Click here to see a write up of
Lynn in People Magazine.
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Before Lynn Donohue built walls for a living, she had to tear down a few.
Raised in a working class neighborhood in New Bedford, MA during the 1970's, Lynn entered her teens with virtually no sense of self worth, no life skills, and no plan for her future. A junior high school drop out at the age of 15, Lynn was living out of her car and earning minimum wage as a bar tender at a local biker hang out when she stumbled onto an article in the newspaper about a new training program for women interested in the construction trades. Seizing the opportunity to steer her life in a new direction, she quit the bar and began taking classes towards becoming a professional mason. The brick masonry training taught her to develop inner calm and focus and gave her the structure and purpose she had been searching for her whole life.
Lynn entered the masonry trade as an apprentice and the only woman in her local union, which was dominated by men with little interest in diversity. As a mason's apprentice, she was subjected to harassment from her fellow co-workers on numerous construction sites. Every day she came back to the job with steely determination to get her weekly paycheck on Friday, which was more than she
had earned in a month at the bar. In 1981, Lynn gained recognition for her skills by becoming the first (and to this day only) female apprentice bricklayer to win the state masonry competition. Even after winning the competition, which for a man would have secured his career with the union, Lynn could not get assigned to a crew. Finally, she was able to get the union to give her work on government-funded jobs requiring minority participation.
Lynn loved bricklaying - the rhythm of setting brick upon brick - and the rewards of meaningful work. She became a sponge, learning every aspect of the masonry process including estimating and bidding on jobs. She began reading books on finance, self-improvement and business - and she continued to develop her own skills in every aspect of her work. When the time came for her finally to bid on her own job, she didn't pick a small one. She made an ambitious first bid -- a major drugstore chain was building a new store in a Boston suburb. Lynn won the contract to build the store, without having financing, a truck, or even one employee working under her. But the store got built - on time and on budget.
A believer in the resilience of the will in the face of adversity, Lynn channeled the negativity and discrimination she faced as a woman into a staunch resolve. In 1982, she founded Argus Construction. She hired a crew, many of whom were the same men who tormented her on earlier jobs. Now, she signed their paycheck -- every Friday she put it in their hands personally and thanked them for their contribution
to the success of the job. Eventually, Lynn grew her company into a multi-million dollar operation. Before the age of 40, the former drop out was a millionaire entrepreneur.
Today, Lynn devotes much of her life to taking care of her two children, Kelsey and Daniel, and to giving back to her community. In 2000, Lynn used her wealth and financial independence to found Brick By Brick, a New Bedford-based non-profit organization that helps teenagers foster creativity, and adults struggling with career choices enhance their personal and professional development. Passionate about education, Lynn has returned to school and is working toward her M.B.A. at Lesley College. She is also the author of a critically acclaimed book, Brick By Brick: A Woman's Journey, which was a finalist for the 2001 Ben Franklin Award for best autobiography.
Building still remains central to Lynn's life. As a masonry consultant for a construction material manufacturer, Lynn continues to blaze her path in a world almost exclusively run by men. A leadership and sales motivator, she travels nationally as a speaker, presenting to companies, women's conferences, and
trade associations on the topics of perseverance, positive attitude, and overcoming obstacles to personal and professional success.
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