1022015 Construction isnrsquot just for men Two women share their success with Boukus shy The Bristol Press Bristol Press

httpwwwcentralctcommunicationscombristolpressarticle_a6d8e13ashy68a6shy11e5shy920fshydfa5166a0106html 16

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Construction isnrsquot just for menTwo women share their successwith Boukus

Posted Thursday October 1 2015 941 pm

PLAINVILLE mdash State Rep Betty Boukus continued hertour of local femaleshyrun small businesses Thursdaystopping at Network Interiors Inc and visiting a homerenovation overseen by TWM Construction

ldquoIt is important to see women in nontraditional rolesrdquoexplained Boukus ldquoMen work with the women who ownthese two businesses without problems and they areboth very successfulrdquo

First Boukus visited Melissa Sheffy who startedNetwork Interiors Inc 24 years ago in Southington withher late husband Jay Casserino After he died of cancerin 1998 she became the sole owner Then six yearsago after speaking with Director of Planning andEconomic Development Mark Devoe she moved to hercurrent Plainville location She is now married toSouthington attorney Anthony Alan Sheffy and has threechildren

ldquoI got a business degree at the University of Pittsburghbut when I first got out of college I couldnrsquot get a jobrdquoshe said ldquoI eventually picked up an electrical contractorjob and then I became the secretary of a drywallcompany Whenever I meet kids I tell them that theyshould never think that they are above a position Whenthere is a door open you should take it Six months in tothe secretary job I asked to be promoted to bookkeeperWhenever someone left I asked if I could take over theirjob If I didnrsquot know how to do it I said I could learn Themost important thing to remember is the more you learnthe more you will earn Eventually I was able to takethat experience and start my own businessrdquo

Sheffy said she has 55 employees which she sends outto work on metal frames drywall commercial projectsand health centers The latter two she said were addedto diversify the company during the 2008 economicrecession Locally Network Interiors Inc helped to build

Posted on Oct 1 2015by Brian Johnson

Previous Next

Female business ownersRay Shaw | Special to the Press

Melissa Sheffy owner of Network Interiors Inc in Plainville

1022015 Construction isnrsquot just for men Two women share their success with Boukus shy The Bristol Press Bristol Press

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Sheffy said she has made it her mission to pass on theskills of the construction trade to the next generation ofworkers To this end she has worked closely for manyyears with Southington high school students through ajob shadow program Thursday she met with SueBradley Plainvillersquos College and Career ReadinessCenter Coordinator to discuss becoming involved in asimilar program in town

ldquoBuildings have to be built here they canrsquot beoutsourcedrdquo she said ldquoConstruction is an industry thatneeds young people with ambition drive and a workethic College is great but rather than spending$200000 you can do a fourshyyear apprenticeship and geta badass truck and often no debts because mostemployers will pay for the apprenticeshiprdquo

Next Boukus stopped into a home on Maple Streetwhich Tabitha WazorkoshyManafort owner of TWMConstruction and a former math teacher and athleticdirector was in the process of reshypainting and reshyfurbishing The building once belonged to a town doctor

In the 12 years that she has owned her constructionbusiness WazorkoshyManafort said her sex has neverlimited her

ldquoIt was hard at first to make people realize that Irsquom notlsquojust a chickrsquo but Irsquove always been a tomboyrdquo she said ldquoIplayed a lot of sports growing up and I studied math incollege which at the time was a maleshydominatedsubject I have never seen another female in this

business but I have been very fortunate with the guys Irsquove worked with Most of them are local people who haveworked with me for 10 yearsrdquo

WazorkoshyManafort said her late father Tom Wazorko a longshytime member of the Board of Education and aVietnam War veteran taught her not to cut corners She said she takes great care to not only bring buildings up tosafety code but also to preserve some of the more artistic design elements She also takes care to save any familyphotographs or other sentimental items that she or her workers might find and send them to the family

ldquoFor someone to say that they want to invest what is often their life savings in something you work on is the highestcompliment you can getrdquo she said ldquoI want to be able to look people in the eye and feel proud of what I dordquo

As a final touch and a tribute to her fatherrsquos service WozorkoshyManafort places an American Flag outside of everyrenovated home she completes

Brian M Johnson can be reached at 860shy973shy1806 or bjohnsonbristolpresscom

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Posted in Bristolpress News Plainville on Thursday October 1 2015 941 pm | Tags Construction Female

Owners Female Business Owners Nontraditional Roles Female

1022015 Construction isnrsquot just for men Two women share their success with Boukus shy The Bristol Press Bristol Press

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1022015 Construction isnrsquot just for men Two women share their success with Boukus shy The Bristol Press Bristol Press

httpwwwcentralctcommunicationscombristolpressarticle_a6d8e13ashy68a6shy11e5shy920fshydfa5166a0106html 46

1022015 Construction isnrsquot just for men Two women share their success with Boukus shy The Bristol Press Bristol Press

httpwwwcentralctcommunicationscombristolpressarticle_a6d8e13ashy68a6shy11e5shy920fshydfa5166a0106html 56

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1022015 Construction isnrsquot just for men Two women share their success with Boukus shy The Bristol Press Bristol Press

httpwwwcentralctcommunicationscombristolpressarticle_a6d8e13ashy68a6shy11e5shy920fshydfa5166a0106html 56

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Plastic Surgeons Fuming

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1022015 Construction isnrsquot just for men Two women share their success with Boukus shy The Bristol Press Bristol Press

httpwwwcentralctcommunicationscombristolpressarticle_a6d8e13ashy68a6shy11e5shy920fshydfa5166a0106html 66

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