Alli Burton
Director of Business Enablement
Alli is the director of business enablement for McKinstry’s Technical Services line of business. This role is new to McKinstry and is something that is designed to help build the next generations of leaders at McKinstry. The intent is to give corporate service leaders an opportunity to go into the business lines and understand them better, as well as unlock more internal mobility for current employees. Prior to this role, Alli was part of and then led our Talent Acquisition team for 11 years.
At McKinstry, we know that representation and visibility matter — seeing someone who looks like you in every imaginable type of career helps to break down stereotypes and foster inclusion. In a recent Q&A session, Alli shares what women’s equality means to her and her advice to fellow women in the construction industry.
Learn More About Alli’s Experience
This day means gratitude for my mom and the women who came before me who had a much harder road to travel. They were willing to do it and to share their secrets and their pain. This road is hard, and it is still not equal, but I am thankful that McKinstry is cognizant of that and has awarded me great flexibility to be a mother and a professional.
This is the type of company that wants to be there for the journey, not just the job. I am fortunate to have a large family that includes two sets of aging parents, two kids, two dogs, and a husband who works full-time. This can bring complications with being a working professional. If I were somewhere that needed me 8 am – 5 pm every day like my mother had to be, I would not be here. McKinstry allows me to put in those hours in a flexible way that works for me and my family. I thank those that came before me, and I am dedicated to continuing to blaze more trails for those that come after me.
My greatest professional achievement is watching the people that I have had the pleasure and privilege to work with, for, and hire, be successful. I find so much joy in watching these people achieve milestones in their careers, but also in their personal lives. The fact that my work allows me to impact people that way is what drives me every day.
The leaders of this company. Dean Allen, Ash Awad, Joseph Hagar, Cheryl Chamberlain, Janice Clusserath and Megan Owen are all individuals who have coached and mentored me for years. I would not be where I am today without them. Each of them shared their time with me, even if it was just 30 minutes a month. They would frequently check in to make sure I was ok and that I had what I needed, and that my career goals were being met. This is something that is unheard of these days.
Have a plan! Sometimes as women, when a challenging situation arises in our careers, we want to quickly solve it, not for ourselves, but for everyone else since we are nurturers by nature. I find that I talk to a lot of women who let their careers happen to them versus driving their careers.
Even if you are in a position that you are happy about, in two years you might not feel the same way, so having a check in point with yourself to see where you are versus where you want to be and determine the next steps to get there is extremely important.
Having a plan in place is even more important if you choose to have kids. As working women, scaling the gap between being a mother and a professional is hard. However, I am grateful for McKinstry in that they understand this challenge and do everything they can to bridge that gap by offering support, flexibility, and amazing family benefits for all our people.
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