Kitchen & Bath Business - October 2020 - 14

SKILL SET

How did you get into your career, and what attracted
you to the work?
Kurt: My business partner is my dad; he started

Kurk Concrete in 1988. A lot of my experience
I took for granted because I just thought everybody got to go to job sites growing up. I went to
Milwaukee School of Engineering for structural
engineering and after I graduated in 2012, my dad
was looking for someone in the office to do various layouts and bring some technology. So that's
where I stepped in.
Erck: I have a degree in English/writing and theater/public speaking - nothing trades-related. I've
been doing remodeling and construction work
for just over five years. When I bought my house,
I had a $6,000 allotment to fix some basic safety
issues, but everywhere we looked, it was just hazard, hazard, hazard. So I learned and I messed up
a lot, but I eventually learned everything in this
house. Then I was like, well, if I can do this, I can
do anything. My first endeavor was a flip house
with a friend.
Ireland: I started nursing school because that was
one of few choices presented to me in high school.
I hated it; I felt no desire to be a nurse. My dad
was a plumber, and I wanted a stable career. It
turned out, it's my passion. You know that saying,
"The plumber protects the health of the nation?"
I really love that.
What training did you pursue and how long did it take?
Kurt: It was more of a mentorship. Before college,

Build Like a Girl

Women are rocking the trades,
b u t i t 's n o t a l w a y s e a s y

I FOUNDED TRADESWOMEN OF IG to connect women from all across the world
who are like-minded in the trades to connect, empower and inspire women to
promote successful careers in skilled trades.We have amassed 24,000 followers
to date.We recently spoke to three of them about the challenges and rewards of
being a female in the skilled trades in support of the NKBA NextUp initiative
to attract more talent to the kitchen and bath industry.
Our interviewees are:
Amanda Kurt, principal of Kurk Concrete Inc. in Union Grove, Wisc. - @wiscontractor on Instagram
Amanda Erck, principal and owner of Glitter and Grout in Denver - @glitterandgrout on Instagram
Kelly Ireland, master plumber from Philadelphia, currently shifting toward her
own residential plumbing business - @tinyplumbergirl on Instagram.
Some answers have been edited for brevity.

14
14-15_KBB_1020_SkillSet.indd 14

ABOVE Kelly Ireland on a job at

Penn University installing an
ejector pit for a new building
next to the Warton School of
Business

AMANDA GIULIANO is
a former tradeswoman
and is now a designer
and stylist with Nicolette's For the Home in
Southold, N.Y., an NKBA
Thirty Under 30 alumna
and the founder of the
Tradeswomen of IG
Instagram community.

I would come to work here, and the people doing
the drafting and layouts would guide me and say,
"This is how we do it.This is why we do it." Now I
learn from our distributors and sales reps and even
the surveyors we work with. Every time I talk with
one of them, they teach me something new.
Erck: Interestingly, in Colorado, you don't have to
be licensed. I decided to get a license because I
felt like I was walking into the industry at a deficit. By the way, I failed the first time. So there's a
lesson in resilience there. You have to persevere.
I discovered tiling was my creative outlet, while
pursuing the specialization requirement of the
Denver County license.
Ireland: It's five years in apprenticeship in Philadelphia before you get to journey status. You go to
school once every other week and graduate with
OSHA30, journey status, backflow certification,
and there are various welding certificates available.
I recently passed my masters exam.
Have you experienced any adverse situations as a
woman in construction?
Kurt: I have had mostly positive experiences, and

that's probably just the culture of our company.
Some of the bad experiences I've had were with

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Kitchen & Bath Business - October 2020

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