This featured guest piece is an excerpt of our October 2024 newsletter.

Dear MCSW Community:  

It is a pleasure for me to welcome in October – Women’s Small Business Month, among other things – as this month’s featured guest author. As the President and CEO of Chicopee Industrial Contractors (CIC), a local company in Western Massachusetts providing rigging/relocation and millwright, transportation services to (primarily) the manufacturing sector, and more, I know what it means to operate a business in a primarily male dominated field while supporting all workers regardless of gender, age, race, orientation, or creed.

32 years ago, when we first opened our doors, this was not a primarily male world – it was a total male world. I entered the industry – in a recession (1992), with Workers Comp rates skyrocketing and companies closing – a time when rates were set without the knowledge or understanding of how a mod rate was calculated, a world in which accidents were more common than not. A world with an abundance of available workers and an industry that was not known for respecting the worker.

But I was determined to do business differently. To work hard, to take care of one another.

In 2005, my company CIC was just 13 years old. I was tapping the glass ceiling, with only a few minor cracks. We had been named Business of the Year by our local Chamber, and the next year we were named Business of the year by the Trustees at our local bank. But on November 23, 2005 – my life changed. My first granddaughter was born, and as I held her and told that baby how much I loved her – I told her she could be anything she wanted to be – a Ballerina or the CEO of a Rigging Company.

I remember like it was yesterday – and the light that went off in my head – that I owed it not only to my granddaughter to pay it forward – but to all young women who could learn from my story and chase their dreams. This path has certainly not been easy, but as the owner of a business, I could control salaries and treatment of women in my organization – but I knew that was not the case for many or most women. It was then that I started to use my voice. It was then that my values of equity and equality became my mantra of my everyday life.

It was also then that I became involved with the many women organizations I support and volunteer with. I am honored to be a current State Commissioner with the Massachusetts Commission on the Status of Women (MCSW), appointed by Governor Charlie Baker in 2022, representing the Hampshire-Franklin region of our great Commonwealth.

When asked about the impact I have made throughout my life and career, I think about something Mother Theresa once said: “Not all of us can do great things, but we can do small things great.”

I cannot compare myself to Dorothea Dix or Oprah Winfrey or my hero Gloria Steinman– because I didn’t break any glass ceilings – but I do think I put pin holes in them for the many that will come behind me.

And small things like that truly lead to great things when we all work together.

I was fortunate to have help along the way in my journey.  The many employees who have worked at CIC, who stood by me during difficult times. Professional colleagues who helped deepen my resolve. People – like my first granddaughter, Julia – and my second, Bella – who gave me inspiration.  I know not everyone has family and friends who can help with the small things – let alone the big ones.

So, I will leave you with this challenge. I make it a point to ask you to help other women whenever and wherever you can. Not just financially, but by being there for them, giving advice when asked, or just an ear or a shoulder when needed. I implore each of you to not only create a support system for yourself, but to be a part of other’s support systems, of friendship, mentorship, building strong networks – so that you and your daughters and granddaughters can tell a story of success – your success and helping others achieve theirs.

To that end, I encourage you to join us on October 22, 2024 at the Old Chapel at UMass Amherst for a hybrid public hearing. Join us in person or tune in online, but be sure to make your voice heard. Here at the #MCSW, we care deeply about the issues facing women and girls across the state, and your input will directly inform our legislative priorities for the years to come.

Because after all, it’s the small things that truly lead to great things when we all work together.

Best wishes, 
Carol Campbell 
MCSW State Commissioner