First female chair demonstrates a commitment to safety; a talent for making connections
Lesa Lacey has always been a bridge builder and a champion of inclusion. Since Day One as the first female chair of the B.C. Construction Safety Alliance (BCCSA), she’s been leveraging those strengths to ensure that every sector of the province’s construction industry is heard at the Alliance table.
Lacey and her husband Erik are co-owners of Lacey Construction Ltd., a full-service contractor founded in 1999 focused primarily on custom residential projects in the Fraser Valley. She’s been active in attending industry events and volunteering for positions that include BCCSA board member representing the Canadian Home Builders’ Association of BC (CHBA BC).
“I’m passionate about connecting people and also connecting them to resources such as the high-calibre material and support provided by the BCCSA,” she says. “That’s why I’m so excited to take on this position. I’m a from a small town where everybody knows everybody else, and I want to bring that same level of connectedness to the member organizations represented on the board of the BCCSA, so that we know what their concerns are and that they know what we can offer.”
CHBA BC CEO Neil Moody first appointed Lacey to the BCCSA board in 2018. She has served the organization as president of the Canadian Home Builders’ Association (CHBA), Fraser Valley. She also sat on the CHBA BC education committee, the CHBA BC Renovator’s Council and on CHBA national committees.
“In nominating her to the BCCSA board we were looking for someone we could rely on to demonstrate commitment to residential construction, to the industry and to safety,” Moody says. “In everything she does, Lesa is inquisitive, detailed and meticulous. We understand that she’s the first female chair of the BCCSA, but we also know that she was confirmed in that position because she was the best person to take on that role.”
BCCSA executive director, Mike McKenna, says he was confident that Lacey would be a good candidate for chair from the moment she was nominated for the position.
“Past chair Kevin Mierau also expressed confidence in the abilities she had already demonstrated through her work on behalf of the board,” he says. “For the Alliance, Lesa’s connection with our homebuilder employer members and her ability to thread the needle with all the other associations we represent are considerable assets to our organization.”
Tammy Oliver, senior director of the BCCSA, is the Alliance’s top-ranking female executive and has worked with Lacey for the past four years.
“Lesa has shown nothing but commitment and dedication in her involvement with the BCCSA,” she says. “She’s not only talented, she’s fun to work with. I’m grateful not only that she stepped up to take on the role of our first female chair, but for the wealth of construction experience — homebuilding in particular — that she brings with her.”
She notes that Lacey is well known for her commitment to employment inclusion and her advocacy for the participation of women in the industry. She’s been a volunteer at Skills BC events supporting women in trades and worked with the Industry Training Authority to develop a best practices guide designed to help employers hire and retain female workers.
Lacey notes that she’s proud to be the Alliance’s first female chair.
“But I never felt I was singled out in that way,” she says. “I’ve always felt that I’m here first as someone who is committed to construction safety.”
This content is an Industry Special by BCCSA in collaboration with ConstructConnect™ Media. To learn more about BCCSA, visit www.bccsa.ca.
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