Sunday, March 5 kicked off the first day of 2023's Women in Construction Week--a week dedicated to celebrating women as indispensable members of the construction industry. Monday through Friday, we’ll be highlighting the experiences, challenges, and accomplishments of five outstanding women from various Webcor teams.

When you talk to Field Administration Manager Jan Yi about her personal and professional background, it doesn’t take long to notice that her most significant life choices have consistently been driven by a desire to support those around her—from her family to her community to her colleagues.

Upon her high school graduation, Jan made the selfless decision to put her college plans on hold so she could support the family businesses, which her parents had launched after immigrating to the United States (without any knowledge of English) before she was born. After several years spent working as the businesses’ accountant/auditor/bookkeeper while her brother pursued his degree at UC Berkeley, she transitioned to the role of stay-at-home-mom for 15 years to support her own growing family. When she returned to the workforce in 2011, she jumped at the opportunity to oversee a six-year beautification and modernization bond program designed to enrich the learning experience of students within San Jose’s Berryessa Union School District.

“The bond program created flexible learning spaces, much-needed site improvements, and safer campuses throughout the district’s 13 schools,” Jan says. “Directly supporting the students by working with the bond oversight committee and community members on the construction has been the highlight of my career.”

It’s no wonder Jan’s thrived in her current role as field administration manager, a career pivot that catapulted her into an entirely new world while positioning her to continue doing what she does best: support others in doing their best work.

“That first year at Webcor, I could not wait for Monday to come around so I could return to the job site,” she says. “Seven years later, I still look forward to the start of a new work week. Being part of this company in a role that allows me to support employee growth and improve lives is incredibly rewarding.”

It’s a unique role that demands a tireless commitment to championing the success of team members across all Webcor projects and ensuring the work and services they provide Webcor’s internal teams, external stakeholders, and trade partners align with the company’s core values. Ultimately, she’s responsible for supporting the company as a whole and understanding how company processes and procedures impact project teams and day-to-day operations.

“Construction’s rapid pace and focus on problem-solving has always drawn me to the industry,” she says. “Working with architects, engineers, various trade partners, and developers to build landmarks in major California cities is pretty amazing—and what better company to work with than Webcor, which has proven to prioritize their people first? The overall company ethos, projects, and people are incredible. Supporting our amazing project coordinators/assistants and project teams is the best part of this job—guiding, learning, and improving processes together.”

Like most gratifying but time-consuming careers, however, Jan’s has come with challenges—notably, balancing the demands of her role with those of life outside the project site.

“It’s taken some time, but I’ve learned to find balance,” she says. “I experienced some health challenges recently that reminded me how vulnerable we can be. We need to learn to be kind to ourselves and others and seek balance in life, work, and family.”

In the spirit of finding balance, Jan’s prioritized the pursuit of a long-held personal and professional goal. This fall, she’ll be returning to school to finish the BA program she’d put on the back burner years earlier to support her family. “I look forward to fulfilling those final 55 units!”

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