Women in the Asphalt and Construction Business: Cidalia Luis-Akbar

BY DELARA BAKHTYARI

From left, founders and daughters Albertina Luis, Natalia Luis, Manuel Luis and Cidalia Luis-Akbar. Montgomery Magazine.

As a 14-year-old girl, Cidalia Luis-Akbar never imagined she would one day own three businesses, especially in construction and asphalt. How did she get there?  With full determination and an open mind, she made it happen. 

Cidalia’s parents were immigrants who started a small family road construction business when they arrived in the United States. As a teenager, Cidalia and her sister spent summers, weekends, and even time before and after school, doing invoicing and accounting. Since her father did not speak much English, Cidalia would go door-to-door with her dad to ask for work. This helped her learn the importance of communication. At that time, there were not many women in construction, but now, she and her sister run their family’s company as equal owners. Working alongside her father as a kid helped shape Cidalia’s journey to becoming a successful business owner. 

Funny enough, Cidalia never thought she would work in construction. She always pictured herself in education or diplomacy. After receiving her graduate degree in economics and Spanish, she became more interested in joining the family business. Cidalia now owns three different companies: a heavy highway road construction company, an asphalt manufacturing facility, and a recycling material and crushing facility.

She shares that “the industry has changed a lot since I started.” There are many more women in construction today than in the past, but when she and her sister started, they were among the few. She found it exciting to break barriers. There have always been women in “vertical construction” (building tall structures), but not as many in “horizontal construction” (roads and bridges). That made her even more determined to join the industry and to succeed. 

Even now, every single day, Cidalia feels underestimated because she is a woman, but she does not let this bring her down or interfere with her work. In fact, she leverages it as a superpower. She uses it as an advantage by “steering the conversation to the direction [she] wants to go”. She pushes through challenges and stays motivated knowing that her success helps open doors for other women in the industry. Her favorite part of the job? The people. She considers her employees her “work family” and especially loves being an inspiration to other women.

Her advice to young female entrepreneurs? “Make a difference. When you empower women with economic freedom and independence, you change society.” She also believes the key to success is staying focused, working hard, leading by example and staying humble. 

Cidalia’s journey wasn’t a straight path, but every challenge and experience helped her grow into the successful business owner she is today. Her story proves that with hard work and confidence, you can be successful in any field, even in a field where not many people expect you to.