But over the past 10 years, the journeyman plumber and authorized fuel more healthy has gotten used to the abnormal raised eyebrow, and in no way allow it get in the manner of setting up her small employer as a pressure to be reckoned with on the Island. Bowcott’s willpower to succeed — the overachieving tendency she’s had because she changed into a child — has driven her small organization’s increase and lifted her into the spotlight.
Bowcott turned into named the Canadian Construction Association person of the yr, tough on the heels of receiving again-to-lower back excellence awards from the Sooke Region Chamber of Commerce, in conjunction with the 2018 B.C. Construction Industry Leader Award. Bowcott admits she’s still “blown away” by way of the success of the company and the awards. However, she also understands while human beings are stunned whilst she shows as much as paintings. “I get it,” she said, noting few count on the individual both walking the organisation and “on the equipment” to be a young, petite girl with apparently boundless energy.
It’s the same form of response she were given while, as an 18-yr-antique, she tried to get hired in construction. Looking again, she understands why she didn’t get a lot as a 2d look whilst she sent out more than a hundred resumés. I had 0 creation enjoy, I am no longer even a hundred pounds, and I’m an 18-yr-antique lady. I can see why human beings didn’t call me,” she stated with a laugh. Her power and experience of humor are two gear she’s needed over the last 15 years inside the trades, the primary 5 workings as a roofer.
She commenced there, she stated, because it changed into the handiest task she should get in creation. After 5 years, she wanted to transition, again defying the percentages by using getting a plumbing apprenticeship in the midst of a recession. Over the following six years, Bowcott labored with companies earlier than starting her own outfit in 2015.
During that point, she honed her abilities and evolved a thick skin.
She prefers to study her career as one of many thrilling avenues instead of one hard road. However, she admits she has needed to address the whole lot from being not noted for jobs to sexual harassment through bullying and “beside the point touching to an almost disgusting diploma. And whilst she commenced to improve in her profession, those promotions came with male co-employees who refused to listen or take route.
Bowcott said all of that had her thinking how she might build her business in the early years
— she wondered if people might even call a enterprise led using a lady. For two years, she held off placing her name on her commercial enterprise card due to the fact she became involved approximately being singled out.
The commercial enterprise presently capabilities 3 girls “at the equipment” and some other within the workplace, but Bowcott said that’s now not by using design. It simply occurs that we’re all female,” she said, noting she continually wishes plumbers and maximum resumés she gets are from women. She believes some men won’t remember operating for her organization because they have issues with having a MD who’s young and a girl.
That sort of wondering might be why Bowcott has been a passionate champion of attracting and maintaining girls in the trades, both by way of supplying apprenticeships at her company and by means of speakme to younger women on every occasion she gets the chance. Lisa Stevens, leader operating officer on the B.C. Construction Association stated Bowcott is on the governance committee for the association’s new builder’s code project, designed to hold girls within the trades. She’s splendid. She’s no longer best a a hit business female.
She’s additionally a journeyperson,” Stevens said. “She runs her very own enterprise, is on the tools, she mentors others, and they are dedicated to assisting other tradeswomen and supports apprenticeships. Stevens stated Bowcott’s high-quality attitude allows. She doesn’t have an oz of negativity,” she stated. That’s crucial when the development enterprise inside the province has fewer than nine,000 lady employees in a field of one hundred eighty,000.
Women aren’t very well represented,” said Stevens, because of this Bowcott is a highly essential asset. Increasingly we apprehend you want to be able to see it to be it. [Bowcott] is a compelling tale for others. It’s a story that has all started, as Bowcott sees plenty of increase beforehand for Westcom. Even when you consider that I changed into young, I notion I can usually do better. For some purpose, I like being up here — the average was never top sufficient.
