This letter serves as my valedictory address. As some of my fellow IAMC members can no doubt attest, a year today seems to go by faster than years used to.
Looking back on the time I’ve been privileged to serve as IAMC chair, I am filled with pride in what we continue to accomplish as an association and with humility knowing the wealth of knowledge we collectively possess.
I also continue to relish the connections you and I continue to build through Forums, local and international meetings as well as digital channels.
This issue of Site Selection focuses on such themes as smart cities, innovation and sustainability, a theme dear to me in my work at PepsiCo alongside priorities I’ve addressed in past letters that include diversity, equity and inclusion. When I think about sustaining ecosystems, I don’t think only of the rainforest or the ocean. I think of the talent and knowledge ecosystems we seek to cultivate.
What are we doing to further those ecosystems? Are we mentoring to the level we should? Are we welcoming some form of apprenticeship in the corporate real estate field. And, to revisit another theme, are we incorporating women into leadership roles in real estate and construction?
I was pleased to learn in June of a summer program being conducted in the Philadelphia area by Mentoring young Women In Construction (MyWIC) for the 15th straight year that invites girls entering 7th through 12th grade to attend one of two free construction camps. Supported by organizations such as MLB’s Philadelphia Phillies and New Jersey–based facilities management company NEST, the program includes engagement with trades including carpenters, sheet metal, finishing trades, plumbers, laborers and electricians.
“Women currently represent less than 10% of the construction workforce, but the sector is ripe with opportunities for fulfilling careers,” said Mary Gaffney, president of the NAWIC Philadelphia Foundation. Associated Builders and Contractors reports that the construction industry needs to hire an additional 500,000 workers in 2024 alone to meet labor demands.
“Our aim is to show these talented young women the opportunities available and inspire them as future leaders in these fields,” said Rob Almond, CEO of NEST. “We want to elevate the skilled trades as high-paying, honorable, and often heroic career paths that require a rejuvenated workforce.”
I challenge my fellow IAMC members to view their own professions as honorable and maybe even heroic in certain circumstances. It might inspire that talented next generation of women and men to lead us in ways we can’t imagine toward goals unthinkable in years past.
In the meantime, as BNSF’s Cary Hutchings takes the helm as IAMC chair, I hand over the gavel with confidence in the years to come for IAMC, an honorable organization with its own ecosystem of collegiality, intelligence and human connections.
Betsy K. Power
Chair, IAMC Board of Directors