Women at WIRC

Jacklyn Graniczny | Sublime Homes

Jackie Graniczny and her brother grew up on the jobsite with their dad. She says construction is something she has always been around, but when she wanted to pursue her own career in design, she never expected to end up in construction, despite her upbringing.
Now, her design skills and choice to carve her own path has brought her to where she is today: design director and partner of Sublime Homes (www.sublimehomes.com), a semi-custom to custom home building company, run by Granizcny, her brother and cousin. She brings in a tremendous amount of value thanks to her design education and work background, giving the company an edge above the competition.
Listen to see what she has to say about taking risks, home design, and more.
If you like what you’re hearing, and want us to keep putting out new episodes, it would help us a lot if you would leave a rating and review wherever you get your audio. Even a short review helps show support for women builders, designers, and business managers who are killing it at work and beyond.
Women at WIRC is now available on iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, and anywhere else you get your audio. If you like what you’re hearing so far, I’d love it if you took a minute to rate and review the show on whatever platform you use.
Our next episode will feature another female professional who is making some serious moves in her industry. Until then, follow us on social, and keep on WIRCing.

Ana Borden | AMB2 Architecture

Our guest today is Ana Borden, the founder and principal of AMB2 Architecture (http://amb2architecture.com/). A daughter of two immigrants, Ana always loved design and drawing. She has now found her niche in Historic Renovations and the complex restorations and retrofits required of the historical city of New Orleans. We’ll learn how she chooses the right materials, the history lessons historical architecture can give, and how she uses watercolor painting as a design tool.
If you like what you’re hearing, and want us to keep putting out new episodes, it would help us a lot if you would leave a rating and review wherever you get your audio. Even a short review helps show support for women builders, designers, and business managers who are killing it at work and beyond.
Women at WIRC is now available on iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, and anywhere else you get your audio. If you like what you’re hearing so far, I’d love it if you took a minute to rate and review the show on whatever platform you use.
Our next episode will feature another female professional who is making some serious moves in her industry. Until then, follow us on social, and keep on WIRCing.

Mary Miksch | Neil Kelly

Welcome back to Women at WIRC, a podcast for and about the women of remodeling and construction, brought to you by Pro Remodeler and Pro Builder magazines.
With the International Builder’s Show, IBSX, coming up virtually and our newest class of 40 Under 40 about to be announced, it’s been a hectic end to a hectic year. How do you get through it all? Incorporating system building doesn’t hurt. We’ll hear from Mark Miksch, a former 40 Under 40 winner and design consultant at the Neil Kelly Remodeling firm in the Northwest, on how to create systems in design, trending designs, and more.
But first, a quick request from me: If you like what you’re hearing, and want us to keep putting out new episodes, it would help us a lot if you would leave a rating and review wherever you get your audio. Even a short review helps show support for women builders, designers, and business managers who are killing it at work and beyond.
And onto the show!
Even as a child,Mary Miksch loved design so much that her parents had to limit her to rearranging the furniture only once every six months. But while some children grow away from their dreams, Mary made them a reality, moving from studying architecture at Notre Dame and in Rome to designing high-end real estate in Chicago before joining the Neil Kelly team.
Thanks to Mary for joining me on the podcast, and to all of you for listening. A link to more information about Neil Kelly is in the show notes. NeilKelly.com
Women at WIRC is now available on iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, and anywhere else you get your audio. If you like what you’re hearing so far, I’d love it if you took a minute to rate and review the show on whatever platform you use.
Our next episode will feature another female professional who is making some serious moves in her industry. Until then, follow us on social, and keep on WIRCing.

Julie Schafer | Aurora Builders

Even when Julie Schafer is not at work, she’s spending much of her free time working in the industry, primarily with her local Professional Women in Building Council.
As chair of her local PWB last year, Julie started an after school program in collaboration with a non-profit to get elementary school-aged girls excited about the construction industry.
Last year, she won the award for Outstanding Council of the Year from the National Association of Home Builders’ PWB Council, among other awards, for her non-profit work.
Though it may be hard to believe, in the beginning, Julie entered the industry without a bit of knowledge on residential construction. She credits all of her success to the support from her fellow PWB members.
Aurora Builders: https://aurorabuilders.com
Professional Women in Building Council: https://nahb.org/NAHB-Community/Councils/Professional-Women-in-Building-Council

How to Cultivate a Transparent, Empathetic Culture with Tanya Donahue

Welcome back to Women at WIRC, a podcast for and about the women of remodeling and construction, brought to you by Pro Remodeler and Pro Builder magazines.
Hi, I’m Annie Cebulski, associate editor for Professional Remodeler. 2020 is coming to a close, and what a wild ride it’s been. But for our guest today, Tanya Donahue, owner and president at RI K+Bath, this isn’t the first storm she’s weathered. We’ll hear how she’s moved beyond the buzzword and actually implemented transparency while creating a winning company culture to survive through tough times.
But first, a quick request from me: If you like what you’re hearing, and want us to keep putting out new episodes, it would help us a lot if you would leave a rating and review wherever you get your audio. Even a short review helps show support for women builders, designers, and business managers who are killing it at work and beyond.
Thanks to Tanya for joining me on the podcast, and to all of you for listening. A link to more information about Neil Kelly is in the show notes.
Women at WIRC is now available on iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, and anywhere else you get your audio. If you like what you’re hearing so far, I’d love it if you took a minute to rate and review the show on whatever platform you use.
Our next episode will feature another female professional who is making some serious moves in her industry. Until then, follow us on social, and keep on WIRCing.

Rachel White | Byggmeister Design Build

Everyone’s journey looks different, but Rachel White’s path to the remodeling industry is truly unique. After getting a PHD in religious studies, she started off as a CLIENT for byggmeister in Newton, MA before working her way from project manager to CEO. We’ll learn how Byggmeister centers itself around sustainability, the company’s approach to diversity hiring, and why Rachel views the home itself as her second client.
Thanks to Rachel for joining me on the podcast, and to all of you for listening. Links to more information about Byggmeister and the 2020 WIRC conference which PR and PB will be co hosting this year can be found in the episode’s show notes.
Women at WIRC is now available on iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, and anywhere else you get your audio. If you like what you’re hearing so far, I’d love it if you took a minute to rate and review the show on whatever platform you use.
Our next episode will feature another female professional who is making some serious moves in her industry. Until then, follow us on social, and keep on WIRCing.

Rachel Taylor

If there were two words to encompass Rachel Taylor, they would be determination and trailblazer. A former consultant and professional banana bread maker and current role as a self-made carpenter, Rachel has this remarkable ability to leap headfirst into new pursuits, pushing through the fear and self-doubt to rise above. After teaching herself how to design and build custom furniture, she opened her own carpentry business in Los Angeles, California. We’ll learn how she uses her start-up background to keep the books in line, harnesses social media to promote her business, and connects with other minority tradesmen and women.
OUTRO
Thanks to Rachel for joining me on the podcast, and to all of you for listening. Links to more information about Rachel’s custom furniture business and the 2020 WIRC conference which PR and PB will be co hosting this year can be found in the episode’s show notes.
Women at WIRC is now available on iTunes, Google Play, and anywhere else you get your audio. If you like what you’re hearing so far, I’d love it if you took a minute to rate and review the show on whatever platform you use.
Our next episode will feature another female professional who is making some serious moves in her industry. Until then, follow us on social, and keep on WIRCing.

Holly Slevcove | The New Home Company

Holly Slevcove, project manager for the New Home Company (https://www.nwhm.com/), was a team member when TNHC won Professional Builder’s Builder of the Year in 2019. A risk-taker, she specializes in project management and land acquisition for residential home building, primarily focused on the Inland Empire and Orange County. How did she get from college graduate to project manager in under 3 years? It wasn’t easy. It took hard work, perseverance, and another woman who believed in her from the start.
Thanks to Holly for joining me on the podcast, and to all of you for listening. Links to more information about the New Home Company, Professional Builder’s Builder of the Year, and the 2020 WIRC conference which PR and PB will be co hosting this year can be found in the episode’s show notes.
https://www.probuilder.com/2019-builder-year-new-home-company
https://pbprwomen.probuilder.com/2020/
Women at WIRC is now available on iTunes, Google Play, and anywhere else you get your audio. If you like what you’re hearing so far, I’d love it if you took a minute to rate and review the show on whatever platform you use.
Our next episode will feature another female professional who is making some serious moves in her industry. Until then, follow us on social, and keep on WIRCing.

Rachel Brown | Rachel Brown Homes

Rachel Brown is the owner/CEO of Rachel Brown Homes, a custom home builder in Huntsville, Alabama. Her company was recognized for its high ethical standards by the Better Business Bureau of North Alabama. And fun fact: she was one of the WIRC Speakers for 2019. Speaking of which, you can register for the next WIRC conference now!
https://www.cvent.com/events/women-in-residential-construction-2020/registration-2c33eb347f8849eb8640cb58ff54b6bf.aspx?fqp=true
Rachel caught our eyes for this podcast with her strong sense of self and a warm, friendly professional style that is unique for the industry. We’ll learn about how she learned to be both feminine and fierce, and succeed even with the odds stacked against her, taking over her father’s business at just 26 after his unexpected death.
Rachel is driven, she’s self-made but a team player. And she isn’t afraid to speak her mind while wearing her favorite shade of lipstick. Later in the episode, Rachel will also share her surprising trick for building confidence and unwinding after a long day at work that will inspire you to get up and move.

Sheila Lanier | Homework Remodels

I was lucky enough to spend the day with Sheila Lanier a few months ago. I was flying into Arizona a day early for our Women in Res conference, so I reached out to Homework Remodels to see if they’d let me be a fly on the wall for the day. It’s something that the Pro Remodeler team tries to do often, at various remodeling and home improvement companies across the country. It gives us a chance to get out of the office and immerse ourselves for a day in the work our readers do.
Sheila, along with Steve Shinn, the owner of Homework Remodels, walked me through the ins and outs of their company—most notably, how they’ve structured their unique hiring processes. They were in the midst of hiring a new project manager and looking to grow their team further, so it was front of mind.
Homework Remodels takes the DISC assessment a step further—an approach I hadn’t seen before but one that I now can’t believe more companies don’t use.