Women in Construction Spotlight: Lois Gilbreth
When Larry Keeley started Keeley Construction in 1976 as a family-owned paving company, he had a vision for people, growth, and customer service. Over four decades and 200+ Paving Keeley’ns later, this vision has been brought to life across the nation. Lois Gilbreth, Project Coordinator, takes pride in the work she does for the Paving Group, ensuring our clients have a seamless experience from beginning to end.
Lois joined the Keeley Paving family 18 years ago in February of 2005. Lois started out in the Sauget office and has seen the Paving Group though ups and downs and years of growth. Throughout her career at Keeley, Lois has served as the Account Manager to the majority of our clients, performed Financial Analysis preparing financial reports and forecasting, and currently serves as the Project Coordinator for the National Paving Team, working with our Keeley’ns across the nation. Experiencing so much growth throughout her 18 years at Keeley has given Lois a sense of empowerment in every role that she holds.
“At Keeley and in the Paving Group I don’t feel like I have been micro-managed. I have always felt trusted and empowered to proceed with my opinions and decisions regardless of position or job title.”
Lois entered the construction industry 35 years ago after a friend asked her if she would be interested in and recommended her for her first construction position. She started her construction journey as a Project Control Assistant, performing all jobsite accounting, conducting safety meetings, and tracking equipment usage. She quickly grew and held various other positions throughout her career. She even expanded into the environmental field, training for an attaining her Asbestos Inspector, Asbestos Contractor/Supervisor, Asbestos Project Manager, Lead Inspector, and NIOSH 582 certifications. Construction has always been a perfect fit for Lois and her personality, and she has enjoyed and had fun in every role she has held. She knew that entering the construction industry meant working in a male-dominated industry, but she has always felt comfortable. While she may have been outnumbered, she has never one felt undervalued. So, if she could give a piece of advice to women just starting out in the industry, it would be:
“Be confident. Don’t hesitate to ask questions and take advice. Always work hard, but enjoy yourself.”
As the Paving Group continues to expand their reach across the nation, Lois has a vision to be part of that growth and help ensure success in any way that she can. Since she joined Keeley, she has always been willing to jump into any role and assist wherever she is needed. She has always enjoyed mentoring and helping a lot of the newer team members as they gain confidence in their new roles and embrace being a Keeley’n. She has seen and experienced it all throughout her career and she loves being able to help new Keeley’ns learn the systems, processes, and culture.
Lois has completely embraced the Keeley culture over her 18 years here and absolutely loves being a Keeley’n and everything that comes along with it.
“Keeley truly is the total package. I feel honored and proud to tell people that I work for Keeley. Keeley is unmatched when it comes to the benefit packages offered to team members, the opportunities to give back to the community and various organizations in need, the quality of the work we do, and the reputation we have earned throughout the construction industry. One of my favorite things about Keeley is the way Larry and Rusty treat every single Keeley’n. Everyone constantly strives to follow and live out our mission and core values and Keeley just continues to be an amazing place to work.”
Lois, thank you for your dedication to the Paving Group and giving our customers the Keeley experience. We are so grateful to have your expertise and can’t wait to see how you continue to help the group grow and reach new heights!
