Women in Construction 2022
When you think of an industry dominated by men, construction might be one of the first that comes to mind. Of all the people working in construction, women comprise only 10.9%. Even smaller is the number of women on the front lines of a job site where only 1 for every 100 employees in the field is made up of women. Considering that women make up 47% of all employed individuals, this means that the construction industry is only benefitting from about 1.25% of women in the workforce.
At Harbin Lumber we are proud to have a group of ladies who are knowledgeable in what it takes to work efficiently and effectively in the construction industry. Every single person has a unique position that plays a vital role in the operations of this business. In the end, seeing a customer’s DREAM come to life because of what they do is rewarding to them to know they have a small hand in exceeding customers’ expectations for their building projects.
For National Women in Construction week, we would like to recognize all of the Ladies that work at Harbin Lumber by each branch.
Athens
Brenda Parr, Teresa Zikas , Magda Restrepo, & Debbie Miozza *Not Pictured
“Brenda Parr, Debbie Miozza, Magda Restrepo, and Teresa Zikas are the definition of Knowledgeable, Hard Working, Fun, and “Don’t Bring That Nonsense Up In Here” when it is needed!!!! Athens has been blessed with a lot of success over the recent years and these 4 ladies have been a huge part of that.”
-Todd Lord
General Manager of Athens
At the Athens Lumber Yard, these four ladies are the distinguished women who are vital to the operations of the store. Each of them shows their skills and work ethic day in and day out.
Magda, who has been with Harbin Lumber for 5 years, holds the title of Receiving Manager and Special Order/ RMA. She works directly with invoices and making sure all orders are received properly. Debbie is a Millwork Specialist, working with special orders for windows and doors for customers. She has worked in the lumber industry for over 36 years and has been a part of Harbin Lumber for almost 6 of those! Brenda is currently a part of the Inside Sales team and PO Reconciliation but has covered many other different responsibilities within the office over her tenure of 25 years! And last but not least, Teresa is also a new member of the Athens team joining us almost 1 year ago as a Millwork specialist. We are so glad she has joined us and is exceeding in her position.
Corporate Office
Kelley Roper, Terry Smith (* Not Pictured), Shelley Coles, Linda Lewis (*Not Pictured) & Ashley Guest
These ladies are ALL IN for Harbin Lumber and their dedication and hard work help make this company what it is today. Thank you for all you do for the Harbin employees and our great Harbin customers to make this operation run smoothly. We appreciate your positive attitude, teamwork, and professionalism!”
-Philip Hunt
General Manager of CO
CFO
Behind the scenes of Harbin Lumber you will find these 5 Ladies, all with very special positions to help continue Harbin running smoothly.
Terry Smith working in Accounts Payable, remains building strong relationships with external vendors and employees. She always gets the job done, and is very organized and thorough at her job. Shelley Coles is our Safety Director for all of our locations. She is brilliant at bringing new ideas to the table to ensure that everyone stays safe while getting the job done and we are so thankful for her attributions to this team. Kelly Roper and Linda Lewis both are credit managers working directly with customers and ensuring to meet their needs. Kelly joined Harbin in 2017, coming from an extensive background experience in finance in which she was able to carry into HLC while Linda has been with us since 2008. Both of these Ladies bring it all to the table and continue to deliver being a well oiled machine. Lastly, the newest member of the team is Ashley Guest. She is the new Marketing Coordinator of HLC and is ready to continue spreading the Harbin Lumber Company name by working directly within the community.
Doorshop
Shelly Walters, Lori Bishop & Martha Logan
“These three ladies play a big part in everything we do here at the Door Shop. Each one has a vital role from start to finish in building our doors and getting them to the customer in a timely manner. We greatly appreciate all that they do for us.”
– Eddie Wester
General Manager of The Door Shop
The Ladies at the Door Shop all are involved with the hands on operations of building doors and custom windows. They all hold a unique position that is vital to this process of making sure these units are processed correctly.
If you go to the Door Shop, Shelly will be one of the first smiling faces you meet when you enter. She works in inside sales and directly with customers/ OSS for materials. Lori has her own station in the Door production plant, working on the Door framing and construction. Martha is the Door shop production supervisor on the floor. She is hands on in the operations of the facility by running machinery.
Eatonton
Sandy Lea, Julie Fields, Debbie Powell & Keeley Goins
” What a great honor it is to have this group of Ladies working at our Eatonton location. They’re dedicated, knowledgeable, and work very hard to make sure our customers and operations here in Eatonton go smoothly! Thank you, Ladies, for all you do!”
– Jody Page
General Manager of Eatonton
At the Eatonton Lumber Yard, these ladies are known for their product knowledge in the industry and their hospitality.
Sandy Lea works as inside sales and receiving being with Harbin for 4 years now. She has worked various roles during her time and is a women of many traits. Sandy is also our STAR Employee for the month of March this year! GO SANDY! Julie Fields started with HLC a little over 1 year ago and works as inside sales at the front. She is always there to greet you at the front with a smile on her face. Debbie Powell, is also their with a smile working in inside sales. She has been with Harbin Lumber for 5 years now. Lastly, Keeley Goins is the Asst. Manager of the Eatonton Lumber Yard. She is one busy women and always gets the job done!
Lavonia
Valerie Page & Barbara Partain
“Our location could not be what it is today without these women involved in our daily operations. I rely on them with some of the most integral duties of our business. Several of our largest customer relationships depend on them. “
– Todd Irvin
General Manager of Lavonia
This DUO may have different roles at the Lavonia Lumber Yard, but they both carry such a big role in this branch. Their attention to detail and hospitality goes beyond what they do for HLC. The both have a vast knowledge of this industry and we are lucky to have them.
Barbara is with the inside sales team working directly with customers to make sure we are able to complete the orders. She is one of the first faces you will see as you enter the Lavonia Lumber Yard and she will always be there to help! Valerie is a Millwork specialist working with customers and OSS on speciality projects. She has been with Harbin for many years now and she continues to grow in this industry everyday!
Thank you Barbara and Valerie for all you do!
Load Star
Cynthia Arroyo, Olga Pizarro, Luz Torres, Julie Mattox, Donna Smith, Coral Del Mar Colon & Ingrid Martinez
“It is an honor to work with a great group of women. Everyone of them plays an important role here at Load Star. No matter the challenge that we task them with, they all excel. I want to thank them for their dedication to Load Star. “
-Stephen Cain
General Manager of Load Star
From Start to finish these ladies all have a hand in what it takes to build a truss system. Talk about a well oiled machine, these ladies get 
the job DONE and they have fun while doing it!
At the Load Star facility, Donna is one of the first smiles you will see as you walk through the door. She works as the office assistant and always goes above and beyond at her job. Julie, is one of our Truss Designers and is very knowledge at what she does. Her years in talent go beyond. Ingrid is the HR assistant at the Load Star facility. She is always going the extra mile to help fill any gaps and helps make everyone feel welcome! Cynthia, Olga, Luz and Coral all work in production, having a huge role in the finalization process of the truss systems. They all hold such a viable position to make sure production runs smoothly. From Floor truss to roofing these ladies work hard but have the best personalities to go along with it!
North Augusta
Ashley Alva, Vanessa Fields & Kim Devlin
“Vanessa, Kim, and Ashley are an integral part of our success in North Augusta. As we celebrate their contributions during Women in Construction Week, their value to this team continues the remaining 51 weeks of the year. Thank you ladies!!!!
– JP Adams
General Manager of NA
With the growing success of the North Augusta branch, it is important to note what a major role Ashley, Kim & Vanessa have at this location. At Harbin Lumber Company we want to recognize these ladies for all the work they put in and the vast knowledge they have of this industry.
Vanessa just shared her 5th year employee anniversary with HLC at the opening of this location. She works as Inside Sales and is always helping our customers with anything they need. Kim has been in this industry for 6 years and works in inside sales also. She has been with the North Augusta Branch since HLC bought it back in 2017 and we are thankful to have her on our team! Lastly, Ashley Alva works as a Millwork specialist. She has now been with HLC for almost one year and has proven to be an asset to this team!
Thank you!
At Harbin Lumber Company we are truly thankful for each lady on our team. Everyone holds such a special place in this company and is a valued team member. Not only are we recognizing the women of Harbin Lumber Company, but we would like to commemorate every woman that plays a role in the construction and building materials industry. Each woman in the industry has paved their own way through with talent and discipline. As jobs in the construction industry are expected to grow by almost 2 million in 2022, companies are looking to recruit more women than ever before to bring their skill sets into the field. At Harbin Lumber Company we are proud to be an equal opportunity employer and we support furthering careers in the construction industry.