Samantha Carretero, 32

Things began to click for Samantha Carretero when she joined Shawmut’s construction management training program in 2015. It was an experiment at the time, since Carretero had just graduated with a bachelor’s in architecture from the New Jersey Institute of Technology. Plus, women comprise only 10 percent of the construction workforce nationally.

“I started out being an assistant project manager on a job site. And I was like, ‘This is what I was missing,’ ” Carretero said. “I love the excitement of being on site.’”

That site was the landmarked 33-story Paramount Building at 1501 Broadway, and Shawmut was tasked with moving the lobby entrance around the corner to West 43rd Street. The project required some complex structural work, and was subject to local historic preservation laws, but Carretero was up for the challenge. She was promoted to assistant superintendent when the position opened up on the site.

“We were moving tenants around, installing carbon fiber reinforcement to a finished product,” Carretero said. “It’s a beautiful marble floor-to-ceiling lobby. It was really special to see it through to completion.”

Fast forward about 10 years and a few more promotions, and Carretero is now a preconstruction manager at Shawmut, where she helps the company navigate the industry’s present challenges: supply chain volatility, an aging and shrinking workforce, and local land use restrictions, to name a few. 

Currently, she’s devoting much of her time to the transformation of the 436-seat VIP suites at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center, the largest renovation in the arena’s history. The project will create two new premium membership clubs, “The Row” and “The Key.” The aim is to complete the work in time for the start of the 2024-25 NBA season. 

“It’s never the same thing,” Carretero said. “Some days I’m planning work that’s going to happen three months from now. Some days I’m putting out fires, obviously not literally. But thinking on my toes, dealing with issues among tradespeople.”