Pittsburgh, PA
Phone: (412) 401-2083
Website: www.theladycarpenter.com
Tenika Deshawn always had a passion for real estate investment but never had the funds or opportunity. She started learning how to fix houses and take on home improvement projects to contribute to her real estate investment dreams. She quickly found her clients had a hard time remembering her.
“They did not remember the original company name, and they would say, hey, that girl that wears pink or the girl who wears pink and does carpentry. Then I was working one night at Cobbler World, and Mrs. Hicks, the owner, came in and said, hey, lady carpenter, and it just stuck,” said Deshawn.
Lady Carpenter LLC, a certified Minority and Woman-owned Business Enterprise (MWBE), is owned and managed by Tenika Deshawn, a registered general contractor with the state of Pennsylvania and the city of Pittsburgh. The Lady Carpenter offers general contracting, remodeling, and project management, among other services.
“I’m most known for creating a safe space in construction for women, women clients, and women workers…I make them feel heard. A lot of women are intimidated by construction and men. Some people say, hey, you know, contractors put the ‘con’ in construction. I provide a safe space.”
Breaking into a male-dominated field was discouraging for Deshawn initially. “Some of the challenges that I’ve had to overcome is getting the respect of men; my first business advisor took advantage of me… the men out here, they just don’t respect women in this arena. The only thing they respect is the cash that we bring.”
Nevertheless, Deshawn, a mother of three, would not alter her journey, and she looks to inspire the next generation of women in construction.
“I’m really grateful for this gift of carpentry, and I really want to take it as far as I can go. I want to test my potential,” said Deshawn. “I am so curious about who I can become and who I’m going to be in five years. I really envision talking to children and women and doing professional speaking to build their confidence from the inside out.”
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