Women In Land Development - WILD About Building Your World
WILD History
By, Pat Shaurette – October 2008
In July 2005 – Lori North and Jane Hendrickson sat together in Jane’s office. They had just met, and were comparing notes on who they each knew in the business. My name was mentioned (I don’t know how kindly J), and it was speculated that there MUST be other women in the City who were also involved, in one capacity or another, in land development. Men in the business have their golf outings - - wouldn’t it be interesting to get the women together?
Well, Lori called me, and I called a dozen others, and on August 30, 2005, WILD was born at a breakfast meeting at LePeep with 6 people around the table.
The acronym was in place even before that first meeting - - I scribbled several ideas out (still have the paper in my file) - - WWDG (Women Who Develop Ground), WWDD (Women Who Dig Dirt), WWGB (Women Who Golf Badly – didn’t know how wrong that was), WWDB (Women With Dirty Boots) - - - but I think you will agree, WILD (Women In Land Development) was the most fun and descriptive.
We decided rather quickly that lunchtime would be a more crowd-friendly gathering time (since, of course, women are busier in the morning than men are), so lunch gatherings followed. By that October, we had 13 attendees and we were off and running. Our current “membership” list numbers over 40!
While there is seldom a specific agenda, the meetings provide an open forum for information that is both candid and timely. We share experiences, ideas, concerns and triumphs. Many e-mails requests have been met with immediate response giving product reviews, contractor references, or other business related support.
We have also welcomed new babies, endured the loss of jobs, supported members through personal health trials, and mourned with members who have lost loved ones.
We have celebrated three years together, and look forward to many more!
Welcome to WILD!
Membership Profile
There is a wide breadth of experience represented in the organization, both professionally and personally.
We have within our ranks W/DBE business owners, Architects, Certified Planners, CPA’s, Attorneys, and Engineers. Collectively, we have expertise in every aspect of Land Development from site acquisition and entitlement, through project management and turnover.
Our employment profile spans the private and public sectors, with representation including commercial and residential development companies, general contractors, public utilities, Municipal and County Governments, banking, surety and risk management, design and consulting engineers, professional consulting and product supply.
Our members regularly show up on the business pages of trade magazines and the Indianapolis Business Journal. But our membership has also expanded beyond Indianapolis, and now includes members in Ohio and North Carolina.
We range in tenure from over 30 years of experience in the industry to just over 30 years of age. We take our mentoring role very seriously, always opening the door to the newest members of the field. Many of us have participated in more structured mentoring programs, through community outreach and educational communities.
Personally, we are a richly and diversely talented group - - singers, musicians, artists, athletes, actors - - even a clown! We rejoice in our differences and in the common themes that have brought us together.
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