A native of India, Sandya Dandamudi, president of Chicago-based commercial stone contractor GI Stone, says that she has achieved the fabled “American Dream,” furthering the success of the company her mother founded.
How successful is GI Stone today? Dandamudi’s company has provided materials and interior work on such high-profile developments as One Bennett Park, Optima Signature, No.9 Walton, Fulton East, The Ritz-Carlton Chicago and the Tribune Tower Residences.
But success for Dandamudi isn’t just about building a thriving business. She also takes time to support her industry and others trying to grow their own careers. Dandamudi supports pre-apprentice programs like those offered at St. Paul Community Development Ministries, which expose primarily underserved populations to the stone-setting trades, offering apprenticeships whenever possible and recently hiring the first female to join Chicago’s Stone Masons Unit Local 21 as a marble finisher in 20 years. Dandamudi is also one of the founding members of Chicago’s new SAIRE (South Asians in Real Estate) networking group, which launched in May of this year.
We recently spoke with Dandamudi about SAIRE, her own busy career and the opportunities for South Asians to advance in the commercial real estate industry. Here is some of what she had to say.
Sandya Dandamudi (Photo courtesy of GI Stone.)
Why was this the right time to form SAIRE?
Sandya Dandamudi: When I first started in this field, there were very few people who looked like me. There were some bankers, some real estate agents. But there weren’t many in this particular field who looked like me. Over the years, I slowly started meeting people who were South Asian. That has been wonderful. But right now, even in this world of diversity and inclusion, I think that we are being overlooked.
I see a lot of young South Asian people in entry-level positions. It is important that we serve as an uplifting and empowering force. We want to help these young people navigate the ropes. We want to provide the help that we didn’t get. If we can help these people succeed, we can strengthen our industry and the presence of South Asians in it.
Too often, young people get to a certain level in this industry and then they quit. They are not getting to the C-suite level. We’d like to support them and help them reach their ambitions. We want to make sure that we can all get a seat at the table and a piece of the pie.
What are some of the next steps for SAIRE?
Dandamudi: We had our kick-off meeting May 8. That was the culmination of about a year of planning and meeting among ourselves. We needed to fine-tune our mission statement. We went through a lot of brainstorming and discussions about what we wanted to accomplish.
We are now planning a list of what we want to do. We are planning a happy hour so that we can all get to know each other. We are also planning on volunteering as a group. It is very important that we are seen not just as an active supporter of each other but also the community. We don’t want to just gather around and eat Indian food. It is more than that.
One of our members is contacting the City of Chicago procurement department to set up a training class for people who want to get certified. We are going to end the year with a panel discussion. We are determining what the topic of that discussion will be. We are no longer just seven people getting together. We are now a larger group.
You mentioned that when you first started in this business, you encountered very few people from South Asian countries. Is this changing?
Dandamudi: A little. I am seeing more younger people than I’ve seen before. When Indians arrived in this country in the ‘70s, they often worked as engineers. In the ‘90s, they often worked as doctors. In the 2000s, they were nurses. Now many are working in IT. Indians who have come to this country, then, have not always chosen a career in construction. Now I do see more people choosing to get into construction, something that I never saw a lot of before. Today, construction seems to be more attractive to all people, not just South Asian people.
Why have so many people immigrating here from South Asian countries not chosen construction as a career?
Dandamudi: I’ve been in this field for about 30 years. It’s a community. I feel like I belong to a pack. I think that is phenomenal. The people in this industry are great. We all yell at each other in the daytime and have a beer together at night. For someone looking at this from the outside, it can be intimidating. There’s just a different culture in commercial real estate.
How important, then, is mentoring to persuade more South Asian people to consider careers in construction?
Dandamudi: It is so important. Personally, I have gotten over my own embarrassment of serving as a mentor. It took me a while. But we who have been in this industry have a huge responsibility to mentor others. I want to be able to inspire others. I run a woman-owned business. I am South Asian. And I work in a very traditional male world and a very traditional white world. The responsibility to show others that there is a place for them in this industry is very important.
What inspired you to build a career in this field?
Dandamudi: My mother started GI Stone. She was an interior designer. I had no intention of ever working with her. But I was between jobs. I’d go to the office to study. I wanted to get a REALTOR®’s license. I just got sucked into this business, though, from being around it. It’s the best thing I’ve ever done. It’s amazing how passion can find you. I didn’t know anything about stone. Today, I’m an expert.
My mom was and always will be my inspiration. Unlike me, who has had the privilege of a lot of education, my mother only has a high-school degree. And look at what she did.
What do you enjoy about working in the construction industry?
Dandamudi: I love the sense of belonging. I love my job. I love being part of building the Chicago skyline. I also like the constant innovation in this business. Where are we going next? That is always the question. I like seeing the transformation of a space. I always tell the people I am working with that they are building the building, but I am putting the dress on the lady. I also like the people I work with. People have a lot of integrity in this business.
Why has GI Stone been so successful in this business for so long?
Dandamudi: Our company is very client-centric. My mom played a key role, too. She is an interior designer. She understood design speak when she talked with others about aesthetics. She also had a tremendous amount of willpower. I hope that I have inherited that from her.
What are some of the projects that have stuck out in your mind?
Dandamudi: I love the city of Chicago skyline. When people visit, they want to see the Willis Tower. But I like to show them the buildings we’ve worked on. One of the ones that stands out to me is the Tribune Tower. We worked on the entire interior rehab of Tribune Tower. Then there is One Bennett Park. That is such a beautiful building.
The most poignant one we did, though, was an affordable housing project for Related Midwest. Related wanted to give affordable housing a market-rate appearance. We worked on the interiors for that project. I was there one day when I heard people screaming down the hallway. They were screaming with joy. They came back to this beautiful brand-new apartment, and they were so excited. There has never been anything equal to seeing people react like that.
