As the remodeling industry climbs out of the recession, contractors are complaining there aren’t enough decent workers available to hire. But a program in Oregon suggests that’s not true—provided you adjust your idea of who to hire.
"There’s still a pretty stereotypical image of what a contractor looks like,” explains Mary Ann Naylor, communications manager for Oregon Tradeswomen Inc. (OTI), which trains female contractors and assists them in the job-hunting process. “Even though women have made progress, there are still more women Marines than construction workers."