Farmington Woman Earns Construction Industry Honor

Farmington resident Eileen McCarthy has spent most of her life in an industry that doesn't draw many women. 

In October, the vice president of Farmington Hills-based McCarthy & Smith, Inc. and Daniels Building Company will become the first woman inducted into the Michigan Construction Hall of Fame. Her introduction to construction came at age 5, when her father F. W. (Bill) McCarthy and Henry B. Smith founded their construction company. 

"I basically grew up in the industry," she said. McCarthy remembers visiting construction sites on Saturdays and working for her father while she was growing up. 

She pursued a career in architecture, earning a Bachelor of Science and a Masters degree from the University of Michigan and focusing on management. Her first job offer came from Turner Construction in Chicago, where she lived and worked for 11 years, managing multiple projects and working with subcontractors to bring them in safely, on budget and on time. 

McCarthy eventually transferred to Detroit, and when her father died, moved back to working for the family business. While she's very comfortable in her role, she said the Hall of Fame recognition is "a little outside of my comfort zone". But she welcomes the opportunity to show that women can find success in construction. 

"It's a good exposure for younger women in our industry," she said. "It shows there are opportunities for growth if they take this path. It's important to give back ... That's one thing I find most rewarding."

McCarthy said she sees the number of women in the construction industry growing. She is involved with CREW Detroit, which advances the success of women in the commercial real estate industry through networking and member-to-member-driven business opportunities.

"I personally have had no opportunity to have a woman mentor in my career," she said, "but I have had more than a few great male mentors who gave me opportunities that had to do with my effort and experience, and nothing to do with my gender." 

Correction: McCarthy's home city was incorrectly reported in the original version of this post.