2021 Women in Construction: Kathleen Cloud, President, M. Frank Higgins & Co., Inc.

What was your greatest achievement or most notable project in the last 12 months? One of the most notable projects managed in 2020 was overseeing Higgins’ own office renovation. Imagine purchasing a 31,000 s/f building in February 2020, with 8,000 s/f of office space to be completely gutted and renovated, and then have the country shut down a few weeks later. The challenge was on to create a world class office showroom in less than three months and effectively communicate the Higgins brand. Luckily we had an amazing design team, (led by woman-owned 5 Hills Design in Hebron, CT).

How have you adapted and changed in the last 12 months? Higgins has been fortunate to remain open throughout the pandemic. We have reinforced our safety measures in the field as well as the office, and they have worked well. We have a Flooring Services division that added cleaning and disinfection options to its repertoire, which was a huge plus. Higgins has continued to accept visitors into our space, albeit with full safety measures in place, and our welcome has been well received.

What are you most looking forward to post-pandemic? I am looking forward to gathering together in person…hosting many designers, architects, general contractors, clients and vendors in our newly renovated, knock your socks off, training room/library. This resource can be used for presentations of new products, training installers, and offer the architectural communities a place to dream. Folks can celebrate our use of nature, lighting and color. The office even features a “grow wall” with live plants, which was installed to physically bring the outside in. Come visit!