KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Bridgette Williams is a history-maker. She is the first Black woman to run the 75-year-old Heavy Constructors Association of Greater Kansas City (HCA).
Williams knows it wasn't her race or gender that built her career.
"I feel like what I bring to the table is just a real-life grounded perspective," Williams said. "I got to this position because I work hard and I fought for it."
HCA is one of the most influential and powerful groups in the metro area.
"There is not a commercial project that occurs that doesn’t have us involved in it," Williams said.
In her eight years at HCA, she's been involved in huge construction projects, including the new airport terminal at KCI and the Panasonic plant in De Soto, Kansas.
"It’s interesting because I don’t view me as a person in a position of power," Williams said. "To me, I’m just Bridgette trying to, you know, maneuver through the day."
She worked for nearly two decades with the Greater Kansas City AFL-CIO.
"I answered an ad in the newspaper for a part-time receptionist at the AFL-CIO," said Williams, an Edwardsville native. "Trying to figure out what I wanted to do when I got out of college."
By 27, she was the first Black female president of the local AFL-CIO.
Williams held that job for 15 years before moving to HCA.
While Williams believes every day is for creating Black history, she said the month allows her to really reflect on the sacrifices her ancestors made that helped her get to where she is today.
"To just remember that where we came from is as important as focusing on where you’re going, so that you can be a part of this country, not making the same mistakes again," Williams said.
Williams also sees herself as a fighter and is determined to continue fighting for her contractors and Kansas City as she paves the way for other Black women.
"My primary goal is always to leave things better than they were when I came," Williams said.
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KSHB 41 reporter Caroline Hogan covers development across the Kansas City area. Share your story idea with Caroline.