Meet Elaine King James
Elaine King James entered the trucking business with no expectations beyond those she had set for herself – to do it all, to be realistic about challenges and to leave time and space for the people who mattered most.
She believed there were opportunities for women in a male-dominated field, and started E. King Construction Company in 1999 with one truck. Today, she has 21 trucks and 36 employees. In that time, she has learned to take the bitter with the sweet and fight the battles worth fighting. Since 2021, the “sweet” for this Chicago born and bred entrepreneur has been working on the Obama Presidential Center project, hauling dirt in and out of the site since the project began.
For Women’s History Month, Lakeside Alliance spoke with Elaine about her journey in construction, overcoming challenges as a woman in a male-dominated field and more:
How did you get to where you are today?
I worked for years as a dispatcher. I said to myself, “I’m putting in a lot of time and a lot of hours. If I can do it for you, I can do it for me.” I waited for my daughter to start high school, and that’s when I started out on my own. I went into construction because it was easier to manage than rails – it shuts down at a specific time and there are typically no weekends. Of course, when I first started, I couldn’t quit my job because there was no money to pay me. I worked the job I previously had Sundays, Mondays, and Tuesdays from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. I’ve now been in business for 25 years!
Tell us about your role at the company. What are some of your primary responsibilities?
I do everything – I dispatch, I order parts, I pick up parts. I make sure the office is running right and everyone comes to work. I wear all hats!
What is something you like to do to motivate your teams?
I talk to them and treat them nicely. I treat them exactly how I wanted to be treated when I worked for someone else. One guy has been here for 23 years. You haven’t been here 23 years if you aren’t treated well! All [my employees] have years like that – 23, 21, 18 years.
What have been your greatest challenges as a woman in this industry? How did you overcome them?
I’ve worked on jobs where I found out that I’m getting paid less than a man. I confronted them, and said ‘I asked for this same amount. You told me you couldn’t pay that to me. We’re doing the same job, same amount of trucks. Why is he getting more?’ And nobody could say anything in defense. So, they gave me the money and they retroed it so I received what I was owed.
What does it mean to you personally to participate in this project?
It has created a lot of opportunities. I love President Obama. Love him! I have a big picture of him in my house like I know him or something, right up there with my family. I was so touched when he got elected and I can’t wait to go visit the Center once it’s open.
“I do everything – I dispatch, I order parts, I pick up parts…I wear all hats!”