Fueled by Family - Southwest Spotlights
Ames Construction is Fueled by Family, and we’re proud to celebrate the people who put their talents to work at Ames project sites and offices across the country.
ANDREA CROSS
Project Administrator
Southwest
Safford, Arizona
7 years at Ames
→ What made you join the construction industry?
“After giving birth to my second daughter and being burned out with my current job, I decided I wanted to challenge myself and pave a path for my daughters to know that being from a small mining town, they didn’t have to settle for anything. That women could do and be anything they set their minds to, and that I would help them to ignore the noise and negativity about doing a ‘man’s’ job.”
→ What do you like best about working in construction?
“I love that every day is NOT the same as the day before. I am physically and mentally challenged daily. I have worked in Oregon, California, Louisiana, Georgia, Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas. I get to meet new people from all over the world and best of all, I get to feel like part of a huge extended family.”
→ What advice would you give women looking to join the construction industry?
“RUN don’t walk. It isn’t just hard hats and steel-toed boots! Being women, our minds run wild with possibilities. You learn to adapt and overcome challenges. The greatest tool we have is our mind!”
KARA LINIGER
Operations Administrator
Southwest
Safford Field Office, Arizona
3 years at Ames
→ What made you join the construction industry?
“Making a move to North Carolina so my husband could help kick off the Greensboro-Randolph Megasite project in North Carolina. Not knowing what my next career move was, I started with Ames to recruit and assist in the hiring of over 400 equipment operators. It was there that I knew I should have joined the Ames family much earlier.”
→ What do you like best about working in construction?
“Seeing a job from the beginning and watching it develop as well as a whole region develop from an 1,800-acre piece of land, and to know I was a part of that history.”
→ What advice would you give women looking to join the construction industry?
“Stay confident, be persistent, and learn and grow from others in the industry.”
MICHELLE TASA-MACDONALD
Project Engineer
Southwest
Safford, Arizona
1.5 years at Ames
→ What made you join the construction industry?
“I have been in and out of the construction industry my whole life. My great aunt and uncle had their own sand and gravel operation, where I found my love for heavy civil work. I spent many hours as a young lady with my Aunt Lavona in a yellow piece of equipment or in a dump truck. Gender has never been an obstacle in my large extended family. You either drove truck, operated equipment, or prepared meals in the kitchen to feed the crews. We all worked together. My aunt has always been a woman I have looked up to and wanted to emulate. She told me there is absolutely nothing I can’t do. She said, ‘You may not be as strong as those guys out there, but it will make you smarter because you have to think of other ways to accomplish the same work in the same amount of time or faster.’ She told me, ‘Put your boots on, put your head down, take care of what is yours to do, and don’t pull your punches.’”
→ What do you like best about working in construction?
“Seeing the growth of the job itself and the level of skill in our crews. If I had to choose a second, it would be the people on our job. I love the people I work with! I love to see the effort they put forth with the high level of skill, and I love how quick they are to laugh!”
→ What has been the most memorable moment in your career?
“Seeing our dirt, carpenter, concrete, and rebar crews all working in four different job fronts on a three-acre footprint. It was extremely rewarding knowing the preplanning, continuous communication, and execution were happening just as our team had planned.”
