Nora Spencer may have started her career with Lowe’s as a corporate associate, but it was in a store tool department where she really fell in love with home improvement and skilled trades.
“I used the employee discount as a segue into learning power tools and various products and materials that Lowe’s had to offer,” Spencer said.
After buying her first power tool, Spencer started pouring even more time and energy into improving the skills she was already building during remodel and renovation projects she was doing on the side. It was during this time she really began to see a gap in the skilled trades industry.
“Even though there was a lot of interest in pursuing work in the trades, I recognized there was a skills gap along with a negative perception of women’s opportunities in the field,” Spencer said. “As women, we tend to think of the trades as a ‘boys club’, and we don’t typically have as many opportunities as men to learn those skills.”
So in 2017, Spencer set out to create a remedy. She founded the nonprofit organization Hope Renovations where she teaches women construction skills and helps empower them to take on DIY projects – for themselves and others. Spencer took on the role of founder and CEO of Hope Renovations full-time, but always kept Lowe’s close to her heart.
Knowing skilled trades education is a focus area for Lowe’s, Spencer reached back out to her former employer to combine forces. Through grants and tool donations, Lowe’s was able to lend a helping hand to Hope Renovations and the women it empowers.
“We’re pretty unique, because we’re not just helping women find their way into the trades, we’re also helping seniors age in place,” Spencer said. “Our trainees get to work alongside our all-female construction crews out in the community, carrying out repairs and renovations for older adults and people with disabilities. It’s a win-win.”
This year, Hope Renovations and its group of women were able to finish three projects this year as part of their “Aging in Place” construction program benefitting low-income seniors.
