As Lee Mechanical celebrates Women in Construction Week, Lee team members Maureen Holohan and Beth Garrett reflect on their careers in an industry that’s only 10% female. You’ll find both of these women working at Lee Mechanical job sites daily. 

Beth Garrett is a driving force at Lee Mechanical with almost 40 years of experience in the industry! She began her apprenticeship with the Pipefitter/ Plumber Local Union of Joplin, MO and then transferred into Pipefitters Local Union 597 in Chicago in 1990.

Now a Journeyman Pipefitter, Garrett loves everything about her career, from the diversity to traveling. She especially enjoys meeting new and old colleagues throughout the variety of trades she works with.

Garrett attributes her success in a male-dominated field to her father who was an ironworker. He often told her, “Don’t take things to heart and you’re working in a man’s environment! So you have to be able to know more than them!” 

Lee Mechanical is what other contractors should aspire to be, according to Garrett. “They really are genuinely concerned about their employees from safety to the job site! I’m proud to work for a company like Lee plumbing.”

When Garrett is not working on a Lee project, you can find her cooking, fishing, boating, and gardening. She also enjoys canning all her “wonderful veggies that she grows.”

Maureen Holohan has been in the trades for almost three years and is currently in her second year as a pipefitter apprentice. “I love how my job varies everyday. One day I’ll be installing copper for glycol, and the next day I’ll be welding 12” pipe. You never know what the day will bring, and I love being kept on my toes.”

Holohan attributes her success in her field to her outgoing personality. “I always try to make the best out of any bad situation. I work a very stressful job, and it takes a toll on everyone working. So whether it’s a random joke or a silly note I leave written on the dust of a pipe, I always try to put a smile on the faces of those around me.”

Although there are many things that make Lee Mechanical an amazing company to work for, according to Holohan, the detail she appreciates the most is “the work environment they provide for us and the team members they hire. Lee is always looking out for their workers, and I’ve never worked for such an amazing Foreman.”

When Holohan is not working on a Lee project, you can find her enjoying mother nature, fishing or shed hunting with her dog Dixie. She says it’s a rare weekend to not find her on her boat or in the middle of a forest.

Thank you to all the women of Lee Mechanical who help to drive our growth from accounting, estimating, management, service, project coordination, steam fitting, electrical, and plumbing. We are proud to support your strength and dedication.