Motivated to Succeed

As Construction Ready’s Pre-Apprenticeship program has grown over the course of a decade, it has established a reputation for sending graduates into the field who are “trained, credentialed and ready to work.”

That hiring pipeline has served UJAMAA Construction well, according to Co-Principal and Executive Vice President Todd Pressley.

“Each and every one of the Construction Ready folks that we’ve hired over the years, they want to get involved,” Pressley says. “Whether it’s swinging a hammer, putting up protection, doing whatever – they are invested in our project and in UJAMAA Construction.”

Taylor Dalrymple, who graduated with Westside Works Group 40 in April 2023, is a great example of a well-prepared and committed UJAMAA employee. Taylor’s father owns a construction company, and when she began pursuing a career in the industry, he mentioned it to Pressley, who he knew professionally.

“He said, ‘I have this daughter, and she’s really into construction,’” Pressley explains. “I said, ‘What program is she in?’ And he said, ‘Construction Ready.’ And I had to do everything I could do to stop smiling.”

In the summer of 2023, Taylor interviewed with Ujamaa. Her recent training at Westside Works did indeed catch the management team’s attention.

“When they saw that I was a Construction Ready graduate, that just added a plus [for] me being a good candidate for the job,” Taylor says. “They were like, ‘You have this certification, you have that certification.’ They knew … what Construction Ready had already gotten me ready to do. Without the class, I wouldn’t be where I am today.

Since joining UJAMAA, Taylor has worked primarily at 918 Dill Avenue, a historic building in the Capitol View neighborhood south of downtown Atlanta. The innovative project, Atlanta’s first mixed-use community-owned and stewarded property, is being developed through The Guild, a non-profit organization that builds affordable mixed-use spaces for long-term residents, entrepreneurs, artists and activists.

“I live in the area,” Taylor says. “It makes me feel amazing riding up and down the streets. My kids are always like, ‘Mom, that’s your work.’ And I’m like, ‘Yeah, we’re building it.’ My son will be able to tell his kids one day that his mom helped build that building.”

Taylor is experiencing a full-circle moment by working in the industry she grew up seeing through her father’s work. She holds a bachelor’s degree in early childhood education and a minor in psychology from Shaw University in Raleigh, NC, but her pursuit of a career in her degree field was halted due to legal troubles. She credits Construction Ready for pointing her in the right direction after discovering the program through a Google search.

“Construction Ready ultimately helped me turn things around, because for a long time, I was running from my problems,” she explains. “Taking that class and watching all my peers get job offers and jobs was motivation for me to go handle my business so I could get out here in the field and make [a good living].”

Now Taylor Dalrymple is a Field Engineer, and she’s on track for a Foreman position with UJAMAA, an industry leader in hiring and empowering women in construction.

“What I would say to other women who are considering career in construction is go for it,” Taylor says. “Once you succeed, the self-worth and the feeling that you feel of being able to say, ‘I did it’ is the best.

“I’m able to work for a well-established company to make good money and support my family. That was always the ultimate goal.”