INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Women are at the heart of building, leading and shaping in downtown Indianapolis what is set to be the fourth-tallest building in Indiana.

As the city’s skyline changes, so does the face of the construction industry. Take Sidney Patrick, for example. She’s an ironworker and the only woman in her apprenticeship class, working on the Indianapolis Convention Center Hotel and Ballroom construction site for 10 hours a day.

Patrick, an apprentice with the Ironworkers Local 22 union, said, “I’ve done a little bit of laydown crew which is helping lay out all of the glass getting everything ready for the set crew. I’ve done lay out which is all of the measurements and points where the walls are going to be set, and currently right now, I’m doing booting which is getting all the calking ready for those walls to be set into.”

She is part of a small but growing group: Only about 10% of the construction workforce are women.

“Most people treat you with absolute respect. You don’t really have to worry about too much of people hollering and having a good old time. Most of these people I’ve met on the site are friends, if not family, and it’s very stable as far as pay and a career.”

Women entrepreneurs are making a huge impact beyond the job site, too. TF Trucking & Transport, EF Marburger Fine Flooring and other companies are key to making sure the project keeps moving forward.

TF Trucking helps with hauling and driving the dump trucks to the site. Owner Denita Johnson said, “There’s actually a lot of women in trucking and construction these days. More than I even knew, so it was exciting to meet other women. Most of them are not driving, they’re managing the business. I actually have a female driver and she loves driving the dump truck.”

Of course, working in a male-dominated field has its challenges. Johnson admits people sometimes don’t realize she’s in charge, and she can get overlooked. But, the industry is shifting.

Kim Marburger, vice president of EF Marburger, says her company handles the ceramic tile flooring for the bathrooms in the 800-room hotel. She would love to see more women consider the field. “It’s such a neat field. Things are always changing. There’s problems to solve all the time, but the exciting part is how you can work though those problems. It’s challenging but so rewarding and it’s fun to see the finished product.”

Construction on the Indianapolis Convention Center Hotel and Ballroom is expected to be finished in 2026, marking not just a new addition to downtown, but also a new milestone for women in the industry.