Women
in Steel
Meet five women who are building the industry
By Sarah B. Hood
A 2014 report by the U.S. National Women’s Law Center found that women
make up only 2.6 percent of workers in construction and extraction,
compared to 47 percent in the overall American workforce. Nonetheless,
women are entering the steel industry by many paths.
PileDriver spoke to five women working in the foundation steel industry with various
PDCA associate members to gain their perspective on what it’s like to be a woman in steel.
Ashley Petras, Service Steel Warehouse
“People say ‘You’re in steel?’ And I’m in four-inch heels and a dress,” said Ashley Petras. In
fact, the senior strategy officer with Service Steel Warehouse in Texas believes the steel
industry needs more women, because “women are innovators.”
When Petras started in 2008 after
obtaining a finance degree, she found the
industry fascinating. However, she was surprised
by “how archaic some processes
were,” she said. “People want a lot of paper,
and one of my big goals is pulling us out of
‘dinosaur’ ways of doing things and helping
people work smarter, not harder.”
Petras is motivated to build her company
and her industry. In her mind, compared
to other materials, she says, “steel
should always win.” She considers herself
a doer, and says “every new challenge is an
extra thrill to try and conquer,” especially
when it comes to rolling out technological
innovation.
One of her most notable achievements to date has been integrating a new technology
that has revolutionized the ability for the sales team to collect and utilize data.
“I was super proud to give a toolkit to every person in the company to actually help
them be more successful,” said Petras.
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