News
WOMEN AT WORK
June 14, 2011
| Walsh Brothers? senior VP Denise Marien could take special satisfaction in last week?s ground breaking for the $152M integrated science center at U Mass Boston (Go Minutemen). She launched the $450M a year construction firm into the realm of public projects shortly after she came aboard in ?05. |
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| We snapped Denise who tells us as leader of Walsh?s business development effort she works with colleagues in Walsh and other firms to ?bird dog? new projects, assemble proposals, make presentations and ?win? new work. (Charlie Sheen has also been trying to "win" new work, but Walsh is proving too strong.) Six years ago, she tells us, it took a lot of convincing to nudge CEO Richard Walsh and his father, Jim, to ?give public work a shot.? They trusted her, her MBA from Providence College (Go Friars) and her 25 years of construction experience with Dimeo and Gilbane in Providence. Over the last 110 years, Walsh Brothers has developed a sweet spot for institutional work: academic and hospital markets. In the last decade alone, this builder has done about $1B of work in each of those sectors. Walsh is also building projects for Spaulding Rehab Hospital, Children's Hospital, and Boston College (Go Eagles) for a value of $440M. |
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| Denise, who also directs Walsh Brothers' marketing, is with her colleague Sarah McGillicuddy. While women dominate this photo they're still a minority in construction. She got her start through the male director of a finance agency who was also a Providence College alum. Denise got to know lots of CRE execs and Tom Dimeo, president of Dimeo Construction, offered her a job where she stayed for 14 years with increasing levels of responsibility. As a woman working mostly with men, Denise says, ?tough love? is the ticket. (Our moms tell us the same thing.) To climb the ladder, she suggests: have a mentor, constantly expand your skill set, be easy to work with, which for men means, quick and direct. Hint: selection committees, especially for hospitals, have more women members who want to promote the work of other women. |
