Skills Work!® for Women – Brenda Swystun, Project Manager

Some people are lucky enough to pursue a career that fascinates and impassions them.  Brenda Swystun is an even more fortunate person: the trades pursued her.  “Sometimes I guess your path is laid out before you but it’s up to you to make the most out of the opportunity.” 

As the former Plant Manager for Lafarge Concrete, Brenda secured the Sault Hospital foundations project, an undertaking that included a substantial amount of concrete with very specific requirements.  She has been a part of the building materials industry since leaving high school.

These days, Brenda can be found at Huckson Plumbing and Renovations, working as a Project Manager.  The organization focuses on residential renovation, which can be as simple as a tub replacement or as complex as a full kitchen renovation.

Her role involves her in all parts of a project, starting from estimates and sales, through material and labour scheduling to ensuring customer satisfaction at the end.  As a woman in a male-dominated industry, Brenda admits that she turned a few heads when she first started in the material building trades. 

“Having a woman show up on a major commercial project seemed to create a bit of a work slow-down.  I kept myself focused on my job responsibilities and eventually my customers came to respect my contributions to their projects.”  Brenda was even recently elected President of the construction association in the Sault Ste. Marie area.

Despite all the knowledge she has gained about plumbing, drywall and interior finishing, and concrete manufacturing, Brenda’s most valuable skill is a surprising one.

“The most important skill I find I use on a regular basis is communication.  Between the demands of supervising employees and dealing with the private sector I find that my verbal skills for either sales or managing the staff are my most powerful tool.”  Over the next five years, Brenda hopes to increase the renovation projects that are taken on by Huckson, and strongly encourages other young women to pursue similar careers.

“Building things is not gender specific, it’s a natural talent.   There’s an artistic component to any trade, you need to be able to visualize what you want and then don’t be afraid to try and make it.  It may take a while but eventually you will possess the skills and knowledge to get the job done well.”

Brenda mentored students at the Sault Ste. Marie “Skills Work!® for Women” Networking Dinner on November 25th.