Return to flip book view
Breaking Ground Jenny Fretta Sketching the Future At five years old Jenny was more interested in sketching her favorite NYC buildings than the normal kid things In high school her family exposed her to real time construction projects which was eye opening for Jenny as she realized that creating a building is not just about what you put on paper She wanted to learn all the processes that went into the work and with that she set her eyes on Civil and Architectural Engineering When it came time to decide on a college Jenny chose Drexel University ready to earn the dual degree she wanted These days in the classroom were not all smooth sailing Jenny was often the only girl in the room which made group work more of challenge for her These experiences made her uneasy but ultimately Jenny was determined to follow the path that she had set her eyes on so long ago Birth By Fire Jenny stuck it out and jumped into a full time estimating position directly after graduation She had skipped the assistant step and been thrown right into the role without any known company procedures She referred to this position as her birth by fire She learned as she went leaning heavily on a mentor she remains in contact with to this day He provided her with the tools she needed to succeed while instilling in her the importance of keeping a positive attitude Eventually the day came when her mentor moved on to another company relinquishing all his projects to Jenny Her skills were put to the test as she balanced the new estimating projects with superintending and additional project management She was comfortable under the pressure meeting deadlines and making decisions like she d been doing the work for years At this time Jenny truly embraced her strengths in organization and initiative feeling ready to use her voice
Breaking Ground Jenny Fretta Now having mentees of her own Jenny advises these young women Speak up Don t let anyone step on you and always double check your work Your voice is valid and lean into your strengths A New Direction In January of 2023 she made a career change when joining the TCC Team as an Assistant Project Manager From the Owner s Representative side Jenny is now able to apply her abilities directly to client needs while understanding the inner workings of many of the general contractors which she now oversees Not only has she found a renewed passion in this change of perspective but in her teammates at TCC Jenny loves that this environment encourages her to speak up and surrounds her with women who have had similar journeys She is ready to expand her path in this role and explains The most important thing for me now is to give my full focus and really learn as much as I can from the women of TCC Jenny s path is far from complete and as she continues to pave it she impresses her teams and herself every day Thank you for taking the time to read Jenny s story Stay up to date on Jenny s project successes by following The Carlin Collaborative on LinkedIn