This Women in Construction Week, McCarthy Improvement is proud to highlight Sonia Sundstedt, Corporate Secretary, who is celebrating 30 years with MCI this April. Over three decades, Sonia’s career reflects both personal growth and the steady evolution of the company she helped shape.
At the time Sonia joined McI, her background was in academia, where her closest connection to construction was through urban planning studies. What she did bring with her were strong administrative skills, a love of learning, and experience handling confidential information. These skills would prove invaluable as she built her career within the company.
Construction quickly captured her interest. “I loved that construction was fast paced, endlessly changing, and no workday was ever the same,” Sonia says. With the support of the company and the opportunities provided along the way, she grew from an administrative role into an officer at McCarthy Improvement.
Throughout the many changes and milestones MCI has experienced over the years, Sonia says one thing has always remained constant: the company’s can-do attitude.
She has also had a front-row seat to some of the company’s most pivotal moments. Major projects in Georgia, including work on I-85 and being shortlisted as a contractor for Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, were particularly significant. These opportunities played an important role in expanding the company’s reach and helped secure McCarthy Improvement’s place on Engineering News-Record’s Top 400 Contractors list.
While the industry has changed significantly over the past three decades, Sonia remembers a time when bidding looked very different. Before electronic submissions, bids often meant late nights in the office assembling paperwork and sending stacks of faxes.
“One night for an Illinois bid, we had everyone there all night long because we were bidding so many projects,” she recalls. “What stuck with me is the dedication and the camaraderie, and maybe some leftover RedBull still in my veins… It was truly a team effort.”
That sense of teamwork is something Sonia continues to value and encourage. When asked what advice she would give to young women considering a career in construction, her message is clear:
“Learn everything you can and hold your ground. I had crisis management training, so I could deal with different personality types and defuse tough situations. Be part of the team and give people grace. Field work is demanding, and people aren’t always at their best.”
Looking ahead, Sonia hopes McCarthy continues to embrace innovation, partnership, and employee input as projects grow larger. But she also hopes the company never loses something that has always stood out to her.
“What I always loved walking into the office was the optimism,” she says. “No matter how bad things were, if you asked a member of the family how things were going, it was never ‘okay’ or ‘fine,’ it was always ‘great.’ I hope that doesn’t change.”
As McCarthy Improvement celebrates Sonia’s 30-year milestone, her story reflects the dedication, adaptability, and team spirit that continue to drive the company forward.
