Pub. 2 2019-2020 Issue 1

29 passed, I had an overwhelming feeling of relief wash over me and yes, a few tears ran down my cheeks. There were multiple ladies in the room taking their cosmetol- ogy test andmenwhowere also taking the test. The men thought I had failed, but the employee stood up and announced that they were good tears. I had just passed the hardest test DOPL offers. For a very small start to where you are now is quite the growth trajectory. What were those first years like? The first years were FUN!!!We started small, but we took pride in all the jobs we did, big or small. We started with one machine and two employees. They just celebrated 15 years of being part of the CMR team. In the spring of 2005, I purchased two Wirtgen Rotomills at the CONEXPO with Jesus and Antonio, my first two employees helpingmake the purchases. After being in business three to four years, I purchased a Roadtec 900, 12’mill to do larger projects and start cold in-place recycling. I will not say that the road has been easy; quite frankly, I don’t think anything of value is!! When I started CMR in 2004, I had four children under the age of six. In December 2004, my youngest daughter was born. In January 2005, I attended CMI Road School in Oklahoma, and I took my four-week-old daughter with me. Not only was I the only woman there, but I was the only one there with a baby. My daughter received a CMI certificate of completion, right along with me — the trainer had a sense of humor! When I started the company, I was a single momand I didn’t have a choice.The balance between work and home was nonexistent. Theofficewas inmyhome, andmy shopwas in my yard – as a new business owner, you do what you have to do. There was a time whenmy 4-year-old sonwent missing, and everything just stopped. Every employee I had came and helped me look for him. We found him asleep with a baby duck. That’s when I realized that even if I had a choice, the balance between home and work, at least forme, wouldprobably always be non- existent. I am a mom first because I have children. I am a boss first because I am a business owner. That’s two firsts, so I need to fill those roles at the same time. It takes a lot of juggling and patience. When I hire employees, I ask myself, would I leave my children around this person? If the answer is no, I do not hire them. In this industry, some people will not work for a woman or make it as hard as possible on me as an owner, and I have had my share of employees where the fit was not good because I am a woman, but I have been fortunate with the team I have at CMR. My two original employ- ees, Jesus Morales and Antonio Lopez, are still a part of the CMR team, and I work with a whole company of employ- ees that I consider family. Our employ- ees work with us because they love our company and our culture. They take pride in their work — they do not work here just to receive a paycheck. What do you see as the pros and cons of being a woman business owner in this industry? I believe that working in the construction industry can be intimidating for a woman. I believe we have to work harder to prove that we know what we are doing. I think men and women have different ways of handling things. continued on page 30