9 Issue 4 Winter Edition 2017 UPWORD FROM THE INCOMING YCLM CHAIR The first Young Construction Leaders of Manitoba (YCLM) event I attended as a member was the Member BBQ in September 2013. From my very first experience I saw the value this association can offer young professionals in the construction industry. I decided to get more involved in YCLM by joining the educa- tion committee in 2015. The following year, I became the chair of the Boardroom Committee responsible for coordinating events for YCLM members that allow them the opportunity to connect with local industry leaders. I’m now excited and proud to be stepping into the role of YCLM Steering Committee chair. As the new chair of YCLM, I’d like to start off by thanking all our past committee members for their dedica- tion and hard work. We’ve seen a steady growth and diversification of our membership over the last few years, and this is a direct reflection of their efforts. The future of YCLM looks bright. The steady membership growth over the last few years has expanded networking opportunities available to our members. Building connections and relationships is really at the heart of what YCLM does best, and I’ve been happy to see new employment opportunities arise and working relationships improve at our events. Through all our educational, networking and mentoring events, YCLM is helping the next generation of construction professionals build their careers. The new YCLM steering committee does not take this respon- sibility lightly, and will be working diligently to provide our members with valuable opportunities to develop themselves and their careers. I look forward to another exciting year for YCLM and encourage anyone that is affiliated with the construc- tion industry to come discover the value of being a YCLM member. Greg Welch, Manitoba Hydro YCLM Steering Committee Chair FROM THE OUTGOING MWC CHAIR Reflecting upon my term as chair of ManitobaWomen in Construction has made me realize that there have been many achievements made in such a short amount of time and provided me with optimism for the things to come for women in this industry. MWC has hosted many successful events over the past two years but four really stand out for me:Building HER Story panel discussion,Unlocking theToolkit Girls Forum,2016 CCA Industry Summit and the 2017 Journeyperson of theYear – Urban award being won by bricklayer and fellow MWC member NinaWidmer.Each of these has empowered,created awareness, provided a voice and shaped the future for women in construction.I am fortunate to have been a part of it. MWC has many exciting endeavours planned for 2018,with an amazing lineup of professional development and networking events.I am looking forward to the second annual Building HER Story,soon-to-be-announced project tour inApril and cannot wait for the next golf clinic at the beginning of the summer. TheWinnipeg ConstructionAssociation consists of member companies that are run by visionary leaders who are embracing the unique and beneficial characteristics that women bring to their businesses.With this support I can foresee a time,in my lifetime,where it will not be uncommon for women to be working in all positions in construction. MWC is in great hands with incoming Chairwoman Soo Lee of FWS Group of Companies.I have learned a lot from Soo over the past few years and I know that MWC is going to be very successful under her direction.I wish her the best of luck and look forward to seeing the continued success of MWC. I am honoured to have served alongside a board of strong,intelligent and forward-thinking women.Each and every one of them has given so much to MWC and the success of this initiative is due to the heart and soul of these ladies.My time as chair has been priceless and I will always treasure my involvement.I hope the effort that I have put forth has aided in retaining and increasing the representation of women in construction. Teri Urban,Parkwest Projects Ltd. MWC Chair