Coty Fournier

When Coty Fournier made her decision to pursue a career in construction, it was influenced by two completely unrelated but powerful factors.

“When I was in college at Michigan State University, I was in the proverbial freshman-don’t-know-what-I-want-to-do situation. One reason I picked construction management was, second only to chemical engineering, it was the highest average salary out of school,” says the senior vice president and shareholder at Fort Lauderdale-based Miller Construction Co.

“Second, I had a desire to be around the fewest women possible. It was something that would have very few women in it. At that time — in all of my immaturity when I was 18 — I didn’t want to be around women. At the time, relationships with women were more difficult, and relationships with men were easier. I feel very differently about it now. Now, I very much value my relationships with my female colleagues.”

Fournier graduated Summa Cum Laude from Michigan State University in 1990, earning a bachelor’s degree in building construction management. She went to work as a field engineer with Turner Construction Co. and quickly advanced through various project management roles.

Before joining Miller Construction, Fournier was national manager of construction administration for Blockbuster Entertainment Corp., which gave her some exposure to other aspects of commercial real estate.

“I was working for a real estate developer. I got to learn a little about a lot of things like leasing, property management, design and construction, and purchasing related to the retail world,” she says.

“When I came to Miller, I was going back to the world of general contracting — but in a smaller, more intimate environment. Miller has such a strong name for the commercial design-build market. We do some development, but not very much. But because of my role, I have to interface with developers every day.”

At Miller, Fournier is responsible for revenue generation in excess of $60 million annually. She works to identify and develop the company’s client base, assess their needs and lead negotiation of contracts.

“I’ve been able to capitalize on being one of the few women who are highly successful in the industry. That’s what keeps me going. Right now, it’s still a novelty. There’s still a lot of frontier to be settled — a number of trails to be blazed,” she says.

Fournier is president of CREW Fort Lauderdale/Palm Beach and is an active member of NAIOP, The Broward Alliance, and Associated Builders and Contractors. She is an accomplished professional speaker and has served a number of community organizations including the Connie & Jo DeLetis Scholarship Fund, the Broward County Youth Mentoring Program, Hallandale Adult Alternative School, United Way of Broward County, and the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. She also serves as a personal growth mentor for teenage girls.

Fournier says she plans to stay at Miller Construction for some time to come. She purchased about 3.5% of the stock a couple of years ago and plans to buy more as she can afford it.

“One of my personal goals is to become the CEO of Miller when the current CEO chooses to retire to the chairman of the board position,” she says. “I have no intention of leaving the commercial real estate industry, and as long as I’m in South Florida, there’s no other company I would work for.”