2021 Women in Construction: Brooke Schreiber, Manager, Surus Development & Construction

What are you most looking forward to post-pandemic? I look forward to working with colleagues and team members in person again. We have adapted to Zoom meetings and conference calls, but I miss sitting around a table with others, sharing ideas and working through challenges.

What was your greatest professional achievement or most notable project in the last 12 months? My most notable project in the past 12 months has been the construction of a ground-up self-storage building in Burlington, MA. What was a fully wooded site with various environmental challenges when we started, is now a five-story steel structure. Buying out, onboarding, and coordinating with subcontractors remotely was challenging but we have been able to foster a positive, collaborative team dynamic despite the circumstances.

What steps have you taken to ensure the continued success of your firm? Working at a relatively new firm, my team and I have the opportunity to work together to determine the standard operating procedures of our firm. We have been able to share our diverse backgrounds and experiences to establish what works best for our team and ensure Surus’ continued success. Having worked on the design side of the industry previously, I can offer a unique perspective.

Why should women consider a career in construction? It is so rewarding to be able to watch a building go from paper to reality and know that you played an important role in that process. Whether you want a role that allows you to be creative, or detail-oriented, or hands-on, there are more opportunities for women in construction than ever before. I am honored to be a part of the strong, growing community of women in construction.

Starting out in the construction business, who or what empowered you? I had an interest in buildings and architecture from a very young age. With encouragement from family, teachers, and my professors at Tufts University, I found civil engineering and eventually construction. I have been very fortunate to have a strong support system that has empowered me to follow and develop my early interest into a fulfilling career.

How have you adapted and changed in the last 12 months? In the last 12 months, I transitioned from a role at an engineering firm to my current role at Surus. I have applied the project managements skills I learned in my previous role to larger scale projects with bigger teams and more stakeholders. In the process, I have strengthened my communication and coordination skills.