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Michelle McIntyre
Scheduling Manager
KBE Building Corporation

“Seeing a project built from the ground up is amazing! And at the end of the day, the guys you work with on the jobsite end up becoming like family. It’s awesome. I would encourage any woman to join that. Hands down.”

Michelle McIntyre is a scheduling manager with KBE Building Corporation, where she has worked since 2021, after five years working at CVS on its in-house project management group. In her role, she works hand-in-hand with KBE’s preconstruction and estimating team and field staff, along with clients and design teams, to develop comprehensive project schedules and schedule updates to track and manage KBE’s field construction services. Her goal? Ensure a seamless scheduling process for everyone on the team and help move projects forward as efficiently as possible.

Question: What led you to a career in the construction industry?

Both my father and brother worked in construction. My brother is a heavy equipment operator, my dad worked in a quarry for many years before moving to facilities maintenance for a local municipality – both tough jobs. Hearing the challenges they had, I knew I wouldn’t want to run machinery, but if there was some way I could impact guys in the field – by building a schedule, for example, that would help them out, I wanted to do that.

I didn’t start working in construction until I started working at CVS eight years ago. People have always been receptive to me as a woman in the field. But my mom still doesn’t grasp that I can go out in the field like the guys. Times have changed. The guys don’t treat me any differently because I’m a woman.

Question: How do you leverage your position to help recruit and retain more women in the industry?

 I haven’t had many chances to mentor other women in the field, but when I do, I try to encourage them when they don’t feel 100% about something. Giving people words of confidence, even if it’s not work-related, makes everyone feel better. Also, when male coworkers listen to and make women feel heard, that helps women who are new to the field feel comfortable joining such a male-dominated industry.

Question: In the past year, what project or accomplishment are you most proud of?

I spend so much time on all my projects, I can’t really say I have one favorite, they’re all my kids and I love them equally. However, two that stick out to me are the UConn South Campus project and the Piper [mixed-use project in Norwalk] for different reasons. I’ve felt confident with Piper since day one, and we’ve had a lot of involvement with the owners, which has given me some great external input, whereas I normally only get input internally.

Question: How can AEC companies recruit more women?

I think it boils down to recruiting out of college. Internships are a fantastic gateway to getting women into the construction world. Those years of school are so important, and telling young women that this career is even an option for them makes a huge difference.

Personally, I went to a vocational school for a short period of time in high school before moving to Rhode Island, and I remember one teacher saying that there are “men’s jobs” and “women’s jobs.” Growing up, that concept never mattered to me. Even though I was shy, when I heard that, I challenged my teacher, and debated him in front of my whole class. I essentially told him women can provide for their families and do the same jobs men can do, if not better than them! That moment has stuck out to me after all these years. Hearing that in school was a pivotal moment for me.

Question: What would you tell a young woman who is considering entering the construction industry?

I would tell her it is a great opportunity and that seeing a project built from the ground up is amazing! For example, that UConn steel topping event was one of the coolest things I’ve ever seen, not even just on the job. And at the end of the day, the guys you work with on the jobsite end up becoming like family. It’s awesome. I would encourage any girl to join that. Hands down.