Woman contractor breaks ground on office

DAVE MOSIER/independent editor

WETZEL — A woman who has already broken ground, figuratively, as a woman in a male-dominated field literally broke ground Friday afternoon on a new office-warehouse building in Wetzel.

The Van Wert Area Chamber of Commerce held a groundbreaking ceremony for Wetzel resident Candy S. Lammers, who does business as CSL Contracting LLC, for a new office-warehouse project she will build on land she owns in Wetzel.

Lammers said her husband, Bill, a contractor, will construct the building, which Lammers said would be half her office, with the other half a warehouse for construction materials when finished. 

“I’m super excited about this,” Lammers said on Friday afternoon.

Lammers has worked in the construction field for 17 years, and is also certified in the state’s EDGE (Encouraging Diversity, Growth and Equity) Program, which provides opportunities for minorities, including women, in the construction industry.

Lammers said she got her first big break eight years ago when Gilbane Builders, a nearly 150-year-old company based in Providence, Rhode Island, that was the building contractor for the Vantage construction-renovation project that began in May 2011, hired her to work on the project.

“I’ve really got to thank Gilbane for giving me an opportunity,” Lammers said, noting that she has continued to work for the company as a subcontractor on school construction projects, including two current projects in New Bremen and Fremont.

Because of her EDGE-certification, having a warehouse for building materials will allow her to sell materials to construction companies who can also benefit from her minority business status.

The building will be constructed from wood and other materials saved from old, dilapidated barns Lammers and her husband have torn down over the past year or so, Lammers said.

She said she hopes to get the building substantially completed in the next year, but noted that weather will play a part in whether that goal is met.

After working for Gilbane and others over the past decade and a half, Lammers said she is excited to start her own construction firm, with plans to hire employees when it becomes economically feasible.