Name: Barbara Brenman-Garry
Company and Position: McCarthy Building Companies, Inc. Project Coordinator.
I recently moved to Marin after spending the past 20 years in San Francisco. Born and raised in Santa Cruz, I feel blessed to have spent my life in the larger Bay Area.
I have been with McCarthy for nearly three years, but have been involved in construction in one form or another since 2011. I also grew up being a “tool monkey” for a dad that could and did create or fix anything with his hands, so being mechanically-minded started early for me. In fact my welding class was one of the only things that motivated me to attend high school every day. I was the only student to be offered an apprenticeship at a local welding company at the recommendation of my teacher; unfortunately, my dad would not allow me to accept the offer.
I enjoy spending my time away from work camping with my ten-year-old daughter and husband, skeet and target shooting, painting and sculpting, photography, and being involved as a lifetime member of Hadassah, which is a Jewish American Women’s organization that seeks to better the lives of women and children all over the world. Last but not least, I also enjoy participating in WiOPs and McCarthy’s Partnership for Women.
What gets me up every morning feeling excited to work in our field is knowing that I am part of creating buildings like the Marin General Hospital Project that I am currently on. This is a building that will serve the entire community at the best and worst moments of their lives. The care and attention to detail we put forth now will directly affect so many people even long after I am alive. To be part of something positive that is bigger than oneself is a higher calling to me. There is so much honor in knowing I contributed, even in a small way, to making the world a better place. It makes all of the stress, deadlines, and challenges that come with the construction industry so worthwhile and rewarding.
Random thought: I have worked in my family’s donut shop business since I was five years old and am the official unofficial “Donut Shop Queen of Santa Cruz.”
Thank you again for this incredible honor.