Michelle L.
Company: Elevate - Women in Construction (WIC), LLC and The G.R.O.W. Experience
Women Empowerment
Education: Providence College
Tolland, CT, USA
Biography
Michelle Lemoi is a Business Strategist, Fractional CFO, Speaker, Facilitator/Trainer, Author, and Consultant. As a veteran in the construction industry for over 30 years, Michelle is passionate about leading change, reforming companies to grow to their greatest potential, developing leadership, empowering women and men, and providing strategies that create thriving employees to support owners so that organizations can focus on growth, sustainability, and profitability. Michelle is a big visionary problem solver connecting people and organizations to resources and solutions. She is a lifelong learner, connector, and high-energy alchemist.
Michelle owned Lemoi Erectors, Inc., a union steel erecting company from 2009-2016, growing it from $250K to $8M in revenue. She has developed construction businesses throughout her career as a Project Manager, Operations Manager, and COO. She knows first-hand the challenges in the construction industry, operating a profitable business, hiring, developing, and retaining employees, initiating change, developing relationships, fostering communication, and inspiring inclusion. Michelle believes that magic happens at the crossroads of profits, growth, change, and people.
Michelle is dedicated to helping women and men feel empowered to show up as their best version, be engaging, deepen their skills, and live fully. Michelle desires all individuals to discover that within them is the ability to create success, balance, joy, and connection in their lives from a place of authenticity, truth, and strength. She has witnessed and had success in bringing order to chaos and vision to organizations while supporting individuals to move from surviving to thriving in their environments.
Michelle is also a business partner with Mary Carangelo in The G.R.O.W. Experiences, providing retreats for women to gain personal and professional development through our G.R.O.W. rubric (guidance, resilience, ownership, wisdom), paying women speakers for their intellectual property, and creating a safe space for women to pour into themselves and others. We offer unique G.R.O.W. experiences, including our recently successful inaugural Glamp & G.R.O.W. and many more to come!
Michelle is a single mom to a terrific 18-year-old son. She loves being in nature, making soul connections with others, and cooking. She is an avid reader and historical fiction fan. A travel enthusiast and explorer, Michelle loves seeing new places people, and immersing herself in the experience.
Passion
I am passionate about topics in construction, women's experiences in male-dominated fields, leadership, personal and professional growth, sisterhood and community, and anything that supports individuals stepping into the best version of themselves. I 100% believe we must do the work on ourselves before we can be the change we want to see in the world. I also believe we are better and stronger together.
I'm also passionate about providing safe containers for women to step into personal and professional development, lean into a community, and pour into themselves.
I am willing to travel
Up to 75 miles
When it comes to payments
Everything is negotiable
Topics
Best Story
One of my favorite stories I like to share on stage is called The Good, The Bad, The Ugly, and The Hope! I share how being a woman for over 30 years in construction can be just that! We women can do very difficult things, and through those challenges, good, bad, and ugly, we can always have hope! It is such a blessing to deliver this talk and see women's heads nodding up and down relating to the story, snapping their fingers concurring and with empathy, and laughing at the funny parts. I share this story to normalize the conversation, to help other women feel seen and heard, and to provide humor around difficult situations! The result? There is always a silver lining!
Origin Story
My ah-ha moment came several years ago while working for an organization in which I was completely dedicated to the success and profitability of the organization as well as the team I had the pleasure of working with. I worked long hours in a fast-paced environment, and when I wasn't working, I was raising my son as a single mother. I had no network, little time for fun, and was constantly battling health issues. Several times over the years, I was on the verge of burnout, but I persisted. I would have liked this organization to have been my forever home through retirement. The Universe had a different plan.
Faced with being laid off, I recognized my well-intended devotion had left me feeling lost with nowhere to turn. I didn't know where to go for a new job, had no network to lean into, and didn't know what I wanted to do for the next steps in my career. I was inspired to create Elevate - Women in Construction as I thought, if I was going through this, there must be other women who might be experiencing something similar.
EWIC was created to offer personal and professional development through the community to the dynamic women in the construction industry. It has since evolved into speaking events, workshop training & facilitation for women and men and women combined, and business growth strategy/consulting services as well as fractional CFO services.
I'm grateful for this journey, and I'm grateful the Universe had different plans for me!
Example talks
The 3 C's of Construction
Goals & Objectives of Training:
Basic understanding of The 3 C’s - contract negotiations, change orders, and communication
*What to know and watch for in contract negotiations
*Understanding supplier chain issues & communicating those roadblocks early
*Managing the change order process effectively from initial receipt to payment
*Why strong communications skills are so important, communication pitfalls to avoid, and steps and tips for increased communication including the importance of follow up and helpful tools to stay on track
Stop Proving Yourself & Stand in Your Power - 6 “Power” Tools Every Woman Needs to Move from Surviving to Thriving!
Time and again I hear from women in the industry that they struggle being seen, heard, and are constantly trying to prove themselves to their male counterparts. This can leave women feeling isolated, frustrated, endlessly working harder and feeling as though they are getting nowhere, and disenchanted within their organizations. This surviving existence can become so challenging that quite often they resign or worse leave the industry altogether.
My workshop will provide a safe space where we can discuss and understand the challenges women face. The goal of the workshop is to help women stay engaged in the industry so that they can feel strong, empowered, and purposeful while being equipped to handle any situation they encounter. Participants walk away with strategies they can implement immediately to move from surviving to thriving in their lives, organizations, and environments.