Women in Construction Week: Jessica Rabbach
Jessica Rabbach, Superintendent
What is your favorite part of your career?
My favorite part of working in construction is the challenge of every day being different. I never enter the office or the trailer in the morning expecting things to be boring.
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What advice would you give to someone starting out?
The best advice I would give to someone starting out is to put your integrity above all else. Hitting a schedule, or coming in as a low-cost producer means nothing if you do not have people respect and trust throughout the process.
What is your favorite project that you have worked on?Ìý
When I was 21 years old, I spent the summer in New York City building a $600 Million bridge over the Harlem River.Ìý For the summer, I oversaw the installation of the land caissons. This was my favorite project because it was truly an awe-inspiring structure and I had dreamed of building a bridge since I was young. To this day,Ìýevery time I have been back to New York City since I drive past this bridge and feel proud to have been a part of its construction.
What has been the most surprising part of being a woman working in construction?
To me, the most surprising part about being myself,Ìýa woman,Ìýin the construction industry is how many times my particular skill setÌýhas filled a much-needed void in many teams I have been a part of. I am a very organized person, which is a strength that many other women have, and many times this has been the push that my team has needed to be successful. I am always pleasantly surprised that my skills, although oftentimes different from my male counterparts, are an absolute necessity to the teams I am a part of.Ìý