Stephanie Hall becomes first female CEO of 93-year-old J & D Rack Excavation

Stephanie Hall, CIT, has been named the first female and first non-family CEO of J & D Rack Excavation, a 93-year-old excavation firm in Cincinnati. Her appointment highlights a long career in construction leadership, women’s mentorship and efforts to broaden representation in the trades.

Why it matters: - Stephanie Hall’s appointment marks a rare leadership shift in a long-running construction company and adds another high-profile example of women advancing into top roles in the trades. - Her career also puts a spotlight on the industry’s ongoing gender gap and the value of mentorship, workforce development and visible role models.

What happened: - Stephanie Hall, CIT, became the first female and first non-family CEO of J & D Rack Excavation in January 2024. - J & D Rack Excavation is a 93-year-old excavation company based in the Cincinnati area. - Hall joined J & D Rack Excavation in 2023 and now leads operations with a fourth-generation family business partner. - Influential Women is featuring Hall as part of its platform highlighting women’s leadership and perspectives.

The details: - Hall has more than 26 years of experience in construction. - She was the only female student in shop and drafting classes early in her career. - Hall earned three degrees from the University of Cincinnati in Construction Management, Architectural Engineering and Civil Engineering. - She completed a postgraduate program at Clemson University and earned the Construction Industry Technician designation. - Her career includes repeated firsts as a woman serving as project engineer and project manager at multiple firms. - Her project experience includes K-12 schools, luxury resorts and multi-million-dollar Disney development projects in Orlando, Florida. - In 2010, Hall returned to Cincinnati to serve as president of D.A.G. Construction. - Hall expanded D.A.G. Construction from a small family-owned business into a larger regional competitor. - She later worked at Crestpoint Development, where she managed private client construction projects. - Hall serves on the Outreach Committee for the Spirit of Construction Foundation. - She has also held advisory roles with universities and industry organizations. - Hall regularly appears at career fairs and educational events to meet students, often in hard hat and boots. - More information is available through Hall’s Influential Women profile.

Between the lines: - Hall’s path reflects how technical training, early field experience and executive leadership can combine into a long construction career. - Her emphasis on mentorship suggests the industry still relies heavily on informal support networks to help women advance. - Her public outreach work shows a strategy built around visibility, with the goal of making construction careers feel more accessible to young women. - Hall describes resilience, “thick skin” and a strong professional network as central to navigating skepticism in a male-dominated field.

What’s next: - Hall is focused on guiding J & D Rack Excavation through continued growth while preserving the company’s legacy. - She plans to keep mentoring young professionals, including the children of her business partner. - Hall intends to keep pushing outreach efforts that encourage more women and young people to consider construction careers.

The bottom line: - Hall’s rise to CEO is both a leadership milestone and a recruiting message: construction still has room to broaden who gets a seat at the table.