I didn't set out to build a construction firm. I set out to solve problems.

When I founded Build Solutions in July 2018, I came with a Master's in Mechanical Engineering and a Project Management Certificate from UCLA. I understood load calculations and project sequencing before I fully understood the Los Angeles permitting landscape. The company was built the way any serious construction firm should be — around technical capability, process discipline, and a clear idea of what clients actually need.

Seven years later, we've delivered healthcare fit-outs, retail buildouts, and industrial projects at $20M+ scale across Los Angeles. We hold WBE, WOSB, DBE, SBE, WBENC, and DBE ACDBE certifications. And we're actively expanding into federal contracting — the next logical step for a firm built on compliance, rigor, and a team that doesn't cut corners.

Women in Construction Week and International Women's Day on March 8 mean something to me — not because they validate what we've built, but because they're a reminder that the conversation about who gets to build in this industry still matters.

— Natalia Piper, CEO & Founder, Build Solutions

LA Has Always Been Built by Women — We Just Didn't Always Say Their Names

Los Angeles has a long history of women shaping its built environment — most of it underacknowledged until recently.

Julia Morgan became the first woman licensed to practice architecture in California and left her mark on this city with the Los Angeles Herald-Examiner building in 1915 — a Beaux Arts landmark that still stands on Broadway. She brought the same precision to a single residence as to a major civic commission, at a time when women in the profession were rare enough to be considered anomalies.

Norma Merrick Sklarek moved to Los Angeles in 1960 and became the first Black woman licensed as an architect in California. She rose to director of architecture at Gruen Associates, coordinating engineering, design, planning, and construction on landmark projects including the Pacific Design Center. In 1985, she co-founded what was then one of the largest woman-owned architecture firms in the country — right here in LA.

Helen Liu Fong, born in Los Angeles to Chinese immigrant parents, worked her way from draftsperson to a defining figure in the city's mid-century commercial architecture. Her designs — including Pann's Coffee Shop on La Tijera Boulevard and Norms on La Cienega — are LA landmarks that have outlasted entire generations of buildings around them.

None of them were celebrated loudly in their time. All of them built things that lasted.

Today, women continue to shape the construction industry across Los Angeles. The Los Angeles Business Journal's 2026 Women of Influence: Construction, Engineering & Architecture list recognizes leaders like Giovanna Brasfield of Brasfield & Associates and Dolores Dueñas of Alpha Structural — women running active contracting firms in the region, driving projects and raising the bar for what construction leadership looks like in this city.

What Women in Construction Week Is Really About

NAWIC created Women in Construction Week to spotlight the contributions women make across the industry and raise awareness of career opportunities that too many people still don't consider. Events run throughout California and nationwide this March 1–7, 2026.

The conversation used to center on whether women could do this work. That debate is settled. The one that matters now is about pipelines — mentorship, equitable access, and making sure capable people aren't filtered out before they ever get the chance to prove themselves on a job site.

Leadership in construction has never been defined by gender. It has always been defined by capability.

What International Women’s Day Means in Construction

International Women's Day generates a lot of noise every year — some meaningful, some performative. We'll skip the noise.

What we'll say instead is this: the most effective way to mark the day is to keep doing the work. Show up prepared. Execute well. Hold the standard. Build things that last — the way the women before us did, and the way we intend to.

What's Next for Build Solutions

Our team of project managers, estimators, engineers, and superintendents has spent over five years executing complex builds across LA — from a nearly $1M contract at Grand Central Market to $20M+ commercial projects in healthcare, retail, and industrial sectors.

Now we're expanding into federal contracting — a space that demands a higher compliance threshold, deeper certification requirements, and a track record that speaks for itself. We have all three.

Los Angeles keeps building. So do we.

Build Solutions is a WBE-certified commercial general contracting firm based in Los Angeles, specializing in healthcare, retail, and industrial construction.

📞 (424) 234-1881  |  ✉ natalia@buildsolutionsgc.com |  buildsolutionsgc.com

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