By JAN LARSON McLAUGHLIN
BG Independent News
With women making up just 10% of U.S. construction workers, Mary-Margaret Boda is a rarity. Add the fact that Boda is boss on many million dollar projects, and she is an anomaly in a hardhat.
Boda has served as project manager for Mosser Construction on three major building projects in Bowling Green. First the renovations to the BGSU Ice Arena, then the new Wood County Senior Center, and most recently the new BG City Building.
She isn’t big on titles – preferring that construction workers on the job respect her for the job she does.
“You don’t need titles,” Boda said as she sat in the Mosser Construction trailer outside the new city building. “Your actions speak louder than your words about the type of person you are.”
Growing up, Boda didn’t dream of donning a hardhat and managing tradesmen as they constructed buildings. She was planning to go into medicine, getting a bachelor of science degree in human biology from Muskingum University, and later a master’s in business administration from Ursuline College.
“I didn’t even know this could be a career path,” she said. “But I got on my first job and I just loved it.”
Boda has struck the balance of proving herself on the job without being pushy. That combination works, according to Tommy Wiggins, superintendent at the city building project.
Boda, he said, is his favorite project manager to work with.
“We work well together,” Wiggins said. “She’s not a pain.”
There is a tendency in the construction industry to “lead with muscle,” said Emma Helvey, director of marketing and business development for Mosser.
“The industry as a whole can be hard on women,” Helvey said. But Boda just lets macho behavior roll off her hardhat.
“She just has so much tenacity,” Helvey said. “She’s genuine and she’s a leader in the field.”
Before long, the subcontractors and suppliers on her jobs learn to value her ability to find solutions to problems, Helvey said.
While she’s not “a pain,” neither is she a pushover. She has “zero tolerance” for sexism on the job, Helvey said.
“About four years ago, I noticed that I could really communicate and have my ideas respected. There’s no questions,” Boda said. That trust was hard earned. “If I don’t know something, I’m not going to make it up.”
On the city building job, Boda worked with about 20 subcontractors, employing 65 to 80 workers on the job any given day. Boda makes it a point to get to know the contractors and workers.
“I’m not out there working in the heat,” but the workers know she respects what they do, she said.
At age 34, Boda has been working for Mosser for nearly 10 years, handling everything from record-setting foundation pours for the North Star Bluescope Steel project, to a new soybean facility in Fostoria.
Each project has its challenges, Boda explained. At the Slater Family Ice Arena at BGSU, the chiller system and practice ice had to be replaced. The ice had to be ready for hockey practice in August.
“It was a pretty tight job right off the bat,” Boda said.
Boda excels at planning ahead, and focuses on managing the critical items first.
“There’s always curveballs thrown at you. It keeps you on your toes,” she said.
When the jobs are done, Boda finds satisfaction at standing back and looking at the finished product.
“I like seeing it go from the dream to the reality,” she said.
Wood County Committee on Aging Executive Director Denise Niese had high praise for Boda’s work on the new senior center in Bowling Green.
“She’s very hands-on,” Niese said, describing Boda’s ability to explain to an architect why an original design would not work. “She garners the respect of the building trades people who she works with.”
“She’s an ambassador for Mosser,” Niese said. “I think she would be a role model for many young women.”
Boda’s commitment to the senior center continued after the building project was completed. When she learned of the facility’s “Grandparents Raising Grandchildren” program, Boda organized Mosser employees to adopt multiple families at Christmas time.
City officials shared the enthusiasm about Boda’s work.
“It was a very positive experience,” Municipal Administrator Lori Tretter said. “She had the ability to work with us as owners and with contractors.”
Boda has the “stick-to-it-iveness” that is so important on construction projects. “We’re in this building on time,” Tretter said.
BG Utilities Director Brian O’Connell said Boda was a regular at project meetings, always giving updates. She made it possible for time and money to be saved on the job, he said.
“She was extremely organized. I don’t think there was anything that came up that she wasn’t able to handle,” O’Connell said. “She knocked it out of the park.”
