Biscuits Help Build the WofA Workforce in South Carolina
BY Sandy Lender
The South Carolina Women of Asphalt branch uses a novel approach to lead and inspire women in the asphalt industry through its Building Community with Biscuits program
As part of the South Carolina Women of Asphalt branch’s vision to lead and inspire women in the state’s asphalt industry, its steering committee launched an outreach program in March 2024 taking events to workers in the field. The Building Community with Biscuits (BCB) program fits the goal of “community” and Noelle Arena, chair of the committee and the BCB program, explained further.
“We should always be promoting our industry because you never know who is looking for another career choice.”—Kimberly Lyons
“The idea was brought up by Kimberly Lyons, the South Carolina Branch Vice Chair,” Arena shared. “She had long contemplated a way to reach more women in the field and in the lab. Since they often work long hours and rarely have the opportunity to attend events, especially those that require travel or occur during working hours, she wanted to take the events to them. The committee members take responsibility for the program. We each contact those contractors/companies we know well and work with. As the Chair, I ensure the program continues and we remain focused on our message.”
Here steering committee members visit workers at the APAC site. At some facilities, the visits can incorporate in-office meetings as well as outdoor/in-the-field meetups.
The logistics Arena mentioned there started with dividing the state into manageable sections for the program. “We have split the state based on where asphalt plants are located to make the task of speaking with everyone more manageable,” Arena shared. “It also correlates with where the Steering Committee leaders live/work. We have divided the state by Upstate, Midlands, Coastal, and Pee Dee.”
Steering Committee members reach out to companies to coordinate a visit. “As many of the Steering Committee leaders as are available will go to the job, or lab, or office to meet with the women employees of the company we are partnering with on that day,” Arena shared. “We typically meet with the women in the early morning, before the workday begins, so we do not disturb their schedule. This is where the idea of bringing them biscuits came in. Food is a sure way to get people together!
Building Community with Biscuits (BCB) was first implemented in March 2024 with the first visit to a Reeves Construction paving job. There, members of the steering committee spoke with a materials testing employee who has been working in the industry for over a decade. The group then spent the late morning with Roger’s Group employees at their office, speaking with about 12 women who work in various departments both in the office and out in the field.
“We meet each of the women, introduce ourselves, and then talk for a moment about Women of Asphalt, the resources available to them, and share stories. We want to hear from them; any stories they have of working in the industry, any suggestions for us, and any way we can help them with their career goals. It’s a very friendly and casual environment. If we are in an office building, we sometimes hop around and say hi to everyone who didn’t gather with the group.”
Of course, the committee members visit with anyone who’s interested in the organization, men and women alike.
As of press time, the program had visited 12 companies to create supportive relationships and introduce more than 100 women in the state to the SC WofA branch. “We have focused primarily on asphalt producers, those who sit on the SCAPA board and have supported us since day one,” Arena shared. “We are looking to extend our visits to engineering firms, safety companies, municipalities, DOT, etc., while also revisiting those companies we have already to ensure we speak with everyone.”
South Carolina isn’t the only branch participating in boots-on-the-ground outreach. “We have presented this program in a few meetings in which the various branches’ leadership have come together to share ideas,” Arena said. “Maryland has started a similar program focused on connecting with women in the field called Paving and Pastries, where they meet with female employees before heading to the field where they promote WofA, membership and their mission. They also have created potty packs which are dispersed to all female field employees which include several hygiene items, hand sanitizer and a cute pair of pink gloves!”
The steering committee shared that they’ve seen through the years that the greatest opportunity for membership improvement in the Women of Asphalt is from women working in careers that require them to be in the field most of their time. They usually work long hours and don’t often have an opportunity to attend an in-person event or connect on a virtual webinar. They’re not aware of the Women of Asphalt or the resources that are available to them through the organization or its partners. To close this long-standing gap in communications, the committee implemented the “Building Community with Biscuits” initiative to take the message and resources to them, while offering something that has always brought people together across cultures, food.
The South Carolina BCB program has proved itself inspiring not only to the women in the field, but also to the women coordinating it.
Lyons, who is not only the vice chair of the SC branch for WofA but also the asphalt materials engineer for South Carolina Department of Transportation (SCDOT), shared her experience: “At one of our recent Building Community with Biscuits with Coastal Asphalt, there were so many women there with different backgrounds and levels of experience. It ranged from a high school senior who was working there part-time to an experienced woman who had spent most of her career in the asphalt industry. There was even a registered nurse and middle school teacher who had changed careers and were now working in the asphalt industry. In that moment, I realized just how vastly different the background of the women in this industry can be and how their past experiences could help other women succeed in this industry as long as the knowledge is shared. That was the purpose of our visit that day, to build a network of women in the industry that would encourage others by sharing their knowledge and experiences. I also recognized that it was never too late to change careers and join the asphalt industry. That we should always be promoting our industry because you never know who is looking for another career choice.”
The steering committee takes the initiative to meet women where they work.
Brigetta Laird, regional sales manager for Southeast Emulsions and events chair for the SC branch of WofA shared that she’s had “many magical moments in our BCB visits with the contractors.” One that stood out to her took place during the visit to Blythe Brothers Asphalt.
“One of the ladies, a truck driver, said she’d never felt seen as a woman in the industry,” Laird said. “I remember her sharing that since she is around men all day every day, it’s just become normalized to be in a ‘man’s world’ in her day-to-day, and for an organization like WofA to come out and ask how we could support her felt like such a huge milestone for her as a female in the industry. She said she’d never been in a meeting before that was only women, and she was looking forward to more events to come. Connections like these really bring me back to how powerful it can be just to show up and promote opportunities to support other women. She mentioned wanting to join the mentorship program in 2026, so that was also exciting.”
Members of the steering committee for the Building Community with Biscuits (BCB) program coordinate events with members of the asphalt industry who are too busy in the field to make it to in-person meetings at headquarters. All photos courtesy of the South Carolina Women of Asphalt branch
Laird is also reaching out to bring participants to the visits. Melissa Cole, business unit leader at Palmetto Corp., shared that she learned more about the SC WofA branch through one of the visits that Laird initiated. “I was somewhat familiar with SC Women of Asphalt but hadn’t had the chance to truly connect until Brigetta Laird reached out to schedule a Building Community with Biscuits visit with our team. I was incredibly impressed by their commitment to meet our team members out in the field and take the time to share more about the mission of Women of Asphalt.
“The visit wasn’t just beneficial for our female coworkers, who learned how to get more involved—it also gave our male employees a chance to hear, firsthand, the passion and purpose driving this organization,” Cole continued. “It created meaningful dialogue, and I believe sparked a deeper interest and appreciation for the role(s) women can play in shaping the future of our industry.”
Eric Faulk, the chief operating officer at Palmetto Corp., shared the importance of not only launching a program like BCB, but also the importance of supporting Women of Asphalt in our industry. “I believe an intentional commitment to initiatives such as the SC Women of Asphalt is important for organizations wanting to remove outdated perceptions within the asphalt construction industry where women have long been underrepresented. By engaging in such programs, we are exposed to different experiences, needs, ideas, etc., and thus provided a glimpse into how we can become better stewards of a diverse workforce. When actions back up these principles, companies promote the idea that women’s achievement and career growth matter. In my experience, a supportive environment with a clear path to development benefits all employees and supports an industry drastically in need of talent.
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“Traditionally women represent a largely untapped resource for our industry. With that in mind, supporting women in asphalt construction is a winning proposition for Palmetto Corporation and the broader asphalt industry. We firmly believe the capacity to add value, innovate and lead is not bound by gender. This belief has not only opened new doors for our organization but has also empowered the remarkable women who contribute to our success.”
With the successful visits the BCB program has already undertaken, its continuation promises to bring more women from the industry into a positive and nurturing group. With women reaching out to not only interact with one another, but also to support and encourage one another, the BCB program is offering women in the field an opportunity to become aware of and involved in the Women of Asphalt.