Mae Whiteside is a woman you should know in the Chicagoland area. Why? She is Founder & CEO of CKL Engineers, LLC, one of Chicago’s leading African-American woman-owned civil engineering and management firms. The firm is celebrating 10 years in business. Go Mae!
Whiteside is also the host of the “Women STEM Entrepreneurs Breakfast Forum” that took place on Wednesday, June 5th. STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. For the second year in a row, the event brought together a panel of successful entrepreneurs who shared their journey, struggles, and success stories in the STEM space.
I attended this year’s sold-out event and I can tell you it was worth every minute. The speakers’ words of wisdom combined with insider resources and knowledge made this one of the top events I attended this year!
Moderated by three-time Emmy and Peabody award-winning journalist, Darlene Hill, the event highlighted the strides women are making in STEM and identified the tools women are using to succeed. Panelists included Janella Curtis, Dr. Crystal Porter, Rosemarie S. Andolino, Natalie Coleman, Rosemary Swierk, and Mae Whiteside.
If you missed the event, the Career Goddess Academy captured gems from each of the panelists.
Originally from San Diego, CA, Janella Curtis grew up in a single-family home and recalls memories of plants all over the house and dinners filled with beans and rice. She was tired of the poverty-stricken lifestyle and decided to grab a jar of beans and plant them. She had no idea that she was planting seeds and instantly became fascinated with plants. Curtis moved to Chicago and dived into the world of Urban Agriculture.
Now, Curtis is launching the first indoor vertical farm on the south side of Chicago! This modern-day farm stand has a system where you could pick your own products.
What advice would Curtis give her younger self? Find a mentor. She says that it may not be that easy in Chicago but it’s important to find someone who can share their challenges with you. “Surround yourself with people who get it.”
Crystal Porter is a hair scientist. She is the owner of Mane Insights which is a scientific approach to hair care. Her initiative “Save our Scalps” is protecting women from major hair loss.
Porter started her journey at Chicago State University. She worked for major companies including Unilever and L’Oreal. At L’Oreal, she was a hair scientist who went around the world to study hair in different countries. How cool is that?! Her traveling adventures confirmed that all hair is not created equal.
Rosemarie S. Andolino didn’t start her career in the STEM space but she’s been able to make a mark due to her willingness to “show up” and take strategic risks.
Graduating with a degree in Marketing from DePaul University, Andolino starter her career working for the city in various capacities. She became the 1st Deputy Commissioner of the City of Chicago Department of Planning & Development. This is where she learned the fabric of the city and how to make neighborhoods better for everyone. One of her greatest career successes was managing an $8 billion construction budget as Executive Director of the City of Chicago O’Hare Modernization Program.
Now, Andolina contributes her leadership and insights on two Boards. One is focused on farming. She works with PureCircle which is the leading producer and innovator of great tasting stevia sweeteners for the global food and beverage industry.
What is one thing Andolina has realized from her career experiences? She says it’s important for children to see what types of careers are out there. “When I was growing up, I didn’t know there was an entire industry of urban planners and people who master plan cities and airports. I thought real estate was just about selling homes. I didn’t realize what its potential was and what the opportunities were.”
Happy Birthday, Natalie! At the STEM event, Natalie Coleman announced the celebration of her 40th birthday and how she plans to continue making a difference in the lives of youth in Illinois.
Natalie Coleman is the CEO of After the Peanut. Her organization was named in honor of George Washington Carver who was a black agricultural scientist and inventor. Growing up, Coleman thought she wanted to be a chemist or go into forensics but she found her path in the world of education. Since she only had one teacher who looked like her in front of the classroom -after receiving three degrees – she felt it was her mission to expose students to the possibilities
As CEO of After the Peanut, Coleman curates programs for 3rd – 8th graders. This year, students had the opportunity to focus on robotics. She’s also dabbled into food science and civil engineering. Her goal is to expose students to opportunities as scientists and engineers. She wants students who walk in her classroom to know that “You can own your own company and be an engineer!”
Coleman is very intentional in her educational approach and ensures that she brings the work of under-represented groups to the classroom so that students can see individuals who look like them doing great work. If you want to mentor the next generation, get in touch with Natalie on LinkedIn!
Rosemary Swierk is the President of Direct Steel and Construction. Her company offers three services: Commercial General Contracting, Construction Management, and Owner’s Representation. At its core, Swierk is involved in the business of “building buildings”.
From the success of Swierk’s business, you would think that this is a career path that she sought out. But Swierk just happens to be a Marketing and Advertising major from Indiana University Bloomington who was able to capitalize on the opportunities in construction.
How did it all start? Swierk had a successful career at Black and Decker and was recruited by an Independent Manufacturers Rep agency in Chicago who gave her the opportunity to represent multiple manufacturers. Her career was booming!
But another door opened while she was pregnant and walking to work. She kept passing a dilapidated building and one day decided to put an offer in – and then told her husband about it. The results were astounding! She purchased the building, gut rehabbed it, and secured her first tenant – a bank! Bingo!
This gave her the opportunity to purchase more properties and do ground-up construction. In 2004, she was asked by others to provide general contracting services and that was the beginning of Direct Steel and Construction. She’s scaled her business and now works with the federal government and private industry.
What are some takeaways from Swierk’s experience? She quickly learned that getting government work is like getting your first job. “You get the work as long as you have experience but you can’t get the experience until you get the work. “
Swierk has received numerous awards including the Women’s Business Development Center Entrepreneur of the Year honor and Chicago Business Journal’s Women of Influence Award.
Meet the Host – Mae Whiteside!
Mae Whiteside started her life journey in the Dearborn Homes housing projects on the South Side of Chicago.
Whiteside woke up to see the Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT) campus right in her backyard every morning. Her aspirations to attend IIT and study civil engineering didn’t come until her stint in retail ended where she was a size 4 salesperson trying to sell plus size clothes. She quickly realized retail fashions wasn’t her path and dived into a space where women and professionals of color are largely under-represented.
Whiteside chose civil engineering because she thought it would be “cool to design and construct our world”. She was fascinated by the development of libraries, parks, streets, roads, bridges, and airports.
Navigating the world of civil engineering was not a walk in the park but Whiteside was willing to remain alert to the opportunities. She took advantage of various opportunities to gain skills and often faced situations where she was not given the high-profile assignments or the appropriate level of support she needed to thrive.
Whiteside worked at the Chicago Department of Transportation for 6 years before landing her “best job ever” in Aviation. As a Runway Inspector, she was able to apply all aspects of engineering in one project.
After learning her craft inside and out, Whiteside started her own firm – CKL Engineers, LLC. The firm provides construction services in Illinois and Georgia, with projects in aviation, toll roads, and local highways.
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