Imagine this: you’re wrapping up a long day, dust on your boots, adrenaline and stress still buzzing through your veins from a busy job site. Normally you dread this part of the day, but not now instead of heading to a lonely motel room or a transient camp, you’re driving home, knowing your kids are waiting for you. You might even make it in time for the evening baseball game, watching your child swing for the fences while the sun sets over your hometown.
Being a site representative at BCIB isn’t just about ticking boxes or following protocols—it’s about uplifting local communities and giving families what matters most: togetherness. When I made the transition from managing hotels to working in construction, I realized that people’s needs—whether it’s a bride stressed about her wedding day or a worker dealing with the pressures on-site—are often the same at heart. The problems change, yes, but the drive to find solutions and bring comfort remains constant.
What truly lights me up in this role are the face-to-face interactions: the simple reward of helping someone feel heard and working with them to get an issue resolved. There’s gratitude in the handshake after a tough conversation, a sense of accomplishment when you calm a situation and build trust. BCIB has workers on multiple projects along Highway 1 in the Interior of B.C. I work on most of them, which means I get to meet countless people, each with their own stories and struggles, and I help however I can.
Onboarding is one of my favorite parts. It’s that first impression you get to make, welcoming someone new and helping them feel comfortable. I know the difference a good start can make, especially for someone nervous or stepping into a new environment. From guiding workers on job sites to helping them find new training courses for development, it’s about opening doors and creating opportunities.
But perhaps the greatest impact comes from our projects in small towns. Many people don’t realize that, as a Vancouver-based company, BCIB is deeply committed to supporting communities across British Columbia. We provide local jobs that help families thrive. I’ve seen firsthand how dads, brothers, sisters, and moms get to go home to their loved ones, even if it’s brief with the “six and one” schedule (working six days on and one day off pays good though!). That chance to be present, to hug your kids or share a moment with your partner after a tough day, is invaluable for the mental health and happiness of workers.
For me, it’s personal. My husband worked up north in Fort Mac when our kids were babies. He’d be gone for two weeks, back for a week, and it never felt like we had a true family routine. Those fly-in, fly-out jobs are tough—they keep you in a constant state of transition, never quite part of daily life. But now, local jobs mean workers are actually part of their families’ stories; they show up for baseball games, family dinners, and the little moments that make life rich.
As I look around at the impact we’re making, I know it’s more than just a job. It’s a community effort, a way of helping families stay whole, and a chance to make every day feel like a home run.
To anyone thinking about stepping into construction—especially women—my advice is simple: jump in and stay loud. Don’t let yourself get pushed around. Use your voice, reach out to people on the ground, and take advantage of the resources available. If you’re lucky, find work close to home. The only way this industry gets bigger and better is by everyone bringing their whole selves to the table, and that starts with you.
My journey has taught me that the real value of this work is measured not just in projects completed, but in lives improved. By addressing problems and challenges on jobsites, and enabling people to work near their home while continuing daily family activities—even if it’s just for the duration of a project—we’re building memories and infrastructure that benefit local communities. One job, one connection, and one baseball game at a time.
Mila is a Workforce Operations Representative on the Highway 1 – Kamloops to Alberta Four Laning projects: Jumping Creek to Macdonald and Selkirk. Before that, she held the same role on the now completed Kicking Horse Canyon and Quartz Creek projects.
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BCIB Workforce Operations Representatives (Site Reps) work directly with skilled trades workers on project sites across the province. Their tasks include onboarding, managing incident investigations, and triaging employee issues and requests, among other things. Site Reps are the onsite face and heart of BCIB.
Photo Captions: Mila with other workers on the Selkirk jobsite; Mila’s photo taken at BCIB headquarters in Vancouver; Mila with Liz (another BCIB site rep) at a baseball game.
