Habitat Pinellas and West Pasco is excited to join the National Association of Women in Construction (NAWIC) in celebrating Women in Construction (WIC) Week March 1st – 7th, 2020. The focus of WIC Week is to highlight women as a visible component of the construction industry. WIC Week raises awareness of the opportunities available for women in the construction industry and emphasizes the growing role of women in the industry.

Denise Peske is three years into her position in Outside Sales after spending 24 years with Tibbetts Lumber, a lumber and building materials supplier based in St. Petersburg.

Denise now works to fulfill building material needs of the local contractors and builders. Prior to her position, she was the HR Manager for the company, Purchasing Manager, and Manager of their retail facility in the Cayman Islands. She held many positions within the company when first starting out. “I enjoy watching the process of a home being built and the creativity that goes into the end result.  I take a lot of pride in helping my customers create homes for their customers.”

“When I was working at Cox Lumber in Cayman, customers would come up and talk to me outside of work on a regular basis about the positive experiences they had shopping with us.  It made me feel good that they recognized me, I knew they felt comfortable to approach me, and that I was creating a shopping experience for them that they enjoyed.”

Denise encourages women to join the construction field, as she says there are many opportunities for women to learn and grow in the industry. “Not only in the front line with sales, but in various office positions in accounting, human resources, and inventory/purchasing areas. There are many women who have even started their own home building companies who I work with.”