When one door closed for Joyce Morgan, another quickly opened. That opening has allowed Morgan to build a successful career in the construction industry and become a passionate advocate for diversity inclusion and workplace participation on area projects.
Morgan, currently the executive assistant for operations and diversity coordinator at S.M. Wilson & Co. in St. Louis, has spent the last 18 years in construction, although originally not by choice. The one-time customer service manager for Central Hardware was forced to make a career change when the company went out of business in 1996. She earned a certificate in computer processing and networking from MVC Computer Business School. And then another door opened.
“The day I received my certificate, I visited a Division of Employment Services office, and the first job presented to me was the project assistant at Defense Mapping Agency with Fru-Con Construction,” Morgan said. “I needed a job, so I took the job as a part-time position. Within three weeks they made me full-time.”
She also worked for Walton Construction before joining the staff at S.M. Wilson.
As diversity coordinator at S.M. Wilson, Morgan is involved with all projects relating to diversity/inclusion and workforce. Her duties include tracking women/minority business enterprise (W/MBE) participation on projects as well as “boots on the ground” or workforce participation, and reporting to the director of operations on progress toward meeting W/MBE goals.
“Joyce is very passionate about making a significant impact in the minority business community,” said Bill Wagner, the company’s vice president. “Her passion and enthusiasm brings together owners, consultants and contractors toward common goals. She is constantly challenging our teams to produce meaningful diverse participation in our projects.” Morgan’s passion was ignited when she was assigned as the project accountant for the company’s O’Fallon Park Recreation Center project in 2010. She worked closely with most subcontractors on the job with monthly pay applications, as well as with the unions to ensure the dues were paid for the union employees on the project.
“I met with subs on my own time to help them with issues not related to our project, but with other projects they were on,” she said. “I became very close with many minority firms. I went to our CEO, Scott Wilson, and told him I wanted to be part of our efforts in helping W/MBE firms. He knew there was a need and was happy to appoint me as S.M. Wilson’s diversity coordinator.”
Wilson acknowledges that diversity at his company is more than numbers and faces.
“Diversity is a state of mind that, among other things, challenges the status quo every day,” he said. “As a company and as an industry, we must be innovators as well as risk takers – willing to challenge ourselves and our owners to make meaningful strides in increasing both business and workforce diversity.”
S.M. Wilson’s 11-member Diversity Committee, led by Morgan, is responsible for updating the company’s project management software system to include modules for tracking the W/MBE spend and boots on the ground for every project. It also meets to set and monitor diversity goals for the company and all projects that are currently bidding.
Committee members also are showing how the doors of opportunity can open up for the next generation of construction workers through a job shadowing program for students at the Construction Careers Center in St. Louis.
“Over the last three years, we have hired three great kids from the CCC and mentored them along the way,” Morgan said.
Morgan said the rewards of her career in construction go deeper than seeing a building rise out of the ground. Her tireless efforts ensure equal representation on projects, and mentoring activities help guide youngsters toward meaningful employment.
But there also is an unparalleled sense of accomplishment when a project is completed.
“I actually found myself really liking construction because of the challenges and accomplishments,” she said. “It is really nice to drive to different areas and know that you played a part in the construction of certain buildings.”