Linda Rabbitt – Gritty & Determined Leader (#44)

Linda Rabbitt and John Coe Bio Linda Rabbitt founded rand* construction in 1989 and was one of very few female leaders in the industry at the time. She is still an active leader as Owner and Chair of the Board of Directors, and serves as a resource to the new CEO, leadership, and management teams as they work to advance the vision and strategies for rand’s future.  Under her leadership, rand grew from being a small tenant interiors firm into a $400+ million national multi-market construction corporation. Her knowledge of the industry and professional experience has enabled rand to deliver award-winning work for a vast client base. With a focus on networking, innovation, quality, and customer service.   Linda serves on the Board of Directors of the Economic Club of Washington, DC, acting as a Trustee of George Washington University, and working as a Director of the International Women’s Forum, she served on the Federal Reserve Board – Richmond, and on the Board of Directors for Brookfield Properties.  Furthermore, she is a Horatio Alger Award winner and is featured by sponsoring a program at Harvard Business School teaching women to excel in business and how to join corporate boards. Named as one of the “100 Most Powerful Women in DC” by Washingtonian Magazine and “Outstanding Director” by the Washington Business Journal, Linda continues to push the bar for Women’s causes and achievements in business.   A graduate of George Washington University with a Master of Arts, and a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Michigan, she is at heart a teacher and a visionary for advancing the next generation of leaders through education. She enjoys philanthropy, history, traveling the world, and spending time with her five grandsons.  Show Notes Current Role Founder Planning to make company “multi-generational” comparing to other contractors- Clark, Hitt and Davis (4:30)She is the strategist (5:00) Origins & Education Childhood- Born and lived in Suburban Detroit (5:45)Grosse Pointe Woods and then Bloomfield Hills, MI (6:00)Father immigrated from Germany in 1925 and became an automotive engineer working for Chrysler Corp. (6:15)19 patents with Briggs and ChryslerMother was a 2nd generation immigrant from Italy (7:20)Parents met at Briggs Corp (predecessor of Chrysler Corp.) (7:55)Father was very disciplined and Mother was the networker and social person (8:40)Diligence from Father and people skills from Mother (9:00)High School at Bloomfield Hills H.S. (10:00)Attended University of Michigan (10:30)Mother wanted her to be a school teacher and marry a doctor or another successful person (11:15)Women were expected to think about teaching or nursing (12:00)Was there during the disruption times in the late 1960s when the students were revolting due to the Vietnam War (13:00)How did we make it? Cities burning including Detroit at the time she was in college. (14:15)Watched the tumultuous times and developed the desire to “make a difference” (14:35)Moved to Washington DC right out of college to be with a boyfriend and looked for a teac...