April Malloy first turned to construction when she became homeless and responsible for caring for her infant son.
Now, she owns her own contracting company, Construction 1st Class, closing multi-million dollar deals for Times Square hotels and Manhattan nightclubs and restaurants.
The self-made business owner and mother of seven children said she uses her own story to inspire other women, and teaches women who are living in shelters on her job sites, as well as those living in halfway houses and veterans.
“It’s about empowering these women, helping them get off welfare and empowering our country,” Malloy said. Malloy said she’s also hoping to motivate women who already work within the industry to take on leadership roles, and have the confidence to wear a tool belt, bid for jobs and establish their expertise in a traditionally male-dominated industry.
Malloy turned to construction when her marriage dissolved, and she became homeless and responsible for caring for her infant son. Malloy first learned construction skills when she was 15 and growing up in the foster system in Texas. She fell back on these skills to provide for herself and her child, taking electrical jobs and slowly working her way up to owning her own company.
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