Empowering women. Advancing construction.
“We want to be intentional in making Superior among the best places to work while building future leaders. As the industry continues to evolve, we must empower women in order to advance construction. This program aims to do both.”
- Attract, retain, and grow top female talent
- Advance the future of women in the construction industry
- Increase the visibility of women in the construction industry
What is SWiC Lead?
The company-wide initiative includes the SWiC LEAD program, a leadership development component designed with a certified executive and team coach that promotes a diverse leadership pipeline aligning with Superior’s shift to empower all employees and establish us as an industry leader.
First launched in fall 2022, the yearlong SWiC LEAD program is designed to identify motivated women in the construction industry and offer them essential personal and professional development tools. In developing the initiative, company executives selected 12 rising women leaders to participate in the pilot program. SWiC LEAD has since expanded to comprise women from every market and practice area, including our skilled craft workers.
“The women selected for the initial pilot program weren’t chosen because they ‘deserved it more’ or out of personal partiality,” said Scott Witt, Chief Financial Officer. “The program was ultimately designed for all women across the company; we just had to establish a starting place, accelerate leadership capacity, and build to that point.”
Beyond Superior
To advocate for women across our entire industry, SWiC graduates are encouraged to volunteer with organizations working to advance and empower women in construction. So far, they’ve organized or participated in various events, including:
- Partnering with Purdue Women in Construction Management, including providing branded polo shirts for the program and sponsoring their annual golf outing
- Participating in a nontraditional employment workshop for Porter County Care & Technical Education, introducing 8th-grade female students to construction careers
- Sponsoring a Northwest Indiana Influential Women Association (NWIIWA) motivational luncheon and a mixer for the NWIIWA’s Influential Women Awards
- Sponsoring polo shirts for the University of North Florida WIC Club and presenting on heavy civil project engineer career paths at a speaking event
- Attending numerous high school and university career fairs to recruit more women
- Participating in a career fair hosted by the PACE Center for Girls
- Speaking at a Job Corps Career Academy event and the American Heart Association’s Women in STEAM event
SWiC in the News
The SWiC initiative has been featured across a variety of industry media:
- Amy Henningfield shares insights on Women Talk Construction podcast (May 2024)
- How major contractors open doors for women (Construction Dive)
- Superior’s Inaugural Women in Construction Class Graduates From Innovative Pilot Program (Construction Equipment Guide)
- Scott Witt discusses SWiC on Women Talk Construction podcast (June 2023)
- Meet Superior Construction’s WIC Initiative (Asphalt Pro)
- Superior Construction Launches ‘Superior Women in Construction’ Initiative (Informed Infrastructure)
Contact us at swicsteer@superiorconstruction.com