As we celebrate International Women’s Day and Women’s History Month, we want to showcase the people and businesses in St. Petersburg who not only support equality externally, but live by it internally. As it turns out, Tampa Bay’s biggest private employer, headquartered in north St. Pete, is the perfect example of a local company paving the way for women to excel in what has historically been a male-driven field.
Power Design Inc got its start as a family-owned-and-operated small business here in St. Pete, and as it has grown into one of the nation’s leading design build contractors, it has stayed true to its roots, with co-founder and co-chairman Dana Permuy leading alongside her husband Mitch Permuy since day one. In a construction industry where women typically make up as little as a single percentage point of the workforce, Power Design is the rare company with more than just a token number of women in positions of leadership. It is also one of the country’s best-rated employers.
In fact, a predominant portion of the leadership at Power Design is made up of women, creating a collection of proven, talented leadership that is representative of all who work in construction. Many of them have been on the Executive Board for years, leading the way as Power Design has grown from its humble roots into an industry leader that employs nearly 3,000 people in everything from engineering and design to marketing and technology (and even an impressive group of chefs and baristas.)
PDI was also one of the founding companies in the US Dept. of Commerce’s “Million Women in Construction Pledge,” helping to create meaningful opportunities and careers for women in the multi-billion dollar construction industry.
Just last week, Power Design showcased the work of its female employees and leadership team as they celebrated the 27th annual Women In Construction Week. The week of women-led panels, website features and employe recognition reflects the company’s commitment to ensuring women are able to “crack the concrete ceiling.”
PDI also recently launched its Women’s Leadership Council, showcasing their commitment to advancing the presence and influence of the women at Power Design and across the industry. The goals of the council are to recruit more women into the field, retain the talent PDI already has, and help them grow.
“We are and always have been a company that strives to be inclusive and a great place to work for all top performers,” explained Lauren Permuy, Chief Growth Officer. “As an executive team, we often casually talked about how we can support the women in the organization and implemented networking events and made changes along the way. This year we decided to formalize the group to maximize our impact at Power Design.”
Between Permuy and the full group of leading ladies on the executive team, they have more than 75 combined years of service at Power Design, representing the more than 500 women currently employed at PDI. Having so many high profile and experienced women in these roles has proven invaluable for a company that has nearly 50% more female employees than the industry average.
“The fact that women are out here breaking standards and are a force to be reckoned with is amazing,” said Liz De Erbiti, Director of Labor Operations. “We’re fearless because we know it’s the foundation of our strength and growth.
Of course, it’s no surprise to us that Power Design is leading the way across the nation. I Love the Burg just wrote a few months about how our hometown company continues to rake in national awards as one of the country’s best workplaces. Read more here.
Power Design sets an industry standard
As for the work of the company itself, Power Design has grown into something of a one-stop shop for construction developers. By specializing in so many different areas (a rarity in the field), Power Design helps streamline construction processes by doing the work of what typically requires multiple contractors.
Specifically, they focus on electrical, mechanical, plumbing, and systems technologies buildout for construction projects. That scope encompasses everything from the lighting in conference rooms to carbon filtration in parking garages, with all the fire alarms, bathrooms, and literal nuts and bolts in between.
Of course, while it’s their professional services that make them important to their clients and partners, it’s Power Design’s role in the community that makes it special to St. Pete. It’s a rarity in so many of Florida’s growing cities to have such a large company not only headquartered locally, but founded there. Power Design is entrenched as an economic driver for the individuals and families who actually live in St. Pete and the surrounding areas.
Learn more about Power Design, and look for careers at St. Pete’s largest private employer, at powerdesigninc.us.
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