SPECIAL EDITION
VOLUME II
IN PARTNERSHIP WITH
WOMEN BUILDING THE FUTURE
SPECIAL SEGMENT
TOP THE INDUSTRIES INFLUENTIAL WOMEN Administrator Kelly Loeffler • SBA, Rita Brown • NAWIC, Rita Ferris • NRLA & more
RENA KLIOT MARKET VOICES Why Corporate America Is Shifting to South Florida.
OFFICIAL SUMMIT EDITION 2026 FBMA
Muddy Boots, Deep Roots. MATTLANE CONSTRUCTION
Margaritaville Resort WOMEN’S SUMMIT September 16-18
WINTON MACHINE The Weight of What we Build.
Fr om the Executive Publisher
Tamara Bellamy President, Harrison Kelly Media Inc. Chief Executive Officer & Executive Publisher, Built America Magazine
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DEAR READER FROM OUR EDITOR
Built America Magazine: Welcome to the Built America Magazine Women Building the Future Edition — a special issue dedicated to the women shaping the future of construction, lumber, building materials, manufacturing and the trades through leadership, resilience, innovation and the determination to create opportunity for those coming behind them. Created in partnership with the Florida Building Material Association’s Inaugural Women of Lumber & Building Materials Summit, this edition brings together influential women from across American business and industry alongside powerful editorial stories examining the challenges, opportunities and changing landscape facing women today. Inside, we also explore the broader movement of women building the future of American industry — from entrepreneurs creating companies and executives reshaping organizations from within, to women forging careers in traditionally male-dominated fields and the businesses, associations and leaders working to make those paths stronger for the generation that follows.
WOMEN BUILDING THE FUTURE
These pages tell stories of women who have built companies, challenged expectations, broken through barriers and stepped into rooms where women were once rarely seen. They are stories of ambition and adversity, mentorship and leadership, legacy and what comes next. Some have spent decades building their names. Others are only beginning. Together, they represent something far greater than a single summit or special edition. They are building businesses. Building industries. Building opportunities for one another. And, in doing so, they are building the future.
Warm regards, The Editorial Team
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Built America Magazine
INSIDE WOMEN BUILDING THE FUTURE
WOMEN BUILDING THE Future VOLUME II
FBMA WOMEN’S SUMMIT EDITION
OPENING LINES
FBMA - TAKE UP SPACE 14 EVENT HIGHLIGHTS & MUST SEES 22 Building the Space Women Deserve.
26
ANDREA MESIS BRUNO - REWRITING THE RULES OF THE DEAL Know Your Value, Know the Numbers.
TOP INFLUENTIAL WOMEN
32 KELLY LOEFFLER, ADMINISTRATOR, SBA
38
RITA BROWN 2025-2026 PRESIDENT, NAWIC
CHERYLYN HARLEY LEBON, PARTNER COHEN SEGLIAS
42
46
RITA FERRIS, PRESIDENT, NRLA
SPECIAL SEGMENT: MARKET VOICES
50 RENA KLIOT, PULSE INTERNATIONAL REALTY
A Strategic Place to Build.
EDITORIAL FEATURES
56
S.I. CONTAINER BUILDS Building Beyond the Box.
74
JEWEL TONED INTERIORS Designing More Than Spaces, Designing a Movement. WILD ABUNDANCE Where Hands Reclaim What the Heart Has Always Known. MATTLANE CONSTRUCTION Muddy Boots, Deep Roots.
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CLOSING LINES
OFFICIAL MEDIA PARTNERSHIP 126
116 WINTON MACHINE
The Weight of What we Build.
With gratitude for the partnership and support of everyone who helped bring this special summit edition to life.
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BUILDING THE FUTURE WOMEN
Built America Magazine
05
SHARE YOUR STORY CONNECT. ENGAGE. INSPIRE.
EDITORIAL EDITORIAL IMPACT, INFINITE REACH
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Built America Magazine OPENING LINES OFFICIAL WELCOME TO THE EDITION W
elcome to the Women Building the Future edition—created to open this special summit issue with purpose, perspective, and momentum.
These opening pages introduce the conversations, leaders, and defining ideas setting the tone for what follows.
From key event highlights and must-sees, to the FBMA feature and Andrea Mesis Bruno’s perspective on value and leadership, this section is designed to orient, inspire, and invite you deeper into the stories ahead.
AHEAD IN OPENING LINES
14 22 26
EVENT HIGHLIGHTS & MUST-SEES
Key moments, featured voices, and summit experiences not to miss.
FBMA – TAKE UP SPACE
Building the Space Women Deserve.
ANDREA MESIS BRUNO – REWRITING THE RULES OF THE DEAL
Know Your Value, Know the Numbers.
Keep reading for more : the Top Influential Women segment and our featured editorials carry the story forward.
BUILDING THE FUTURE WOMEN
IN PARTNERSHIP WITH
PROUD PARTNERS OF THE
AND BUILDING MATERIALS SUMMIT FBMA INAUGURAL WOMEN OF LUMBER
SPONSORED BY
EVENT HIGHLIGHTS & MUST SEES
Discover the voices taking the stage, the moments worth planning for, and the experiences designed to bring women across the industry together.
Inside: key speakers • summit itinerary • must-see moments • pickleball tournament • event experiences
SPEAKERS TO WATCH, PANELS TO SEE
Ann McNeill
WOMEN OF LUMBER & BUILDING MATERIALS SUMMIT Inaugural
President & CEO MCO Construction and Services, Inc.
Cindy Hall
2026 FBMA WOMAN’S SUMMIT STUDENT & INDUSTRY LEADERSHIP PANEL
Program Director Future Builders of America
Kym Nosbish
Vice President of Marketing Park Square Homes
Perlla Deluca
Thursday - Sept 17 , 2026 th 10:45AM- 11:45AM Margaritaville Resort Orlando 8000 Fins Up Cir, Kissimmee, FL 34747
Founder The Pink Hardhat Foundation
Kristina Berano MODERATED BY
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Executive Director Florida Building Material Association
September 18th 7840 W. Irlo Bronson Memorial Hwy Kissimmee, FL 34747 DATE & LOCATION
JOIN US FOR
AT THE 2026 FBMA WOMEN'S SUMMIT
You don't have to attend the full Summit to join the fun!
The Pickleball Event is available as a standalone registration, so grab your paddle and join us for an afternoon of networking, friendly competition, and fun on the court led by a pro-pickleball instructor!
Click Register Now Select The Standalone Pickleball Event Add It To Your Cart & Complete Checkout
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17
OR VISIT: fbma.org/fbma-womens-summit-2026
Amanda Van Meter Burch
Owner Avy Productions
WOMEN OF LUMBER & BUILDING MATERIALS SUMMIT Inaugural
Anela Arcari
Retired U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel Executive Coach | Author
2026 FBMA WOMAN’S SUMMIT CONFIDENCE PANEL
Carly Steiman
Founder, Electrician & System Optimizer Lady Electric & Workbee Home Services
Cherylyn Harley Lebon
Government Contracting Attorney Cohen Seglias
Gloria Ebey
Thursday - Sept 17 , 2026 th
4:15PM - 5:00PM
Co-Founder Intentional Driven Women
Margaritaville Resort Orlando 8000 Fins Up Cir, Kissimmee, FL 34747
Kizzy Ferrer MODERATED BY
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CEO & Founder Built 4 Inspiration, LLC
WOMEN OF LUMBER & BUILDING MATERIALS SUMMIT Inaugural
PRESENTED BY:
Featured Speakers
BARB ALLEN Keynote Speaker | Host of Constructive Behaviors Podcast With more than 30 years in construction, Barb Allen brings real-world leadership experience and practical lessons to help professionals lead with confidence, challenge the status quo, and make a lasting impact. As the author of One Ladder to Leadership, Barb will share insights designed to inspire both emerging and experienced leaders.
SUMMIT SPONSORS
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PERLLA DELUCA
CHERYLYN HARLEY LEBON
Founder | The Pink Hardhat Foundation
Partner | Cohen Seglias
Perlla Deluca is dedicated to creating opportunities for the next generation of construction leaders. As the founder of The Pink Hardhat Foundation, co-founder of Iowa School of Construction, and president of Southeast Constructors, Inc., she brings a passion for breaking barriers, developing talent, and strengthening the industry.
AMANDA VAN METER BURCH Portrait&Branding Photographer | Avy Productions Amanda Van Meter Burch is a Certified Professional Photographer and owner of Avy Productions, where she helps women build confidence through personal branding and portrait experiences. Her work focuses on helping women recognize their value, trust their voice, and show up with confidence in every room they enter. With more than 25 years of experience as a lawyer, business strategist, government executive, and corporate advisor, Cherylyn Harley LeBon brings a wealth of insight on leadership and building confidence. Her experience in government, corporate boards, and business strategy gives her a unique perspective on overcoming challenges and leading with confidence.
DENA CORDOVA-JACK
EMILY OVERSON Strategic Growth Analyst | Emily Overson Consulting With more than 25 years of experience, Emily Overson helps businesses strengthen leadership, improve operations, and build stronger financial results. As CEO of Emily Overson Consulting, she brings practical insights to help LBM professionals better understand their numbers, improve processes, and make smarter business decisions. President and Founder | Cordova Jack Consulting With more than 35 years in the lumber and building materials industry, Dena Cordova-Jack brings extensive experience in sales leadership, team development, and business growth. As the founder of Cordova Jack Consulting and Women of LBM, she helps organizations build stronger leaders and prepare for the future with practical, actionable insights.
ANELA ARCARI
Award Winning Author | Becoming All You Can Be
Anela Arcari is a retired U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel, civil engineer, leadership speaker, and award-winning author of Becoming All You Can Be. With more than 30 years of leadership experience, she brings practical insight on building confidence, resilience, and high-performing teams. Attendees can also meet Anela during the Summitʼs Sip & Sign event.
GLORIA EBEY
Co-Founder | International Driven Women
Gloria Ebey is a leader, speaker, senior care advocate, and Co-Founder of Intentional Driven Women. With more than 10 years of experience in healthcare, leadership, and community development, she helps women build meaningful connections, grow their confidence, and lead with purpose.
YEARLY PARTNERS
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TAKE UP SPACE How FBMA is Creating Room for the Women Building What Comes Next KRISTINA BERANO EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, FBMA
Written by Tamara Bellamy | Executive Publisher Built America Magazine
“I started saying yes a lot.”
For Kristina Berano, that decision came after loss.
Before becoming Executive Director of the Florida Building Material Association, Berano built a career in hospitality, ran high-end salons and spas, and later became a certified end-of-life doula. Then COVID changed everything. Her mother and sister died within four months of each other, and the work that had once felt like a calling no longer did.
Education never ends, It’s important to TAKE UP SPACE, ladies.
“I needed to find something else that I could really throw my whole heart into,” she says.
She applied for a meeting planner position. “Before I knew it, I was the executive director of FBMA.” What followed wasn’t just a career change. In many ways, it felt like a return to something familiar. Berano remembers growing up beside her father, following him through hardware stores and spending time around his tool bench.
—KRISTINA BERANO
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BUILDING THE FUTURE WOMEN
“I just started saying, whatever comes my way, I’m just going to say yes to it.” He worked in manufacturing and was involved in the development of the keyless drill chuck.
For her, those relationships matter because the industry itself cannot function in isolation.
“You can’t do anything without building materials,” she says. “Nothing can be built without us.”
That belief in connection is also shaping FBMA’s next chapter.
“You can’t do this alone,” Berano says. “You have to be able to collaborate and open up as human. You have to, because that’s the only thing that feels real.” It is fitting, then, that this edition of Women Building the Future begins with FBMA. The Women’s Summit grew from a recognition that women across lumber, building materials and construction needed a space built deliberately around their voices, careers and experiences. Berano is the first female executive director in FBMA’s century-long history. “Women are typically left out of this industry,” she says. “I’m the first female executive director of FBMA, and we’ve been around since 1920.”
“Just being in this industry makes me feel closer to him in some way,” she says.
After losing her mother and sister, Berano made a conscious decision to become more open to what came next.
That openness now defines much of her leadership at FBMA.
Founded in 1920, the association serves Florida’s lumber and building materials industry, bringing together retail dealers, suppliers, manufacturers, contractors and builders. “Our ultimate goal is to bring retail dealers together with suppliers, manufacturers, and contractors, builders,” Berano says.
But the true catalyst for the summit was more painful.
Berano points to the death of Amber Czech, a young welder who was murdered at work.
“Here was this bright young woman who was amazing at her trade, who loved what she did,” Berano says. “And she was murdered at her workstation.”
The story stayed with her.
BUILT ON MORE THAN MATERIALS
“I thought about women in trades thinking, my gosh, these women go to work in fear every day. Some of them, maybe a lot of them. And that’s not okay.” “That really pushed me hard to say, you know what? We’ve got to do something to create a space for women here in Florida.”
For more than 70 years, Woodgrain has helped build the places America calls home.
Family-owned since 1954, the company has grown across lumber, millwork, doors and distribution while remaining grounded in values like integrity, safety and respect for people. As more women step into building materials and the trades, companies like Woodgrain are helping shape an industry where the next generation can grow, lead and belong.
That space is now the FBMA’s Inaugural Women of Lumber and Building Materials Summit.
Berano hopes it becomes a place where a recent graduate can sit beside a woman with four decades in the industry, where mentorship happens naturally and where women leave feeling stronger than when they arrived. “Maybe an older woman is going to find a new mentee. Maybe a young woman is going to find a new or additional mentor because you need more than one mentor throughout your career.”
Because building the future starts with investing in the people who will create it.
BERANO AND HER FATHER
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BUILDING THE FUTURE WOMEN
“I hope that they feel recharged and re-energized.”
Her vision reaches even younger.
“We’ve got to start reaching out to student’s when they’re young,” Berano says. “We’ve got to make the trades cool.”
JOIN FBMA Become a Member
She wants girls to encounter construction, skilled trades and LBM before stereotypes have time to tell them those careers are not meant for them. And for the women already standing at the edge of an opportunity, wondering whether they know enough or belong enough, her advice is simple.
“Ask your question. Ask follow-up questions.”
JOIN A COMMUNITY THAT BUILDS MORE.
“Education never ends,” she says. “It’s important to take up space, ladies.”
“Stand tall and proud and take up space.”
That may be the most fitting place to begin this book. Because before there can be a summit, a career, a company or a legacy, there has to be room for someone to step forward.
Scan to Learn More
FBMA is helping create that room.
AND THIS TIME, THE WOMEN WALKING INTO IT ARE BEING CALLED INTO TAKE UP EVERY INCH OF SPACE They have earned.
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STRONGER TOGETHER, BUILDING FOREVER.
From decades spent inside commercial real estate relationships to a new chapter shaping the future of deal-making, Andrea Mesis Bruno enters this edition with a message for women: know your value, understand the numbers and never confuse visibility with authority. OF THE DEAL THE RULES ANDREA MESIS-BRUNO: REWRITING
Written by Skyler Grey | Editor-in-Chief Built America Magazine
A ndrea Mesis Bruno has spent decades learning an industry from the inside out. Her career was built close to the people operating commercial properties, solving problems in real time and learning what decision-makers actually need before a deal ever reaches the table. “I spent decades as a solutions provider servicing commercial properties, which gave me an insider’s view of exactly what real estate portfolio operators expect,” Bruno says.
“Today, my motivation is taking that boots- on-the-ground knowledge and stepping fully into the real estate world to drive the actual deal-making.” That evolution has led her to eCore , where she is helping bring operators, capital and innovation into the same environment. “eCore isn’t just another conference; it’s an exclusive, curated, experiential deal-making event for real estate power players,” she says.
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BUILDING THE FUTURE WOMEN
with authority and let your competence dictate your value.” Walk in
—ANDREA MESIS-BRUNO
“The opportunity to connect innovative industry solutions directly with serious funding capital and elite portfolio operators made this the perfect natural evolution for my career.” It is also part of why Bruno became a major partner in the creation of this Women Building the Future edition. Her belief in relationships, mentorship and women taking greater control of the conversations that shape industries runs directly through the pages that follow. Relationships With Weight
“A connection is just an introduction; a partnership requires absolute transparency,” Bruno says. “When you foster a candid environment where both parties can speak openly about their risk tolerance and yield expectations, you create a foundation for real, enduring deal-making.”
At eCore, she is putting that philosophy into practice by bringing decades of trusted relationships into one room.
“By bringing the exact decision-makers I’ve spent years learning from into the eCore environment, we’re ensuring every conversation has the weight, trust, and capital backing to move the market.”
For Bruno, influence has never been about accumulating contacts.
Bruno’s perspective on women in commercial real estate is equally direct.
“My approach to building a network is simple: I don’t sell to people. I learn about them and their goals to ensure we actually align, and then I tailor my approach to meet their unique, specific needs.”
“We are absolutely seeing more women at the helm of major real estate portfolios, which is massive progress,” she says.
But representation alone is not the finish line.
“That is how you build a genuine, lasting alliance.”
“The barrier that remains is pushing past the operational side and taking full, unapologetic command of the funding structures and capital access.”
She believes the distinction matters even more when the stakes involve real estate, capital and long-term investment.
That distinction between being present and having power sits at the center of her message.
OCTOBER 26-28 | MIAMI, FL eCore26 is taking place at the stunning Trump National Doral Hotel in Miami, Florida. Spend three days connecting with Multifamily's top owners, operators, investors, lenders, brokers, and executives in a world-class setting.
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ECORESUMMIT.COM
FROM VISIBILITY TO AUTHORITY
“Women need to perceive their diversity as a strategic advantage,”
—ANDREA MESIS-BRUNO
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BUILDING THE FUTURE WOMEN
“My goal at eCore is to ensure female operators leverage that built-in visibility to command the room, steer the financial conversations, and close the deals.”
“Recognize that your diversity is an asset, but demand to be taken seriously,” Bruno says. “Master the financial models, speak the jargon, and leave the gimmicks at home. Don’t ‘pink’ or ‘barbie’ yourself.”
She knows confidence is rarely created alone.
“Walk in with authority and let your competence dictate your value.”
“Navigating male-dominated sectors meant I had to be strategic about my growth,” she says. “Identifying true allies with a teacher’s leadership style didn’t just help me learn the complex layers of the industry; it gave me the unshakeable confidence I rely on today.” For Bruno, that creates an obligation for the women who have already reached positions of influence.
It is a message that reaches beyond commercial real estate.
For every woman entering an industry where she may be visible before she is fully heard, Bruno’s challenge is to learn the business deeply enough that no one else gets to define the limits of her authority.
She describes Women Building the Future as “rewriting the rules of the deal.”
“Those of us who have cracked the code have a strict obligation to pass down the unwritten rules.”
For Bruno, the currencies that matter most are not appearances or titles, but humility, genuine alliances and environments where candid conversation can produce innovation. The women profiled in the pages ahead will come from different industries, different generations and different paths to leadership. Their stories will not look alike.
“We need to be the mentors who provide the candid, strategic guidance necessary to help the next generation navigate the complex layers of this industry.” Her advice to young women is not softened into a motivational slogan. Know the Numbers. Take the Room.
But Bruno’s challenge belongs to all of them:
Do not settle for being invited into the room. Know the numbers, know your value and speak with enough authority to help decide what happens inside it.
Connect With Andrea at eCore For owners, operators, investors, lenders, and industry partners looking to become part of the conversations shaping the future of multifamily real estate, Andrea Mesis Bruno is helping connect the right people, opportunities and ideas through eCore Summit.
Connect with Andrea to learn more about eCore Summit and opportunities to participate.
—ANDREA MESIS-BRUNO
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U.S. SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION
America is a nation of builders again. We know how to build things. We make things. And you can’t innovate if you can’t build. —KELLY LOEFFLER, ADMINISTRATOR SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION
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A NEW CHAPTER OF LEADERSHIP
for America’s Small Businesses
Long before Kelly Loeffler entered a boardroom or stepped into public service, her understanding of business was being formed on a five-generation family farm, where work did not stop because the day was long and responsibility could not simply be handed to someone else. “My goals as a young person to build a career in business started on my family’s now five- generation family farm,” Loeffler says. “And I saw firsthand the grit, the determination and the reward that comes from that hard work of building a small business and the generational impact that it has.” She watched her parents work every day. She saw what it meant when a family’s livelihood depended on what they could produce, sustain and build over time.
“I saw not only what that small business meant to that family, but to the community.” “And so, it really instilled in me a deep sense of respect for our business owners, those who build businesses, and then those who are really building our local communities through small business.”
For Loeffler, that is not simply an economic argument. It is something more fundamental.
“And that’s why small business makes up 99% of all businesses in this country,” she says. “Because that is the American dream.” Today, as Administrator of the U.S. Small Business Administration, Loeffler is leading an agency whose purpose reaches directly into those communities, even if many entrepreneurs do not fully understand the breadth of what it offers.
“As small business owners know, there are no days off. There’s no paid leave.”
During high school and college, Loeffler waitressed and worked for small businesses along the main streets of rural America. Those experiences broadened what she had already witnessed at home. She began to understand that a small business could carry far more than the ambitions of the person whose name was on the door. It could support a family, create livelihoods and become part of the fabric of an entire community.
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“I think the Small Business Administration is probably the least understood agency in the federal government,” she says, “but I would say we’re the most free enterprise agency as well.” The SBA’s connection to American industry runs deeper than many realize. Loeffler points to its roots in the Small Defense Plants Administration and to President Dwight D. Eisenhower’s understanding that America’s economic and national strength were tied to its ability to manufacture, build and maintain a strong domestic industrial base. “He understood how the defense base powered not just America’s economy, but our ability to be strong around the world,” Loeffler says. When that predecessor agency became the Small Business Administration in 1953, its mission expanded around another pressing need: helping returning veterans and aspiring entrepreneurs gain “access to the capital, counseling and contracting that would make them successful.” More than seven decades later, those functions remain central to the agency. The SBA helps small businesses access financing through federally guaranteed loans made by participating lenders, while also providing counseling and guidance around federal contracting.
“So many good things come out of times of change.” — ADMINISTRATOR LOEFFLER
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BUILDING THE FUTURE WOMEN
Loeffler says she visited roughly 40 states over the past year, meeting entrepreneurs who are expanding, hiring and manufacturing domestically. Among them was Lisa Winton of Winton Machine in Georgia, one of the women Loeffler points to when discussing the strength of female leadership in American manufacturing. “I’ve met so many incredible women builders of great businesses,” Loeffler says, citing Winton and other female manufacturing leaders she has encountered. “And they’re expanding and growing.” For an edition devoted to Women Building the Future, those encounters carry particular significance. Women may increasingly occupy leadership positions across construction, manufacturing and the skilled trades, but Loeffler understands that ambition does not always erase the uncertainty that comes before beginning.
For a contractor looking to finance equipment, a manufacturer preparing to expand production, or a business owner trying to move beyond the limits of personal capital, those resources can become a bridge between where a company stands today and where it is capable of going next. “What do they need to hire those workers or to add that plant and equipment?” Loeffler asks. “They need capital.” She points to SBA loan guarantees, revolving credit programs and financing designed to support builders and manufacturers as practical tools for companies preparing to expand. Loeffler’s conviction that government should understand the realities of entrepreneurship was shaped by her own experience. “I have been a business owner. I’ve built businesses. I’ve grown them. I’ve succeeded and failed at them. I bought and sold them,” she says. “So, I understand. And that’s why I’m so passionate. It’s a very personal issue for me.” It was also part of what drew her into public service. “We need people in Washington that understand the realities of running a business, of signing the front of a paycheck, of paying taxes, being subject to massive regulations,” she says. For the builders, contractors, suppliers and manufacturers who make up much of Built America Magazine’s readership, Loeffler’s message is particularly direct. “America is a nation of builders again,” she says. “We know how to build things. We make things. And you can’t innovate if you can’t build.” That belief has been reinforced as she has traveled across the country meeting the people behind American companies.
She has stood in that place herself.
For women considering starting or scaling a company, her advice begins with the fundamentals: understand the market, test the concept, surround yourself with people capable of executing the vision and build a team you can trust.
“I can’t say enough about having the right team in place to help execute, ” she says.
Then comes the part no business plan can completely solve. “At the end of the day, there’s never a perfect time to start a business.” It is a truth familiar to nearly every entrepreneur. There will always be another uncertainty, another risk, another condition that could be better.
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“I think women are extremely well positioned to seize on it because we know that if you want something done, ask a busy woman.” Behind the humor is a challenge to the women still wondering whether they are ready. The companies Loeffler visits did not begin as finished institutions. The family farm that shaped her did not survive five generations because every season was predictable. Small businesses endure because someone is willing to assume the risk of creating something before its success can ever be guaranteed. Looking ahead, Loeffler remains emphatic about what she sees.
Eventually, someone has to decide that preparation has done all it can and movement must begin. Loeffler believes this moment offers unusual opportunity as greater attention returns to domestic manufacturing, American industry and entrepreneurship. “So many good things come out of times of change,” she says. “We’re at an important inflection point of time and change where we’re reversing 50 years of shipping know-how and jobs and industries overseas. We are bringing it back home to America.” And she believes women are particularly well positioned to take hold of what comes next.
THE FUTURE IS INCREDIBLY BRIGHT.
BUILDING WHAT COMES NEXT From Main Street to the jobsite, the future is being built in communities across America.
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BUILDING THE FUTURE WOMEN
She points to business formation, employment, exports, technological advancement and renewed investment in American industry as reasons for that confidence.
“We are lining up for an incredible next few years as this business cycle builds momentum,” she says.
The American Dream Loeffler first witnessed on a family farm was never the promise that building something would be easy. It was the possibility that someone willing to work, risk and begin could create something of her own.
And somewhere today, a woman is deciding whether she will be the next one to try.
BUILT AMERICA SUPPORTS SMALL BUSINESS
Learn more about SBA financing, counseling, contracting opportunities and local support at SBA.gov.
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Written by: Skyler Grey, Editor-in-Chief Built America Magazine
— RITA BROWN
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BUILDING THE FUTURE WOMEN
Brown’s own relationship with construction began long before she understood where it might take her. “The idea to pursue this line of work was embedded in my DNA,” she says. “It was because of exposure and the opportunity to see firsthand how this part of the business works.”
“Women have always been integral to the success of this industry, whether we were given the spotlight or not.” Rita Brown does not soften her language when she talks about women in construction, and she does not believe the industry benefits when anyone else does either. As President of the National Association of Women in Construction, Brown has spent two decades inside an organization devoted to advancing women across an industry where their contributions have long exceeded their representation. To her, the conversation is no longer about proving that women belong. “Women have always been integral to the success of this industry, whether we were given the spotlight or not,” Brown says. “This is not about collecting accolades. This is about being vital and vigorous and recognizing the worth of intellect and skill and improvement in an industry and in a society that has often relegated women to secondary roles or support roles.”
She knows how consequential that early exposure was.
“That’s something that the vast majority of our gender doesn’t get to see, but I grew up with it. I was enculturated in it.” The career that followed was not built on uninterrupted confidence or an absence of resistance. “You don’t always believe in yourself,” Brown says. “It’s an ebb and flow and some days are better than others.” The moments when she was diminished or considered unequal to the task ultimately became some of her greatest teachers. “I think every single challenge is and was a gift,” she says. “You learn more from failures and mistakes. You learn more from the places that are broken than you do from smooth sailing.” “Any time I faced being diminished, any time I faced being thought of as not up to the task was an opportunity for me to reinforce what it is that I believed in myself and in my abilities.”
That determination now shapes Brown’s vision for NAWIC.
“To invest 20 years in an organization, you have to believe in its mission and vision,” she says. “And I 100% do.”
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For Brown, NAWIC’s opportunity reaches beyond its membership. It can help influence the direction of construction itself by ensuring women’s intellect, experience and skill are fully represented in the industry’s future. “There is nothing that’s too hard for a woman in construction,” she says. “With our allies, with our industry, we should harness, we could, and we need to harness that grit to be able to improve our society, improve our infrastructure, improve our community. And what do we do? We build America.”
“Building community is one of the core tenets of what NAWIC is about,” she says. “You have to have people that you trust, that you can go to when you’re facing challenges, who can assist you in putting those things into perspective.”
Inside that community, mentorship moves in both directions.
“At any one point in time, we are always both” mentor and mentee.
Her philosophy becomes especially powerful when she speaks to women considering leadership. “Nobody’s ever prepared for leadership because what’s thrown at you is often messy,” Brown says. “It can be unfair, much like life is.” Yet leadership offers something she describes in a word rarely associated with responsibility. “What is absolutely intoxicating is the opportunity to influence and make things better.” The impact of that influence, she says, can reach people “who may never know your name, who may never understand what it took for you to be able to stand on a stage and be present. Yet their lives are improved. Their experiences and their opportunities are expanded.”
She is equally unwilling to confuse movement with meaningful progress.
“Tremendous progress has not been made,” Brown says. “We’re patting ourselves on the back for small percentages of inclusion, and that’s not good enough.” “Have we done a good job? Nope. Are we getting better at it? I believe we are. Do we have a tremendous amount of work still to do? Absolutely. But is it critical? Without a doubt.” NAWIC addresses that work through education, advocacy, professional development, mentorship and community. Brown believes those relationships matter because construction can be demanding, unpredictable and isolating without people who understand the pressures.
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BUILDING THE FUTURE WOMEN
“It’s the butterfly effect.”
For the students and young professionals reading Women Building the Future, Brown leaves little room for someone else to determine the limits of their careers. “Don’t let anybody else tell you what you can and cannot do or what you do or don’t have the ability to learn,” she says. “That’s something that you have to take responsibility for yourself.”
And there is one distinction she wants the next generation to understand.
Build Your Career. Strengthen the Industry.
Women building the future are not entering the story for the first time.
For more than 70 years, the National Association of Women in Construction has created opportunities for women to grow their careers, strengthen their skills, build meaningful professional networks and help shape the future of construction. Learn more about NAWIC, find a local chapter and explore membership opportunities at NAWIC.org.
“Women have built the past,” Brown says. “We just haven’t necessarily been the narrators of the successes. So now we need to make sure that as the future in our communities, that we reflect the reality of who we are, what we contribute, and inspire those that are coming behind us.” For generations, women’s hands have been on the work, their intellect inside the decisions and their resilience behind the progress, whether history remembered to record their names or not.
Brown intends for this generation to be harder to overlook.
in the record of who Now they are claiming their PLACE Women have already helped build America. BUILT IT.
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CHERYLYN HARLEY LeBon
Partner and Chair of the Government Contracts Practice at Cohen Seglias
A leader shaped by curiosity, preparation and the discipline to keep learning.
“Success can be a very broad word, we need to define success for ourselves.” — Cherylyn Harley LeBon
Written by: Tamara Bellamy Executive Publisher
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BUILDING THE FUTURE WOMEN
There are careers built by following a straight line, and then there are careers built by curiosity. Cherylyn Harley LeBon belongs to the latter.
Her path has moved through Capitol Hill, federal agencies, international business, private practice and some of the most complex corners of government contracting and construction law. At each stage, the title changed. The environment changed. The stakes changed. What remained was her instinct to keep learning. “I’m a lifelong learner,” LeBon says. “Whenever I decide to choose a particular path, I always think about how is this next role going to enhance my career and what skills am I going to learn and how is this particular next journey going to help me in life?” Today, as she leads the Government Contracts Practice at Cohen Seglias, that instinct has become more than a career philosophy. It is the way she has learned to move through uncertainty, complexity and leadership itself. “I think it’s really important to continue to learn additional skills and to take on new challenges because for me, I think that’s what makes life exciting.” Her career has given her a rare vantage point on leadership. She has watched it up close in government, politics, business and international settings, learning as much from what she did not want to emulate as from what she admired.
Cherylyn Harley LeBon, Speaking at Canisius Univserity Image provided by: Emily Braun Photography
That same adaptability is critical for the businesses she advises. In government contracting, where administrations, budgets and priorities can shift quickly, LeBon says the companies most likely to thrive are the ones willing to accept change and adjust accordingly. Businesses must “follow the money,” she says, understand new budget priorities and be prepared to rethink strategic and business-development goals when necessary.
When the stakes are high, however, her own philosophy becomes remarkably simple.
For companies considering government work, her advice is practical.
“Be decisive, be clear, and be consistent.” — LeBon
“The most important thing that I would say to those entering this industry is simply put, you need to find the appropriate advisors who can help you scale and grow and be compliant in this industry.” That means bankers, accountants and attorneys who understand government contracting, because the rules, financial structures and contracts differ from those in ordinary commercial work. The opportunity, however, is substantial. “The government contracting industry is a trillion-dollar industry, and the government is the largest procurer of goods and services,” LeBon says.
“People in your team look for you to be able to make decisions,” she says. “When you’re communicating to your team during a crisis, it’s important to be clear.” Consistency, she believes, is what allows people to trust the person leading them when circumstances around them are changing.
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“I’m a mother and I’ve had a pretty demanding career with raising children,” she says.
She does not frame the experience as extraordinary. Instead, she speaks about the reality many women know well: trying to honor professional ambition without pretending personal responsibilities disappear when the workday begins.
“These are seasons of life you have to go through, and you’ll be stronger for it.” — LeBon
For women entering traditionally male-dominated fields, LeBon’s advice is grounded in preparation.
Earlier in her career, she often found herself in rooms where few people looked like her.
“I thought it was always important to have the knowledge and be always prepared for the task before me,” she says.
Her standard was simple: arrive prepared, produce strong work, remain present and keep taking the next step. “Showing up as your best self, working hard to produce the best work product, volunteering for assignments, being eager to take that next extra step.”
And when something is unclear?
“If you don’t understand it, ask questions,” LeBon says. “Because if you don’t ask, you may not know.”
Cherylyn Harley LeBon, Speaking at the 2026 Women’s Forum Image provided by: Cherylyn Harley LeBon
“The government buys everything.”
She is equally deliberate about the word success.
She describes government contracting as “the essence of public-private partnership,” where private companies help government deliver products and services more effectively. But technical knowledge alone does not build a career.
“Success can be a very broad word,” she says. “We need to define success for ourselves.”
One person’s definition does not have to resemble another’s. That philosophy becomes even more meaningful when LeBon speaks about legacy. “I get up every day, and I want to help these companies grow their businesses. I want to protect them. I want to help them manage risk and also create a legacy of wealth for themselves and their family.” Across government, law and business, that thread has endured: helping people navigate complexity so they can build something stronger on the other side.
“Relationships are everything.”
LeBon believes relationship-building evolves as a professional grows, but authenticity has to remain at the center. “You want the sustaining of your relationships to be authentic,” she says.
That human side of success became especially clear as she built a demanding career while raising children.
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BUILDING THE FUTURE WOMEN
For younger women, she also places enormous value on mentorship.
“You can have mentors within your company. You can have mentors outside of your company. And you’re going to have mentors outside of your industries.” She still seeks perspective from people with different experiences because some of the most useful insight can come from somewhere unexpected. When LeBon considers what Women Building the Future means, she sees something larger than individual advancement.
As more women move into leadership, she says, “the culture and the definition of leadership changes.”
That is where the weight of her journey becomes clearest.
A career can be measured in titles, cases, contracts, clients and years. But influence is harder to quantify. It lives in the decisions someone makes because you taught them how to think, the risk a business avoids because you helped them see it coming, and the confidence a younger woman carries into a room because someone once showed her how to prepare for it. In the end the most enduring leaders are not remembered for how far they rose, but for how much stronger others became in their presence.
For businesses working in construction, government contracting and other highly regulated industries, the right legal and strategic guidance can help turn complexity into clarity.
Learn more about Cherylyn Harley LeBon and Cohen Seglias at CohenSeglias.com .
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NORTHEASTERN RETAIL LUMBER ASSOCIATION: PRESIDENT
“I fell in love with the legislative process. I couldn’t believe you could have a job where they pay you to help people. And I really loved that.”
—Rita Ferris
Written by: Tamara Bellamy Executive Publisher
46 BUILDING THE FUTURE WOMEN
Rita Ferris did not grow up imagining a career in lumber and building materials, much less becoming the first woman to lead the Northeastern Retail Lumber Association. Looking back, she laughs at the idea that any of it was carefully planned. “Absolutely not,” Ferris says. “I think my career in the industry started the same way most people’s career in our industry starts. And it was a complete accident.” Her professional life began in the New York State Legislature, where she discovered something that would quietly shape everything that followed. “I fell in love with the legislative process. I couldn’t believe you could have a job where they pay you to help people. And I really loved that.” From there came the New York State Association of Realtors, then an opportunity with the Northeastern Retail Lumber Association. Ferris knew little about the industry. What convinced her was the people. “I did meet the people before I even interviewed for the job,” she recalls. “And I thought, these seem like really great people. I would love to know more about it.”
“We really needed to be agile and turn things around and change our whole course of action in terms of how we’re going to serve the members.” The NRLA responded by bringing the supply chain together, strengthening communication and helping members navigate the crisis. Years later, COVID would demand that same adaptability.
“Every time something bad happens, there’s always an opportunity,” Ferris says.
Those experiences strengthened a philosophy she still carries today.
“Viewing obstacles as opportunities is critical to our future,” she says. “And that doesn’t mean ignoring the problem, but it means acknowledging it, figuring it out, and then spending all of your energy on what the solution is.”
It is a philosophy closely tied to the NRLA itself.
The association’s mission is to “unite, represent, train, and lead independent building materials suppliers in the Northeast United States.” Ferris says its purpose has endured for more than a century because the principle behind it is timeless.
“So that’s how I fell in. Total fluke.”
“The point of this association is bringing people together to achieve as a group what cannot be achieved alone.” —Rita Ferris
Thirty years later, that accidental beginning has become a career defined by service, resilience and the belief that strong industries are built when people solve problems together. Ferris joined the NRLA in its legislative department and held several roles before becoming president in 2007. Almost immediately, leadership stopped being theoretical.
Independent lumber yards and building material suppliers, she says, are rooted in the communities they serve. “When you work with a local yard, they know your local building codes, your inspectors, which products are going to hold up the best in your area,” Ferris says.
The Great Recession arrived.
“The housing market dropped like 80 percent and the members were in a crisis,” she says.
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