Women in Construction Spotlight: Penny Curl

Our National Paving Group is experiencing rapid growth as they on projects across the country. Our dedicated Keeley’ns who are willing to travel and work long hours to exceed our customers’ expectations are the reason for this growth and success. Penny Curl, Assistant Superintendent, is one of these team members. Her talent, grit, and adaptability have solidified her as an irreplaceable member of her team.

Penny joined the L. Keeley team and immediately hit the ground running. She was on her first job three days after her New Hire Orientation and this was the beginning of an amazing journey for her. Penny’s ambitious nature and willingness to jump into any project and “get her boots dirty” has fostered her career growth and made her feel extremely empowered in her work.

“I don’t think you have a choice but to be empowered to work for L. Keeley. Taking the initiative to problem solve and make on-the-spot decisions is the only way a Superintendent could fully perform their job here. I have loved earning the respect of my Project Managers, Subcontractors, and Clients.”

Penny joined the construction industry after years of working in various other industries – the retail, steel, and transportation/flight industries. Her brother applied at L. Keeley and became a Superintendent and after months of him telling Penny to apply, she finally did. Upon joining the team, Penny fell in love with the family-oriented culture, and even got her husband to apply, and he now serves as an Operator. As a Keeley’n, Penny feels responsible for her work and is challenged to work on herself to grow ethically, physically, socially, and professionally. This is something she values immensely and makes her proud to be a Keeley’n.

“We are friends and family working with even more friends and family. I can honestly say that I have been treated like everyone else and not discriminated against on anything. L. Keeley has not disappointed me and I am very happy to be working here.”

Even though she feels supported and respected at L. Keeley, working in a male-dominated industry can have its challenges. However, Penny feels that it truly is just like working in any other industry. By working hard, being kind to people, and being willing to work as a team player to get the job done, she has been able to earn the respect she deserves. She also credits her family and her faith for motivating her to keep doing what she is good at. So, if she could give one piece of advice to young women starting out in the industry, it would be:

“Have confidence in yourself because that goes a long way in this industry. If you make a mistake, learn from it, move on, and don’t beat yourself up over what you should have done. Use everything as a learning experience and become bigger and better at what you do.”

Penny has had many experiences across various industries, but the most important lesson she has learned is one from L. Keeley: L. Keeley truly is a family. The strong focus on problem solving with creative and innovative solutions presents the opportunity to really work together with her team members.

“All you have to do is pick up the phone and call, text, or email someone on the Paving Team and someone will help you whether you have a question on a jobsite, or just need to talk.”

Penny’s future is incredibly bright. She is excited to continue working with the Paving Group and becoming a nationally known, unstoppable machine. She is also eager to take advantage of the education opportunities that Keeley has to offer in order to advance her career and one day become a Project Manager with the National Paving Group.

Penny, thank you for your dedication and support of all things L. Keeley! We are so grateful to have you on our team and can’t wait to see you take our Paving Group to the next level.