Former Trump Organization executive Barbara Res, who led the construction of New York City’s Trump Tower, rejected the idea of managing a construction project for Donald Trump again, even if the second-term president of the United States called and asked.
In an exclusive interview conducted for ENR’s Groundbreakers podcast, Res said “absolutely no” to the idea of leading one of the White House’s reported ongoing privately funded construction projects.
“He wouldn’t want me. He knows me,” said Res, who was About 33 when he started working for Trump in 1980. Nbeginning two decades later, sshe retired from the Trump Organization in 1998 over the company’s alleged mistreatment of her and other employees, she reported. Business Insider.
Now in her 70s, Res has added the practice of law to her professional engineering credentials and frequently gives talks about her experiences as a senior female professional in male-dominated industries, some of which she has detailed in her book.”Tower of Lies: What My Eighteen Years of Working with Donald Trump Reveal About Him.”
“Women always had to prove themselves,” Res says of the women of her generation who climbed the corporate ladder in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s. “And the sad thing about it is that much of it is still true. You can have mediocre men, but you really want the women to be the greatest.”
However, when it comes to women working in construction fields, Res says she advises women to stand firm in their abilities and pursue work.—not recognition.
“For a woman who owns a women’s business in construction, I would say be part of the group. That is, join associations and things like that. Don’t stand out,” she says, adding, “You already stand out. You don’t have to prove yourself anymore.”
Being “one of them” is sometimes better than “trying to fit in with the crowd,” Res says, advising that she believes self-confidence is also a form of leadership. “And that’s very important. Self-confidence is the most important thing a person can have.”
Watch the latest episode of the monthly ENR Groundbreakers podcast at ENR.com or YouTube.
