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Donna LaJeunesse

Affiliations

Board of Directors, Chicagoland AGC,

   Associated General Contractors of America

Member, Chief, Senior Executive Women’s Network

Member, Professional Women in

   Construction (PWC)

Member, Lean Construction Institute (LCI)

Member, She Builds, Bringing women together        

   from all aspects of the construction industry

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Certifications & Training

United Brotherhood of Carpenters (UBC) Department of Education and Training (DET) Programs 

  • Collaborative Leadership: Building                 Jobsite Leaders

 

Associated General Contractors of America           (AGC) Convention

  • Honey, We Have to T.A.L.K.: Four Steps for Navigating Difficult Conversations

  • Building the Foundation for Your People and Talent Capacity

  • Breaking Barriers, Maximizing Results: The Competitive Edge of Lean Construction in  Minority Contracting

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Leadership Training for Managers, Dale Carnegie

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Education

Northeastern University, Chicago, IL

Wilbur Wright College, Chicago, IL

Triton College, River Grove, IL

College of Lake County, Grayslake, IL

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Donna LaJeunesse
President

Donna LaJeunesse is a rarity, a role model, and a leader in the construction industry. She began working at Custom Contracting in 1989 and rose through the ranks from administrative assistant to ever greater positions of responsibility, including controller and vice president responsible for strategic planning, IT, finance, legal, and human resources.

 

In 2022, she became CEO and in 2023 the majority owner of the company, setting the stage for Custom Contracting to earn its highly valued certification as a Women’s Business Enterprise (WBE) with WBENC, the City of Chicago, and the State of Illinois.

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Donna says, “I’m living testimony that women in construction can shatter the glass ceiling and seize opportunities to advance; even to the level of ownership. We are helping build a new table for this industry and have a seat at it."

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“Let’s embrace this by training women and people from marginalized communities for positions in the field and office, including leadership, let’s live equity, and provide everyone the tools they need to succeed. If you can build a team where everyone is free to bring their unique gifts and perspectives to the table, it will create the best outcome for everyone and improve our industry.”

 

She adds, "We’ve always focused on education and career advancement. Now we are taking it to the next level intentionally. If a strong team is the first step toward success, the next step is ensuring your team continues to advance professionally and individually. The jobsite has evolved over the years, and one important change is people’s willingness to share and listen to one another.”

 

Through her commitment to excellence in client engagements, company culture and team, and intentional expansion and her championing of equity, diversity, and inclusiveness, she lives her company’s mission, “Building a healthy place in our world.”

 

“Every decision we make aligns with our mission,” she says. “That is Custom Contracting’s compass and keeps us all—our team members, clients, and partners—heading in the same direction.”

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