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Sandy Trainor has carved her own career path in construction.

The 66-year-old Sherwood resident is the president of and 100 percent shareholder in Kodiak Pacific Construction, a paving and road construction firm located on Southwest Clutter Road slightly outside Wilsonville city limits. She is a Massachusetts native with a broad East Coast accent. She also claims a special prowess in mathematics and confidence to succeed in a highly competitive field.

鈥淗onestly, I have a saying that the cream always comes to the top, and usually when people come into management skills it’s because of who they are,鈥� Trainor said. 鈥淲e have people who like to be told what to do, and they feel comfortable with that. And we have other people who don’t like to be told, and who like to be in charge. I’d say I’m one of the second.鈥�

Recently, Trainor was named president-elect of Associated General Contractors’ Oregon-Columbia chapter for 2019. She will be just the second woman to serve as president in the group’s 96 years of existence. She noted that service in the role is merely part of a larger five-year commitment by people who serve on the chapter’s executive board.

AGC is one of the most influential industry groups around. When it or one of its representatives speak, people listen. Despite that, Trainor is somewhat hesitant to speak for AGC before becoming president.

鈥淚 want to be very careful,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 wear the contractor hat and I wear the AGC hat. And how AGC looks at the future and how I look at the future as a civil contractor will obviously be different. The money hasn’t really come into the hopper like it has for the building side with all the bonds that have come through. We aren’t as prosperous as some of the building contractors right now, but there is some legislative funding that should come through and will help on the civil side. I’m looking at that for the next 12 to 24 months, and from there I can’t predict the future.鈥�

Trainor is a relative rarity. According to the United States Department of Labor and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, women make up just 9 percent of the construction workforce. The number of women CEOs is even smaller.

But Trainor said she has never encountered any overt discrimination in a career spanning more than 40 years.

鈥淭o be honest, no,鈥� she said. 鈥淎nd people are very surprised to hear that. But I’ve always been looked at by my peers as experienced, knowledgeable and having an understanding of the construction industry. And I think you can always stand on your own if you’re just there because you know what you doing.鈥�

However, some implicit biases persist.

鈥淭he most interesting thing is people will come to the front office, and I have one of the guys next to me, and they’ll stick their hands out to the guy every time,鈥� she said. 鈥淎nd then he says 鈥楬ey, I want you to meet Sandy. She’s the company owner.’ But the discrimination part, I have not experienced it.鈥�

Trainor moved to Oregon in 1997 and really held little thought at that point of remaining in the construction business. She had worked some 30 years already on the East Coast, learning the business side of things inside and out. She was ready for a break and to devote more time to her two children, Valerie and Adam.

鈥淚 actually wanted to slow down,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 came out here to enjoy the wonderful Oregon and all it had to offer.鈥�

A business acquaintance, however, had other plans, and handed Trainor’s resume to the now-defunct Benge Construction. As it turned out, owner Scott Benge had been looking for a liaison to help him sell the business to a high-ranking employee. Then Trainor made such an impression as the liaison that she was asked to take the reins as an ownership partner.

It was a big step up, but she proved to be up to the task.

鈥淥nce he went away, Scott gave me the asphalt and grinding division, which I had never done before, much less 鈥� in the western part of the U.S.,鈥� Trainor said with a laugh. 鈥淚 had to actively be involved with all of those gentlemen who were working really hard in the field, and that was a hurdle to some extent. But it was a great learning experience.鈥�

In 2004, Trainor bought out the remainder of the company and became sole owner. The former owners, however, were slightly concerned about their name remaining attached to a business with which they had no further affiliation. So, Trainor brainstormed and turned to her mother’s family name for inspiration.

鈥淢y mother was 100 percent Finnish; my grandparents came over to America on the boat,鈥� she said. 鈥淗er name was Karhu, which means 鈥榖ear’ in Finnish 鈥� the bear clan. So, I decided I was going to name the company a bear of some sort for my mother.鈥�

Kodiak-Benge Construction was thus born. She later changed the name to Kodiak Pacific Construction.

Trainor remains proud of her accomplishments.

鈥淎 lot of people think if you’re involved in a construction company and become any owner, they assume you’ve inherited it through the family,鈥� she said. 鈥淎nd that is not my case.鈥�

Trainor started her construction career decades ago at the ground floor and worked her way up via a combination of hard work and professional relationships.

鈥淚 had an Italian builder who started his company as a mason and spun off into building and he was my mentor,鈥� she said. 鈥淗e empowered me to expand, and he actually wanted me to become an estimator in his company because I was accurate on the job cost and accounting side.鈥�

For now, Trainor hopes to finish her new home in Cloverdale, near the Oregon coast. In addition, she has grandchildren and plenty of business to keep her engaged.

鈥淚 usually stay pretty busy,鈥� she said.