2019 Women in Construction: Emily Thomas, Project Controls Manager at DPS Group, Inc.

How many years have you been in your current field? 6

What are you doing differently in 2019 that has had a positive impact on your career? One of the biggest challenges that I have had in my career so far is struggling to delegate to others. This year, I am making a concerted effort to try and delegate, not only to allow myself to focus on more strategic tasks, but to allow my team to gain new knowledge and experience as well. My hope is that this will also provide me with opportunities to further my career.

What were your biggest fears when you started out in your profession? My biggest fear when I started out was that I didn’t know anything about the construction industry. Having majored in finance and economics, I felt I had a strong foundation in those areas, but not understanding exactly how that would apply to the construction industry made me quite nervous. Through great mentoring and exposure to numerous projects, I was able to quickly figure out that my background could be applied very easily, and how it could be an asset to my career. 

What was your first job and what did you learn from it? My first job was managing a snack bar at a local pool club. I learned many things from working there. I was responsible for managing a budget, inventory, employees, and client expectations. The biggest thing was it helped me begin to manage people. I was a young girl and had only male employees of the same age, so I had to learn how to gain and maintain the respect of my employees. It was a great learning experience to have at such a young age.