Internships Archives - The Dutra Group

Strength in Numbers – Supporting Women in Construction

christine — Thu, 06 Mar 2025 20:34:32 +0000

According to the heavy engineering construction honorary organization The Beavers, Inc., women make up only 10 percent of the workforce in heavy construction.

Rather than being deterred by that statistic, Molly Jacobson, Dutra’s Executive Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer who has been with Dutra since 2011, seized the opportunity to mine the untapped potential. “Women represent 50% of the total workforce, but that’s not reflected in the heavy construction industry so there’s much room for change and growth.”

Attracting more women to the industry, as well as celebrating the ones who already work in heavy construction, is a mission of Jacobson and Patty Dutra Bruce, Dutra’s Vice President of Human Resources.

Dutra’s robust internship program, which serves as a key pipeline for new company hires, actively seeks out young women each year. Over the last several years, the number of female students in the program has grown and now consists of 25% of all interns. Men are also welcome and attend these events regularly. In fact, a large group of men from The Dutra Group attended as well.

For the last two years, Dutra has recognized its female employees during the annual Women in Construction Week in March with dedicated profiles on Dutra’s social media platforms. “Whether you work in the accounting department, as an estimator, project manager, or as an executive at The Dutra Group, we all work in construction,” said Dutra Bruce.

But perhaps the most engaging sign of recognition happened this past summer, when Jacobson and Dutra Bruce teamed up to lead the effort to invite all of Dutra’s employees to participate in The Beavers’ Women in Heavy Civil reception on August 14, 2024 at the Silverado Resort in Napa. “Patty and I have been fortunate enough to be in this industry for a fairly long time, and to have had the opportunity to learn from people with a lot of wisdom and experience.” Said Jacobson. “We wanted to ensure that our group of women have a similar opportunity for professional development and engagement with people in the industry.

After securing the blessing of Dutra’s executive team to invite 100% of Dutra’s employees to attend the Women in Heavy Civil event, the pair set out to make it an even more memorable experience by creating a custom logo for the event featuring a California Poppy (representing the fact that Dutra is California-based). The custom logo was embossed on pins for each attendee to wear. Each woman also received a leather portfolio embossed with the Dutra logo, along with a personal card of appreciation from Jacobson and Dutra Bruce.

The event turned out to be an incredible experience for the 22 women able to attend, giving Dutra the largest company representation at the event. Not only did the attendees connect with other women working in construction and swap stories about their triumphs and struggles, the event was also a powerful reminder of the invaluable contributions that women make to the entire industry, Bill Dutra, Executive Chairman, and Kevin Mohr, Chief Financial Officer, also attended to show their support.

“It was a fantastic learning experience for all of us, but what really surprised and delighted everyone was how much of a celebration it turned out to be,” said Jacobson.

Dutra Purchasing Agent Loura Grayson, who has been with the company since 2014, said of the event, “the most empowering lesson I took away was the story of Dina Kimble’s journey. Her story inspired me to assert my qualifications and capabilities and take charge of my future. It’s a testament to the growing leadership of women in all industry sectors.

Marina Smith, an estimating administrator at Dutra with nine years of construction industry experience, offered this piece of advice to women who might be considering a career in heavy construction: “Even though it can be intimidating when entering this industry, don’t let that dissuade you from considering a job,” she said. “In my experience, you earn respect if you come into a position prepared to be a part of the conversation and contribute to the team. Also I’ve found that women who choose to work in our field usually make the equivalent or more than their fellow male counterparts.

Dutra Bruce said, “It is an honor and a privilege to work alongside such talented and inspiring women. Their dedication and leadership continue to drive our success at Dutra and make waves across the heavy civil engineering field. Recognizing and celebrating women in STEM is crucial, as their impact and value are immeasurable.

The post Strength in Numbers – Supporting Women in Construction appeared first on The Dutra Group.

Empowering the Next Generation at The Dutra Group

christine — Thu, 09 Jan 2025 10:56:25 +0000

The Dutra Group recognizes the fundamental importance of investing in the next generation of maritime workers. We are committed to providing students with opportunities to gain a foothold in the industry that helps them start their careers.

In addition to on-the-job experience, the interns also get the chance to meet one another and bond as a class. They also get to tour Dutra’s different job sites and operations, including the San Rafael Rock Quarry, the Rio Vista equipment yard, and The Dutra Museum of Dredging.

For 2024, the intern program drew 15 interns, including the two cadets on the Stuyvesant from across the country, making it our largest and most professionally diverse group to date. Working on projects in Florida, Virginia, Hawaii, and at home in the Sacramento Delta and in Petaluma, this years class of interns had the chance to work on some of our most exciting projects.

Vice President of Human Resources Patty Dutra Bruce oversees the program and credits its success to improved outreach by the company, as well as a spreading reputation of Dutra’s intern program amongst student bodies. “Over the past decade, Dutra’s intern program has tripled in size. The commitment of our students matches our own, and the results have been thrilling.”

The program is specifically designed to give undergraduates an opportunity to learn hands-on at job sites. Students pursuing construction management or civil engineering are placed onsite to work alongside full-time employees. Dredging cadets are placed aboard vessels. Others may spend their time in the corporate headquarters. While interns typically spend their summer focusing on a single project, year-to-year projects can vary greatly, and this variety has prompted some former interns to reapply and gain experience in different capacities.

One-on-one mentoring is another highlight of the program. Every intern is assigned a mentor as their direct point of contact in the company. Their mentor acts as their guide as they learn about the challenging work we do. For many mentors, also it provides a chance to gain supervisory experience and an opportunity to connect with the upcoming generation of workers. According to the interns, mentors play a crucial role in the success of their internships, and they are grateful for the professional relationship. As Ryan Murphy, a civil engineering student at Sac State, said regarding his mentor: “He has been entirely supportive and willing to teach from day one. He encourages me to ask questions, take initiative, and has taught me so much”

“The Dutra Group’s average employee tenure is over 15 years,” says Patty. “The company’s emphasis on internal promotion factors into the expansion of its intern program. We are building our own employees and reaching out to students early is an essential way to fill our expanding needs, while also laying the groundwork for creating those long-term employees.”

The Dutra Group is currently looking for its next group of interns! If you are interested, please apply at dutragroup.com/careers.

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The Dutra Group Recruits Top Talent to Build Their Careers

christine — Tue, 18 Jan 2022 18:25:00 +0000

The Dutra Group has been hitting the road on a search for our Interns! With competition for young talent becoming more intense, career fairs are a great way to interact with emerging talent right on their own turf.

The Dutra Group offers an exceptional paid intership program for civil engineering, construction management, mechanical engineering, marine engineering technology, mining engineering, business administration, computer science and information technology (IT) students at accredited colleges and universities. Working algside experienced professionals – estimators, project engineers, superintendents and project managers – our interns gain invaluable, first-hand experience on a wide range of heavy construction and dredging projects. And we provide our interns with feedback on their work!

At The Dutra Group, we build careers by providing opportunities for development. Dutra is about commitment. It’s a function of our people and the character of our brand.

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