Women in Construction Spotlight: Jenna Sowers

By: Claire Sauer

At L. Keeley, we have some amazing, hard-working women that are dedicated to their teams, helping us continue to move forward and adding to the success of the company. Jenna Sowers is one of those amazing women. Jenna is an Office Administrator for our Civil Group and joined the team in May 2019. Since then, she has helped the Building Group, Civil Group, and all of L. Keeley flourish.

Jenna decided to join the construction industry when she was 16 and her family was building their house. She immediately fell in love with every aspect and saw how rewarding it was to see a vision develop and come to life. Since then, she knew that construction was going to be a part of her story. After working in the construction industry for a few years, Jenna joined the Military. She is a combat veteran who proudly served our country for six years. During those six years of service, she went through various trainings, including SERE and the Red Flag Special Ops training, and she served in Iraq & Syria. She also received a Combat Medal of Operation Inherent Resolve Campaign and an Air Medal. The military took her all over the world until she was able to come back home where she found her way back to construction.

Since her journey began at L. Keeley, Jenna will tell you that it's been a blessing. Jenna recently completed her Masters in Corporate Business specializing in Data Analytics. L. Keeley allowed her the flexibility to do her job, while also studying and completing her degree. While balancing school with work, Jenna was able to take her work to the next level. When she started at L. Keeley, she discovered processes that needed improvement and she was empowered to make meaningful change. Jenna has helped L. Keeley create a new kind of company account, making it easier for superintendents to order materials and get them delivered onsite so they do not have to leave the jobsite. She has also helped streamline traveling costs. By planning ahead, utilizing discounted pricing when available, and ensuring the use of corporate discounts, Jenna has been able to bring L. Keeley significant savings.

Working in a male dominated industry can be a challenge for some women, but Jenna has embraced it and has allowed it to help her grow and become the best version of herself. If she could give one piece of advice to women starting out in the industry, it would be:

"Keep going. There's going to be people that come to you...through trust and building connections, that will eventually come to you for advice. Don't be afraid to help someone else along the way that may be struggling...it's about teamwork."

When it comes to her future, Jenna sees herself continuing to grow and evolve with L. Keeley. Her passion for construction and data/IT continues to grow, and she will be working towards another graduate certification in cybersecurity by the end of 2020.

Jenna truly brings light to every room she walks into and to everyone she meets. She exemplifies the family culture at L. Keeley, and it only makes sense that her spirit animal is a free-spirited and happy dog that loves to be around others and be outside.

Jenna, thank you for your service to our country and for all of the amazing work you have done and will continue to do for L. Keeley!