Paving a path for others to follow

A local woman has spent most of her life forging forward in the heavy construction industry, paving a path for others to follow.

Colleen Munro, president and CEO of the Munro Group, recently shared insights gleaned through her family business at the last WTC Talks event of the season. The June 18 gathering, hosted by World Trade Centre Winnipeg, drew a crowd to Tavern United Downtown.

It all began in 1959 when her dad launched Hugh Munro Construction. Although there weren’t many females in the industry at that time, Munro joined the team in the 1970s at the young age of 12. Her first role involved running packer machines.

“We’re talking 50 years ago being a woman in construction. There was no anti-bullying. There was no non-sexual harassment,” Munro said. “There were no rules and regulations. There were no policies. You were on your own.”

She quickly learned that she needed to stand up for herself at the construction site and beyond. It wasn’t easy, but it helped to bolster her confidence — which proved to be an important trait throughout her career.

By 1982, Munro was named secretary-treasurer of the company before moving up to become the president in 2008.

“I can’t say that wasn’t a challenge because my dad, in the construction industry, was known as the icon. He was a poster for the old boys’ club, so he was well respected — especially within our own company,” she said. “I found that when he passed away in 2008, I had to combine the old values with some of the new — and it was very difficult.”

She took to heart an important lesson imparted by her dad: a company needs to bring the right people on board in order to survive. At the same time, Munro quickly learned that she couldn’t tackle every task herself, so she needed to develop a team she could trust.

Over time, Munro decided to make some changes to the family business, such as rerouting the company close to the city rather than focusing on projects in the north. Looking to a sustainable future, she also determined that the company needed to specialize so she embraced several opportunities to expand its offerings.

Today, the Munro Group consists of Hugh Munro Construction, Lilyfield Quarry, Fort Whyte Lowbedding and ClearSecure, which manufactures and distributes shatter-proof RockScreen and RockGlass.

Throughout all the transitions, Munro remains grateful for the support she’s received along the way from her advisors as well as from the Manitoba Heavy Construction Association, the Manitoba Construction Sector Council, the Manitoba Chambers of Commerce, CentrePort and World Trade Centre Winnipeg.

At the same time, she’s also thankful to be working alongside her 24-year-old daughter, who represents the third generation in the family business. To further foster the next cohort of women in construction, Munro also acts as a mentor — and she encourages other female leaders to do the same.

“Times are changing. Is it as fast as I would like it? No, but I also think there are a lot of strong women today,” she said. “And I think there are great times coming ahead for women in construction.”

Looking back, she shared a few wise words that she would offer her younger self based on decades of experience.

“If I could say anything, it would be to enjoy the journey.”