Women in Construction Week: Jessica Rabbach

Jessica Rabbach, Superintendent

Froedtert & the Medical College of Wisconsin Integrated Procedural Platform

What is your favorite part of your career?
My favorite part of working in construction is the challenge of every day being different. I never enter the office or the trailer in the morning expecting things to be boring.

What advice would you give to someone starting out?
The best advice I would give to someone starting out is to put your integrity above all else. Hitting a schedule, or coming in as a low-cost producer means nothing if you do not have people respect and trust throughout the process.

What is your favorite project that you have worked on? 
When I was 21 years old, I spent the summer in New York City building a $600 Million bridge over the Harlem River.  For the summer, I oversaw the installation of the land caissons. This was my favorite project because it was truly an awe-inspiring structure and I had dreamed of building a bridge since I was young. To this day, every time I have been back to New York City since I drive past this bridge and feel proud to have been a part of its construction.

What has been the most surprising part of being a woman working in construction?
To me, the most surprising part about being myself, a woman, in the construction industry is how many times my particular skill set has filled a much-needed void in many teams I have been a part of. I am a very organized person, which is a strength that many other women have, and many times this has been the push that my team has needed to be successful. I am always pleasantly surprised that my skills, although oftentimes different from my male counterparts, are an absolute necessity to the teams I am a part of.