In September 1999, the United States was heading into a presidential election year. The world was gearing up for Y2K. Prince’s album and song of the same year—actually released in 1982—had gained new relevance. And Stephanie Schmidt joined Poole Anderson, product of the freshly inked merger of L.C. Anderson & Sons with S&A Commercial Construction.

This achievement was the latest step on an ambitious career path that began at Pennsylvania State University in a five-year undergraduate program in architectural engineering, specializing in construction management. The rigorous program helped land Schmidt a first-rate position after graduation as a management trainee with Gilbane Building Company, after which she returned to her alma mater for a job on the owner’s side, overseeing the design and construction of academic and administrative buildings. While she left Penn State once again in 1999 for Poole Anderson, the Nittany Lions are close to her heart. Schmidt looks forward to tailgates and game days the way some families anticipate Thanksgiving or Christmas (although holiday festivities are also a big to-do in the Schmidt household).

Now president of Poole Anderson, a commercial contractor headquartered in State College, Pennsylvania, Schmidt says that when she first onboarded as vice president of business development, her background was in project management. “I had not run a company before, and there was a lot I needed to know,” she says. She immediately began networking and encountered Associated Builders and Contractors at a local level, joining the ABC Central Pennsylvania chapter before getting involved in committees and becoming a part of the national executive board (Poole Anderson is now aligned with ABC Keystone, as well as a member of both ABC Central Pennsylvania and Western Pennsylvania).

“Stephanie is a leader in its truest form,” says Jason D. Sheffield, vice president and senior project executive at Poole Anderson. “She sets high expectations of accountability, leadership and commitment for the overall success of the company; she demonstrates those same qualities.”

After more than 21 years with ABC, including serving five years on the executive committee, Schmidt has risen through the ranks to become ABC’s 2022 National Board Chair. That’s not a surprise to anyone who works with her—or for her. “Stephanie is an extremely capable and brilliant woman,” says Stefanie Kyle, marketing manager at Poole Anderson. “As unusual as it is to have a woman running a commercial construction company, Stephanie is a pro.”

In an exclusive interview, Construction Executive speaks to Schmidt about everything from high-school basketball, teamwork and family traditions, to HGTV, major achievements and pivotal moments.

Q: Have you always been interested in leading ABC as chair?

A: I was fortunate in that I attended regional events and became friendly with our regional vice chair at that time. My regional leadership, then, tapped me for the succession plan and, once I got involved in the executive committee, I thought, “I’d really like to chair the organization. I think I can make a difference.”

Q: What do you think the impact is of your being just the fourth female chair in association history?

A: One thing about being a female in the industry is that you’re memorable. Literally, for the first 20 years of my career, I was typically the only female in the room in most meetings. People remember you.

I don’t know if that is impactful as ABC Chair, I just know that I have a platform and I want to do the best job I can—for ABC and everyone who works in this industry.

Q: What advice do you have for other women considering the trades?

A: Considering the workforce shortage we are facing, I’d like to showcase the great opportunities for women in this industry. In addition to the variety of career paths available and the excitement of being involved in the creation of great facilities, the pay gap is next to nothing. Women make 99.1% of what a man in the same job in construction does. So, I am interested in making opportunities more visible to females, as well as people of all backgrounds and ethnicities who have an interest in construction.

Q: Were you always interested in a career in construction?

A: As a kid, I was always a tomboy. My sister was playing with Barbies, and I was climbing trees, playing with Lincoln Logs and riding horses.

In high school, my original plan was to go to a liberal-arts school and study psychology, after which I would go to medical school and become a psychiatrist. A guidance counselor pulled me aside and said, “Hey, Stephanie, your strengths seem to be in the maths and sciences. Have you thought about engineering?”

Q: Did you love your engineering program immediately or did you have to fall in love with it over time?

A: I loved the architectural engineering courses and the construction management courses. I don’t think anybody loves some of the other physics, math and “weed-out” courses you have to take, but it’s important to get through those, because that’s when you can see the really cool stuff that you’re going to be studying. I enjoyed the program immensely.

Q: What sports did you play in high school?

A: I played point guard for the basketball team, ran track and played on the powderpuff football team, too. At 5’1”, I was small but mighty. I have a huge competitive nature, and I think that is what has driven me over the years.

Q: Do you find that a background of competition helps you in construction?

A: Our industry tends to be bid- and proposal-based. It’s not always about the numbers—it might depend on how well you put together a proposal to showcase your team’s strengths—and I get energized by that. It really gets your adrenaline going when you’re working with your team and you want to figure out how to win a project. And when we do land win a project, we always try to celebrate with our team.

Q: How do you approach landing a project?

A: I think it’s all about our collaborative internal process—getting our operations team, marketing and business development people and estimators involved to really dissect the project. It’s a huge team effort to build it in our heads and then figure out how to translate it into the best presentation or proposal.

Q: What do you like most about the work culture that you’ve created at Poole Anderson?

A: I’m most proud of the fact that anybody in our organization would do anything for anybody else. Everybody pitches in if they need to on something that may not be their job. Everybody has each other’s backs. We all get excited about winning work. We all get excited about finishing a great project. We all get excited about winning an award. Everyone has so much personal stake in our success. I think everybody has ownership of what they do here and gets great satisfaction from that.

Q: Has dealing with the pandemic over the last two years changed how you approach your roles—at both Poole Anderson and ABC?

A: The last two years have altered the way we look at life and do business in general. My real aha was when the pandemic first hit and none of us knew how to deal with any of it. When the governor of Pennsylvania shut down all construction, we had to deal with all that. This was the only state in the country that completely shut down construction as non-essential except for health care.

I always knew ABC was valuable, but seeing upfront what a huge resource ABC is to our industry and our members—helping to get all the facts straight, as well as put together safety and COVID-19 plans—solidified that for me.

Q: What do you bring to the table as chair that no one else does?

A: I bring a diverse professional background. I worked for a national construction company. I worked on the owner side for a large university. We grew from a small local general contractor to a regional construction company. So, I bring a perspective from across the various platforms of construction.
I’ve also been a female in a male-dominated field for over 35 years. I think that brings a unique perspective that there’s no one-size-fits-all for what we do at ABC. We have varying needs and varied chapters in various geographical areas that each contend with different issues or priorities. I have an understanding that it’s not just black or white, sometimes there are shades of gray.

Q: What are your main goals for 2022 as chair?

A: Based on a survey that our board members completed during the strategic planning process, the number-one objective was to stop the Protecting the Right to Organize Act from becoming law. To be successful in this, we need the credibility to fight that fight. One of my goals is to illustrate that participation in ABC programming (e.g., workforce programs, safety training programs, STEP, AQC) doesn’t only benefit you as a company and a member, but will provide ABC with the performance data we need to show that merit shop contractors are as safe and as well-trained as union workers.

It blows my mind that only 20% of our members participate in STEP. One major initiative this year is to get to 50% participation so that we can achieve 100% participation by 2027. But that’s not an easy lift; so, in addition to educating our members on the benefits of STEP, we have removed all national fees associated with STEP participation from this year’s budget.

In addition, much can be done to magnify our political advocacy efforts and, considering that this is an important election year, I want to focus on how we can do that. We’re the voice of the merit shop construction industry, and as the economic and political environments continue to change, we need to keep that voice heard.

The knowledge, passion and integrity amongst ABC members is powerful. My goal is to work hard to harness that power to execute our strategic objectives. By doing that, we can continue to change the industry and improve our companies. We can attract and educate a diverse workforce, change policy, become a leader in innovation and technology in construction and make sure our employees work safely and all go home at night.

Q: You’re chairing ABC, but do you feel attached to the industry as a whole?

A: I think the industry and the association are very close. ABC supports and is trying to make the industry better through its members. To me, they’re almost one and the same.