Ascent - Summer 2025
University Profile: Middle Tennessee State University
Nikole Clow 2025-07-04 13:49:22
UNIVERSITY PROFILE
LADIES IN CONCRETE WORKSHOP LEAVES
LASTING IMPACT
Driven by a vision to blend creativity, passion, and skill with the need to attract more young women to the concrete industry, Natalie Martin, director of business development and membership at PCI, crafted the Ladies in Concrete Workshop. With the Concrete Industry Management (CIM) Patrons Board — coordinator Sally Victory, director Jon Huddelston, industry and academic specialist Nicole Green, and lab manager Cannon Lamb — the concept came to fruition. In 2024, the Ladies in Concrete Workshop welcomed more than 200 participants. Following the resounding success of that event, the Ladies in Concrete Workshop returned in 2025 with more areas of fieldwork and the hope of inspiring more young women.
In May, over 300 young women from schools in central Tennessee gathered at Middle Tennessee State University’s (MTSU’s) School of Concrete and Construction Management in Murfreesboro. Organized by the CIM program at MTSU, the Ladies in Concrete Workshop promotes the concrete industry and educates women on the many fields and opportunities available. Young women in middle school to high school participated in sessions including hand and power tools, delivery systems, heavy equipment, mixture proportions, masonry, precast concrete and finishing, three-dimensional printing, and even welding.
Operational Experience
In the welding workshop, students received hands-on experience by welding two halves of a heart together. Each participant suited up in their personal protective equipment, stepped behind a welding screen, and partnered with one of three professional welders for one-on-one instruction. Welding is always a favorite of the students and volunteers, mainly for that firsthand engagement.
“A lot of girls don’t understand what all goes into concrete and what kind of jobs you have with it,” said Claire Mullins, a recent MTSU graduate and second-year Ladies in Concrete Workshop volunteer. “Letting them get hands-on experience and learning what we actually get to do is my favorite part.”
During the precast concrete and finishing workshop, students engaged with Martin and learned how to read plans, understand formwork and lightweight fiber mixtures, and build a concrete doghouse. They gained insight into why precast concrete is one of the most versatile and durable building materials today. Students also received real-world experience for mapping out and using tools to create different finishes on concrete with Arie Milam, who works in business development at Wayne Brothers.
Bringing Precast Concrete to Life
FINFROCK’s engineering and quality control department provided drawings and mixture proportions for a precast concrete doghouse, giving the students an opportunity to learn how precast concrete is shaped and brought to life. “This is truly a dream come true to bring industry leaders from different concrete divisions in to run all these workshops and to see these young ladies getting their hands dirty even with fancy nails,” said Martin, an alumna of the CIM program at MTSU. “These women were fearless and incredibly supportive of one another. Our workshops were a success! One young lady was so confident in what she learned that she put together a detailed list of items to make her dad a concrete grilling tool board for Father’s Day. How cool is that!”
MTSU CIM student Nikki Bennett expressed her gratitude for the Ladies in Concrete Workshop event, which she also attended last year. “Many programs don’t give you opportunities, but when I came here and saw what they do, I realized that they have a lot of opportunities for jobs, internships, even volunteering,” she said. “I wanted to be a part of it and part of [this] community. This is going to shape my whole career.” Volunteering for this year’s event gave Bennett the opportunity to experience this event from a different perspective and see how much the program has grown.
The Ladies in Concrete Workshop started out as a dream but has become a testament to the success of programs that champion women in the concrete industry. Based on feedback from those who have attended, this program leaves a lasting impression and a positive impact. Hannah Neal, a second-year CIM student, expressed how enlightening this program is. “[The girls] were all crazy excited. To see a light go off in their head when they’re like, ‘Wow, I can do this, I can be part of this.’ That was really cool.”
The Ladies in Concrete Workshop will return to MTSU in spring 2026.
Nikole Clow is marketing manager at PCI. Email nclow@pci.org.
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