Photo courtesy of CNY Group
AnaTracey Hawkins has been promoted to senior vice president of strategic growth at CNY Group, a construction and development services firm based in New York City. Since joining the company in 2018, Hawkins has increased brand awareness across both new and existing markets. Her promotion is recognition of this achievement, and she will continue to lead CNY Group toward future advancement. I spoke with Hawkins about her start in construction, and the importance of networking and mentorship.
Anna Zappia (AZ): AnaTracey, you grew up in New Zealand. Can you tell me about your time there?
AnaTracey Hawkins (AH): I grew up in the far north of New Zealand, about two hours north of Auckland. My father is a builder and my grandfather was a bit of a low-key developer. So, building is in my blood. My father wanted us to have the experience of growing up on a farm. We had a horse and there were sheep and cows, we were definitely in the countryside. As soon as I could, I moved to Auckland and studied quantity surveying, not because I had any true passion for building at that time, but because I thought it would give me opportunities to work overseas.
AZ: What happened when you came to the United States?
AH: I got an opportunity while I was living in Miami. I was here in the States for just a month or two. A Long Island-based construction company called Stalco Construction wanted me to help with business development, particularly in the New York City market. The job came about randomly, and as soon as I heard more about it I knew I wanted the job.
I’ve lived in multiple countries all over the world, and what I’m really good at is landing somewhere and figuring stuff out. I didn’t know New York, I wasn’t familiar with construction here, but I had this interesting challenge of how to figure out this puzzle. How was I going to get a Long Island-based company new projects when I had no network in New York?
That’s why I love construction. It’s fascinating, it’s always changing. You have to learn and you’ve got to be on top of your game. Something new is happening constantly. There are different types of personalities. It’s a very interesting industry.
AZ: Did being in New York intimidate you?
AH: I just sort of rolled up my sleeves and did it, to be honest. There are some things that are great about not coming from an industry. You don’t necessarily tackle situations the way everybody else does. My deficit though, was that I didn’t have contacts in the New York area, and I hadn’t worked in construction here. I think most of my early success was driven by really learning how to use LinkedIn, believe it or not. I didn’t know any better, so I would just reach out to the owner of a company through strategic messaging on LinkedIn, and that’s how I began to create a network. I got in front of some key people because I had just reached out, even though it wasn’t the proper channel. Of course, now I know that normally I would go to the director of design and construction. At the time, I made a couple of lucky hits.
In the beginning, I also went to practically every single networking group there was. I was going to multiple events every day. Pretty soon, I started to realize that it was unsustainable, and that you have to be strategic, because time is so precious. I actually ended up taking what I thought was good from the different groups I’d been to, and I created my own group, which is still around today.
I think that New York is filled with the smartest people in the world. I’m biased because I live here. I love it because you are going to rub shoulders with somebody so smart, so technically savvy every day. I always want to learn more, so that I can hold my own standing in this incredible city. To me, coming here as an outsider, the disadvantage was not that I wasn’t accepted, quite the opposite. People were so incredibly helpful. It was more of a block that I didn’t have that deep knowledge. I think New Yorkers appreciate people that are willing to work hard. I was lucky I had a couple of mentors along the way, and I went to school to get more of an understanding of construction management, and the rest is history.
AZ: Was it difficult as a woman in construction?
AH: So much of what I felt at the time was more about being an outsider than a woman. But that being said, seven years ago I would go to a networking event and it would be me and a couple of other women. I don’t know if it’s just because I refuse to see things that way, but I’ve found that the industry’s been supportive of the fact that I am a female. I come from a country where women voted first in the world, so maybe I have a different kind of attitude. I just get on with it. I refuse to be bogged down by that, and I think things are different now in the industry.
AZ: Can you tell me more about CNY Group and the work you have been doing there?
AH: There are really two buckets at CNY Group. We focus on the large-scale projects, the commercial buildings, multifamily, and hospitality. Then there’s another bucket, which we’ve now rebranded as SPACES, and that division works on corporate interiors and specialty projects. We branched out during the pandemic, and we’re doing supermarkets and ghost kitchens. It’s really a different business model for these fast paced projects—grocery stores take an average of 16 to 18 weeks to complete. There are many companies out there that try to do everything using the same business model, but these two areas are entirely different. I appreciate that the owners of CNY Group recognize that.
When I first came on board, I was tasked with building up the business development team. I started off doing one thing and then I continued to take on more. I think my promotion is really more about acknowledging how my role has grown. I’m part of the strategic executive team, and we analyze everything, from supporting employee development to pursuing new lines of business.
Photo by Ola Wilk
AZ: Tell me about some of the mentoring that you are doing.
AH: I currently mentor three people externally. I meet with them once a month for an hour. They’re in different parts of the industry, and from underrepresented populations. Internally, I put together an informal group for some of the women in the industry, mainly on the project side. We gather once a month and we go to lunch. It’s really just about having a place where we can have an open dialogue. I know that I am in a position where I have the opportunity to influence, and so if I learn about anything that needs to be improved, I try to help or add value when I can.
CNY Group has a two-tier mentor program. Yes, we mentor the high performers, but we also work with underrepresented groups to lift them up and give them a seat at the table. I am passionate about inclusion. There’s just so much data about how you’re going to have a better company, you’re going to have better productivity, and more innovation when you embrace diversity.