Arcadia Maximo
Arcadia Maximo
A Perfect Fit
“Once I got in, I loved it. It just fit my personality. I loved the early hours. You start at 6 a.m. Your day is done by 2 p.m. You can’t bring your work home with you. I liked that. And so I stayed.”
Equal Pay, Equal Work
“This is the one industry, at least in the union, that you make dollar-for-dollar what a man makes. So if some guy is paying me the same amount he’s paying my buddy Jeff, and Jeff is lifting three two-by-fours and running up the hill, I have to do the same. And Jeff is 6′2″, 250 pounds. I’m only 5′5″. I weigh 105. It doesn’t matter. The boss is like, ‘You’re making the same as him, you’ve got to do the same amount of work.’”
Moving On Up
“I didn’t want to sit there pounding nails for the rest of my life for someone else. A guy can sit there, he’s a carpenter, he’s good, he’s automatically going to get promoted to foreman. And with me, I have to have this long, extensive resume to prove to the guy that not only can I build, but I’ve got all of these classes I’ve taken in construction management. I know construction law. I can write contracts.”
Who’s That Girl?
“I thought that was going to be a problem, being a female, that people wouldn’t hire me. When I first started my company, I used my brother’s voice on my voice mail, because I was so afraid if someone heard my voice they’d be like, ‘Who’s this girl?’ You know, click.”
Does Your Husband Know?
“People seek me out. They try to find a female to work with because they’re sick of the condescending attitude from the men out there. One lady, her story kind of shocked me. She was like, ‘I’ve been looking for someone like you forever.’ She wanted to do this huge extensive remodel on her house and she said, ‘I’ve met with at least five contractors that were men.’ And just the way they talked to her, like, ‘Does your husband know that you’re doing this? Do you have your husband’s permission to do this?’ I was just shocked.”
Accidents Happen
“I was working upstairs on a bathroom remodel, and we accidentally drilled a hole through a pipe that leaked on the downstairs condo. It was my fault. So we fixed the leak, of course. I went downstairs. The owner of the condo comes home. He was very upset. I tried my best to calm the situation down. I said, ‘I’m going to replace your computer. Anything that was broken, I’m going to replace it right away. You’re not going to have to fight me to get your money.’ The next day, I had a check for him. I was profusely apologetic. Then he hired me to do his whole remodel. He was looking at another contractor, but he said, ‘Arcadia, I liked the way that you handled the situation. You were on top of things. You were apologetic.’”
Finally! I’m excited to see a woman like Arcadia profiled. Women like Arcadia are truly helping to level the playing field and should be applauded. Sure, it’s tough to start a business. But tougher, still, to do something people of both sexes don’t think you can/should. I can assure you I’ve had a taste of the “little lady” attitude that comes with some contractors. I only wish there were more women like Arcadia I could hire!
What a cool story to see a women making inroads in a tradtionally male field – good for Arcadia for sticking to it and building her own business.
Andrea Stein
http://www.girlmogul.com
This is a great story and not simply because it’s non traditional. You really took ownership of your process and your mistakes. I wish you nothing but the best.
I really enjoyed reading this profile. Arcadia is an inspiration! I am going to share this with all the young ladies I know!!
Dorethia Conner
http://www.connercoaching.com
This is a fabulous story, because it illustrates the outcome of step-by-step ACTION. It’s easy to sit and think about what you want to achieve. But, it’s doubly difficult to create and EXECUTE the plan to get there. I applaud Arcadia for identifying concrete steps to take and then following the path to her goal. Arcadia is an example for me of focus in action, and it’s incredibly inspiring to know that great things come out of taking one step at a time. All you need to do is make a step.
What an inspiration on how you made it “against all odds.” I am a woman, not in a male-dominated field, but it is still hard to make it when you don’t have anybody else to rely on except our Heavenly Father. I’m making it though and it is women like you who show us by example that it can be done. I teach Spanish for construction among other industries and am working on breaking into that field as well. Thanks for the inspiration. I look forward to meeting you in SF.
Gina Covello
http://www.hablals.com
[...] Arcadia Maximo – When the guys told her she couldn’t, she did–by starting her own construction company [...]
Not only is Arcadio a leader and a woman breaking serious ground in the SF construction industry, she volunteers for us regularly. We rely on skilled volunteers, like Arcadia, to be able to serve our low-income and senior clients and wouldn’t be able to do the work we do without volunteers like her – Arcadia truly has a commitment to the greater community and is super inspiring to work with!
I just signed up…and I already love this site. I am a interior design student in San Diego (Native Bayarean) and thinking of going into arch ( but sooooo scared of the manly man world). But!!! Arcadia you have inspired me… Thank you!
Thank you Arcadia for standing your grounds and believing in yourself. I am a general contractor doing both commercial and residential renovation in NYC and was faced with some of the same issues. Still is a difficult industry but I am seeing more and more women getting involved. Keep up the good work!!!!
