Carissa C Warner: Breaking the ceiling in the construction industry
By Kenicia Francis
“The only thing a man has over a woman is physical strength,” claims Carissa C Warner, owner of C Warner Design.
She is an interior designer, construction project manager, and a general businesswoman hailing from Christian Hill. She created her own company approximately nine years ago.
She explained, “Here in Antigua, men were not used to seeing women in the field.”
It made her study and research twice as much to gain the confidence needed to “be very firm but not seen as a difficult woman”.
Carissa told Observer, “My teachers always said I couldn’t keep still so I knew I couldn’t be in an office.”
That fuelled her to pursue a career in architecture.
She was introduced to interior design at 17 by her boss at the time, and fell in love with it because, “There’s always something new and exciting. Always a learning experience and a challenge for myself.”
So she switched from architecture to interior design and went to London to study at 19 years old.
Her parents claimed she was always destined for the field of construction.
Apparently, she played by building little houses in their backyard or observing whenever anyone had construction going on in their village.
Her path to success wasn’t without its hurdles.
At the age of 12 she tried to take building tech and technical drawing at Pares Secondary School. But her teachers protested, insisting that the girls do home economics.
“So I said no. My dad can teach me how to cook at home,” Carissa recalled.
That wasn’t the only hurdle. When she was first getting into the field, most of the male contractors looked down on her.
However, due to being one of few local interior designers with a degree, and the ambitious projects she’s completed, Carissa has become the only local member of the British Institute of Interior Design.
“Because of the projects I have done, the men in the field respect me now,” she said. “Matter of fact I have male contractors, some who have been in the field longer than me, calling for advice.”
Said projects include renovating the KFC on Fort Rd and the APUA INET building on old Parham Rd, in addition to designing and retrofitting an office building for C Tech, a British-based business.
She is currently working on 10 beach cottages and two private homes.
Today, her daily routine consists of, “a lot of emails to suppliers around the world, phone calls to workmen, tilers, electricians …Then I plan my site visits, usually two to three of them in one day. Most times a quick stop to the hardware store”.
One piece of advice she has for women trying to start their own company is, “write your finances down… how much you’re spending on gas, food, clothes you’re buying for work…it lets you see where to make adjustments so you can budget better”.
She similarly suggested planning ahead to create one’s own opportunities.
“When my girlfriends would choose a place just to lime, I would choose to go elsewhere because even in my leisure time I’m always thinking of how can I plant a seed,” she said.
“I went to a particular bar to network five years ago, and someone I met at that bar just hired me because that was a seed I planted.”
In closing she stated, “Women fought for years for equal rights and equality, and now we’re getting it.”
