Construction tends to be male-dominated field, and Dominique Jones admits she probably isn’t the person you’d expect to see donning a hardhat and taking control of a job site.
Jones will also tell you, however, that ever since her first day as an undergrad at Eastern Illinois University, she’s never let those sorts of preconceived notions stand in the way of her dreams. The culmination of those dreams is her current position as a Project Engineer for the Chicago-based Midwest region of McKissack and McKissack, a woman/minority-owned construction firm headquartered in Washington, D.C.
“Being a double minority in the field is difficult, because you look around and you don't see people who look like you,” said Jones, who grew up in the south side neighborhood of Beverly and returned to her childhood home in Chicago after earning a bachelor’s degree in Industrial Technology -- now called Applied Engineering and Technology -- at Eastern in 2011 and following that up with a master’s degree from Alabama Agricultural and Mechanical University.
“You question yourself. Do I belong here? Did I make the right decision? But sometimes you have to suck it up and go with your gut feeling and just pursue your dreams and your goals. You have to block out the negativity and just have tunnel vision. I feel like I've done that.”
McKissack and McKissack is currently involved in a major project with Clark Construction and Old Veterans Construction; this “CMO Joint Venture” is the general contractor managing the construction of the new Malcolm X College on Chicago’s west side near the famed United Center. Jones joined McKissack and McKissack in February after beginning her professional career with a stint at subcontractor Concrete Strategies.
“I interned with Madison Construction a couple years ago,” said Jones, explaining the path to her current gig. “It was a winter internship. It was pretty short, but I guess I must have made some type of an impact because the previous vice president of the company -- his name is Hansel Whitehurst -- noticed my commitment from beginning to end.
“As I was working for Concrete Strategies, I took a look into the opportunities that McKissack and McKissack offered, did my due diligence and researched the company. I felt like it was a perfect match and I made the decision to switch over and start working for McKissack and McKissack.”
In her present role, Jones takes on quite a bit of responsibility managing the work of subcontractors and making sure their work is up to code and being completed on time. It’s tough, but she seems to thrive on it.
“It just brings out the best in you. Although you work hard and diligently to get tasks done and get them done efficiently, you still need to be on your toes in this industry. Working in construction, we are on a schedule and schedule means time, which is money.
“So I'm pretty much on the hot seat. Everyone is. But I like the intensity. I like the pressure and it makes me work harder, and do my job more effectively.”
So how exactly did Jones, who admittedly had no clue what kind of career she wanted when she enrolled at EIU, land on this one?
“I just knew that I wanted to be in college,” Jones remembered. “When I went to orientation, our group leader was in Industrial Technology. He started to talk about his major, and I grew an interest in it.”
Despite that interest, Jones also recalls a bit of uneasiness when she walked into her first class.
“I walked into the classroom and I was the only girl and the only African-American,” said Jones. Luckily for her, though, the instructor of that particular class, Robert Curia, quickly made it clear EIU is not a place where either of those factors would ever work against her.
“He said, ‘Well, Dominique if you stick with this, this career will be very rewarding to you. If you persevere and you make it through the challenges and difficulties, you will shine in this field.’ I always kept that in the back of my head. From that moment on, I made no excuses. I didn't look at it as oh my gosh I'm the only one, I looked at it as oh my gosh, I could really make a difference.”
Jones built great relationships with her classmates and professors and quickly realized she was in just the right spot.
“Eastern prepared me all across the board,” said Jones. “They prepared me academically in my tech classes, prepared me to learn analytically and prepared me to do well in my master's studies. If it wasn't for Eastern, I believe I would not have been able to excel in my program of study for my master’s and I believe I would not have been set up for this great opportunity to work in this industry.
“They really prepared me not just as a student, but also as a person. I was involved in different things on campus; I went to alternative spring break to Mexico with and Habitat for Humanity trips with Eastern and Newman Catholic Church. We went to Battle Creek, Mich.; did some roofing work on sheds, and we built a handicap ramp. Activities like that prepared me outside of the classroom for the field and industry that I'm in currently. I also pay deep reverence to Eastern’s TRiO Student Support Services. TRiO not only prepared me as a student but as a well-rounded individual built for leadership.”
Being a woman on construction sites makes Jones a rarity all on its own, but in her spare time she’s thrown in a twist that makes her full-blown unique.
“I am currently Miss Beverly Hills 2015 and I am running for Miss Illinois USA 2015,” said Jones, who actually competed in the Miss Illinois USA pageant from Aug. 29 to Sept. 1 and was awarded Miss Photogenic amongst 60-plus contestants.
“I was introduced to the pageant and it was something I followed throughout college,” continued Jones. “I’m like ‘I wonder if this is something I can do, and what do those title holders do?’ They use their title to spread awareness about a special cause that is close and dear to their heart; I felt like I can spread awareness about just how we as a community can do better in providing jobs for our community, which I believe will in turn decreases the violence in the city of Chicago.”
Violence and troubles in public schools are always hot-button Chicago issues, but Jones’s hope is to let people know there are still plenty of success stories coming out of neighborhoods near the one she grew up in.
“I am a product of the Chicago educational system,” said Jones proudly. “I did grow up with a learning disability, and I was able to outgrow the stigma that is attached to that. I was able to go to Eastern Illinois, get a college degree, go get my master's degree, and I was able to work in the field I was actually pursuing.”
With those ideas in mind, Jones says she’s hoping to start a foundation for Chicago youths.
“It’s basically going to be a well-rounded outlet for at-risk youths in the inner-city neighborhoods of Chicago, “said Jones. “What I plan to do is focus on hands-on application of work, either constructing or developing gardens in the neighborhood. I see it as an outlet for distress for the day-to-day stresses that go on in those types of neighborhoods.
“I think if people see positivity going on around them, they will become more interested it will really spark interest among the community. Aside from that, I plan on focusing on those particular students -- possibly from ages 16 and up -- and getting them involved in different trades of the construction industry. A lot of these students just don't know how to get involved, so we would be that liaison.”
It’s an ambitious goal, to be sure, and a dauntingly large task. If one thing wasn’t evident to you already, though, it’s that Jones doesn’t let things like that stand in your way.
