The leaders of the future

“Dad, I want to go to the pit with you!!”

“The pit” is Bond Construction Corp., a fourth-generation sand, gravel and asphalt operation in Spencer, Mass. Even today, the family still fondly refers to it as “the pit.”

My passion for the family business and this industry began in the mid-1970s. I loved everything about it. The trucks. The equipment. The people.

From an early age, if you asked me what I wanted to do when I grew up I’d tell you I wanted to work at the pit. As my parents’ only daughter, I’m sure they probably hoped my interest was a passing phase, like most other tomboyish things I did as a kid.

But my interest wasn’t simply a phase. Occasionally, my father told me “the pit is no place for a girl.” At the time, the industry was truly male dominated. I am not the average female, though, and the more men tried to bully me, the more headstrong I became. I was determined to prove to my father I could do anything a man could do.

Once I was in my teens, I worked at the pit every summer pulling roots, emptying hoppers and running the “pit truck.” I told my father I was ready to drive on the road on my 18th birthday, so he called a friend at the Registry of Motor Vehicles. That day I got my commercial driver’s license and my own 10 wheeler.

It was evident, quickly, that females in leadership roles weren’t the norm in this industry. Slowly, I earned the respect of other employees, customers, highway supervisors, and boards.

Still, I endured much criticism and was made to feel like I didn’t belong. I was always being tested to see if I could do the job or handle the issues that arise for any business manager. There were many days I went home and cried. I never did cry at work, though.

Shaping the future

Looking back, these experiences formed a solid foundation for me to be accepted as the COO that I am today. Today, after 30 years of practical experience, most people in the area and industry know me as the face of Bond, and they willingly seek out my counsel. The few who are stuck in the ‘80s and still ask to talk to “one of the guys” are dismissed as unworthy of my time and attention.

The aggregate industry, like most male-dominated industries, has been going through an evolution. Women are realizing what great opportunities they have in this industry, and the 10,000-plus aggregate companies in the United States are increasingly acknowledging the many assets women bring to their teams.

Women are known for being excellent communicators and team players with a special knack for multi-tasking. Those traits are part of our makeup.

More women are joining our industry each year, and they’re making greater contributions than ever before. Women are now being welcomed where they were once shunned. More work must be done, but we are on the right road.

And yes, we built that road!

The many women in the industry who strive to be positive role models to their daughters and other young ladies must continue to lead by example. Those women know they can become anything they want only when they see other women achieving their goals.

I’m very honored to be a member of the board of directors for the Massachusetts Aggregate and Asphalt Pavement Association and on the board of directors for the National Stone Sand & Gravel Association.

Belonging to these associations has connected me with other amazing women in this industry who have become some of my dearest friends.
These groups are special ones that help promote women in the industry.

Over the next 100 years, expect more women to take on leadership roles in the aggregate industry. The demographics certainly are changing.

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Karen Hubacz-Kiley is COO of Bond Construction Corp. She can be reached at karenhubacz@bondsandandgravel.com.