Bridgette Williams serves as Deputy Director of the Heavy Constructors Association of Greater Kansas City, a highway-heavy utility chapter of the Associated General Contractors of America (AGC) and the American Road and Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA). She has been in her current role for three years. “People call me/my company if they need help with understanding the process for improving public /private infrastructure projects or when they need a qualified Heavy Contractor,” says Williams.
Founded in 1950, the Heavy Constructors Association has been in the forefront of transportation, public works, infrastructure issues and campaigns in the Greater Kansas City Area, and in the states of Kansas and Missouri. Many people don’t know this but the Association’s members have built most of the highways, bridges, streets, airports, dams and clean and waste water systems in both Kansas and Missouri.
Bridgette has been in the field of transportation, construction and economic development policy for more than 20 years. Believe it or not, she began her career as a part time receptionist at the Greater Kansas City AFL-CIO. She worked various positions within the organization and was eventually elected President, serving in that capacity for over 15 years. She was the first African American and the first female elected to that position in the country.
We asked her to tell us something most people don’t know about her and she said she grew up on a farm where her family raised cattle. They also grew their own vegetables!
We also asked her to tell us what she loves about Kansas City and why she believes economic development in our region is so important. “One thing I Love about Kansas City is the genuine interest and concern for one another among its citizens and stakeholders and the willingness to do what it takes to make Kansas City better,” says Williams. “Economic Development in Kansas City, Missouri matters because many of our greatest assets are in the aging core of our City. Not only is Economic Development the catalyst for job creation but a necessity to maintain a vibrant, vital, competitive and livable city!”
Bridgette has participated in numerous negotiations on behalf of both the Kansas City AFL-CIO and the Heavy Constructors Association of Greater Kansas City and continues to work extensively on issues related to Economic Development, Transportation, Workforce Development, and Labor relations. She is married and a mother of four children.
Learn more about Bridgette on LinkedIn
A few projects the association contractors have built are pictured below:
Kit Bond Bridge
Contractor – Clarkson Construction Company, Bill Clarkson, Jr.
I-35 Broadway extension to Penn Valley Park
Contractor – JM Fahey Construction Company
