“I love the impact the building industry has on its communities and the people I have been able to work with over the years. I have found there are many parallels to the experiences you might have working in construction and the military.” – Wendy Montgomery


Wendy Montgomery,


Southland Industries Wendy Montgomery began her military affiliation as a youth, joining the Civil Air Patrol (CAP) as a cadet in 1994. CAP is a civilian auxiliary of the United States Air Force (USAF). Dating back to World War II, it has evolved to a public service orga- nization that still carries out emergency service missions on both air and ground. In 2001, Montgomery transitioned


from participating as a cadet to serving as an adult senior member volunteer, a role she still actively holds today. Tis experience ultimately led her to become a USAF Active Reservist from 2004-2014. She spent most of that time performing her job as an aircraft maintenance man- agement production journeyman and was stationed overseas with her USAF active-duty husband in Okinawa, Japan and Guam, USA. Being a reservist allowed Montgom-


ery to begin her civilian career in hu- man resources while in Okinawa. “Tat eventually transitioned to working for my first construction company, Watts Constructors, as a human resources manager, in Guam,” she noted. “Once I started in construction, I knew I had found my forever industry.” Currently, Montgomery serves as


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CALIFORNIA CONSTRUCTOR NOVEMBER-DECEMBER 2022


talent management director for South- land Industries. As such she oversees the company’s recruiting department and employee engagement, leadership succession and Diversity, Equity, Inclu- sion and Belonging (DEIB) strategies and programs, among other things.


Parallels in Construction and the Military “I love the impact the building industry has on its communities and the peo- ple I have been able to work with over the years,” Montgomery said. “I have found there are many parallels to the experiences you might have working in construction and the military. For example, the attention and diligence around personal and team safety, in both construction and the military, is a priority on any worksite. Along with that is the level of responsibility for others on your team; whether you are a manager or not, you are expected to look out for one another and to be accountable for your actions. Learning this was a shared value in the construction industry was very comforting and affirming that I had found my place.” Does she see a challenge to entry for


veterans coming into construction? “I think one of the biggest challenges is just the lack of education about construc-


tion as a career option,” she commented. “Many think they are limited to doing only what they did in the military, and others also find it difficult to match what they did to a civilian sector career. Often construction is thought of as a “last resort” vs. a “first option” for career transition. “Tere is so much more to construc-


tion careers than what the stereotypes tell us,” she added. “You can have a fruitful career in the trades, project management, engineering, sales, finance, marketing, human resources, etc. I don’t think most people, veterans included, think that these are possible paths in construction and it’s a major impact to our ability to build our workforce pipelines with top talent.” Montgomery said she believes AGC of


California programs help raise awareness about the pipeline into construction. “I absolutely love the Build CA pro-


gram; being a California native and work- ing in construction in the San Francisco Bay Area, this one is close to my heart and passions to help grow talent in the trades,” she said. “I also am very im- pressed and encouraged by the work the AGC diversity and inclusion committees are doing in both a national and local community capacity. I think both these programs and efforts have had an impact on educating and attracting veterans into the industry.”


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