Bush Construction teaches next generation to Build Like A Girl

Sixteen Quad Cities Girl Scouts took home more than their woodworking badges after participating in the Bush Construction 2023 Build Like a Girl Workshop Saturday, March 11. This is the third year the design, development, and construction company headquartered at 5401 Victoria Ave., Davenport, has partnered with the Girl Scouts of Eastern Iowa and Western […]

Sixteen Quad Cities Girl Scouts took home more than their woodworking badges after participating in the Bush Construction 2023 Build Like a Girl Workshop Saturday, March 11. This is the third year the design, development, and construction company headquartered at 5401 Victoria Ave., Davenport, has partnered with the Girl Scouts of Eastern Iowa and Western Illinois to offer the workshop for 16 Girl Scout Cadettes from sixth to eighth grade.  The young women’s task was to build a birdhouse from scratch using blueprints and hand tools.  Organizers say the event is designed to show the next generation of young women that they can build something with their own hands to be proud of and that teaches them that the construction industry is a viable career option for women.  The workshop also is aimed at building smart, confident and strong young women to be the next leaders and role models for the Quad Cities community, Bush Construction said. Young women who are interested in careers in the STEM field also get the exposure and mentoring they need from women already working in the construction industry.  “Educating girls now about STEM helps to ensure a diverse workforce in the future. Let’s teach them the skills early and help them gain the confidence they need to succeed in math and science-based careers in the future,” Ms. Hintermeister said. The Build Like a Girl workshop was coordinated by Stephanie Hintermeister, president of the National Association of Women in Construction, Chapter 50, and project coordinator for Bush Construction. The workshop was created to encourage girls to seek careers in the science, technology, engineering, and math fields (STEM).  Build Like a Girl is Bush Construction’s effort to kick off Women in Construction week March 5-11, to raise awareness and celebrate the work of women in the construction industry. Women make up 10% of the construction workforce, but far fewer women are working on job sites.  Members of the Bush Construction team including superintendents, project managers, project engineers and project coordinators assisted the 16 Girl Scout Cadettes in assembling and building their birdhouses. The Cadettes had to meet requirements including being able to swing a hammer, keep things level, use a screwdriver, saw some wood and build something.

Among the girls who participated Satruday and were eager to talk about why they did and what it meant to them were Eleanor George Elliot, Violet Rente, and McKenna Fox. “I’m in a lot of places right now; I want to be an interior designer, a cake artist, or a professional equestrian rider; I want to be a lot of things and STEM is a way for all the girls to figure out what they want to be when they grow up,” Violet told the QCBJ.  “I became interested in building things like a birdhouse because my grandpa is a carpenter and one day I want to work for him and build something that would change something for somebody,” McKenna added. She also said that her grandmother loves to bird watch and she planned to give her the birdhouse to hang in her backyard.  McKenna also said she enjoyed making habitats for nature and thinks it’s a really good project for the environment. She is also very good at math and believed that making a birdhouse was a great way to use her skills.  For more information contact https://bushconstruction.com