construction despite mentoring and industry workforce development programs.
“I have seen that education and outreach at the middle schools, high schools and junior colleges can help increase the diversity pool of qualified candidates if we can get to the students before they declare their majors,” Barton said.
Today, Haskell has hired more female APMs and Project Managers (PMs) as the percentage of females entering the construction management field has increased, but the gender balance in the industry is still far from a 1:1 ratio.
“There is still more work to do,” she said.
Barton’s first project at Haskell was as an on-site APM on Phase 1 of the Blue Cross Blue Shield campus in Jacksonville, Florida, an $80 million project made up of three multi-story cast-in-place buildings.
“I was fortunate to have supportive team members, superintendents, and project managers, then and throughout my career,” Barton said. “They were excellent mentors and were ‘rooting’ for me. I learned so much about our industry and myself. Overall, it has been a great experience and I cannot see myself anywhere else.”
Barton is the mother of two children, who are now grown.
“The work/life balance can be tricky,” she said. “When the kids were little, I’d put the kids to bed and work nights or weekends. Or I’d bring them in to work when there was a school holiday and sit them at a desk. You make it work. It helps that Haskell is family-friendly. Now, we can potentially work from home if the need arises, which helps tremendously when you have a sick child or school holiday. The workload never changes, but flexibility at Haskell has certainly evolved”.
Barton’s leadership in the construction industry was recognized in 2017 by the Jacksonville Business Journal, which named her a Woman of Influence.
“My passion is to provide a place where young men and women have a resource and career development opportunities,” she said. “But for young women, it is especially important to provide support for them in a male-dominated industry. Construction is a people business, and Haskell provides technical and specialized services to our clients. Your gender should not matter when it comes to working hard and earning a leadership role at Haskell and within this industry.”
Barton’s career with Haskell has taken her to many markets -- food, beverage, aviation, municipal, education, federal, and healthcare. “I’ve had opportunities to work in most of Haskell’s markets and continue to learn something new or specialized in each one.”
She also has served as Haskell’s Director of Construction, Vice President of Construction and Chief of Staff to the Chief Operating Officer.
She now has a new role – Vice President of Construction for Project Management Resources and Development.
“I’ve done similar roles on a smaller scale – recruiting, staffing, career and technical training, and cross-training,” she said. “I’ll be heavily involved in career development for roles such as APMs and PM Is. Training and career development in construction project management is my true passion.”
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