LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

As we close out another year, conversations about the future of construction inevitably turn to innovation — new equipment, materials and technologies that promise to change the way work gets done. Better tools and better information can create remarkable opportunities, even when adopting them means reconsidering practices that have served the industry for decades.

Construction is also an industry built on experience. And for good reason. There’s no substitute for the knowledge that comes from years spent on jobsites, solving problems, learning from mistakes and understanding what works.

But experience, for all its value, can also reinforce our assumptions about what expertise looks like and where we’re likely to find it.

Over the past several years of putting together this issue, I’ve had the opportunity to hear from women whose careers span nearly every corner of construction. Their experiences are varied, but certain themes emerge again and again: the importance of being taken seriously, the challenge of having their expertise recognized and the opportunities that open when someone is willing to see beyond convention. These are dynamics I’ve recognized in my own professional life, too, and I suspect they’re familiar to people working in any number of industries.

In this final issue of 2026, we’re celebrating our Outstanding Women in Construction, recognizing the women whose leadership, expertise and determination are helping shape the future of the industry. Women aren’t new to construction, of course. They’ve been building, designing, managing and leading for generations, often without the recognition afforded to their male counterparts. What’s changing, however gradually, is the visibility of their contributions and the breadth of opportunities available to them.

The women in these pages have earned their places through skill, hard work and the contributions they’ve made to their companies, colleagues and communities. Their accomplishments are worth celebrating in their own right. But taken together, their stories also offer a broader perspective on progress, and one worth carrying into the coming new year — The future of construction will be shaped not only by the tools the industry adopts, but also by the experience and expertise it recognizes along the way.

Wishing you a restful and rewarding season, and as always, thanks for reading.