RTLB Celebrates Women In Construction Week

Women in Construction Week Honoree

Rebuilding Together Long Beach (RTLB) is celebrating Women In Construction Week (March 7-13) by honoring one of our own volunteers, Debbie Marrs-Leisy.

Debbie came to RTLB as a volunteer nearly 15 years ago while she and her husband were successfully managing their family-owned residential remodeling construction company in Long Beach. Debbie credits the success of their construction business to using business coaches, such as Remodelers Advantage, a peer networking group.

In fact, it was at one of the Remodelers Advantage meetings that Rebuilding Together was mentioned, so Debbie looked for a local branch and found RTLB!  “We love Long Beach and wanted to do something to give back and support Long Beach,” Debbie said. “RTLB was happy to have construction savvy people join the organization.”

Debbie has performed many administrative roles not only for her own construction business but also at RTLB. Although she admits she doesn’t hang drywall or wield a nail gun, Debbie has managed RTLB projects as Site Captain and often joined other RTLB volunteers painting a homeowner’s house.

Dr. Debbie!

You might be surprised that Debbie had a different career while she and her husband were building their construction company. Debbie and her husband met in high school and after college, they went overseas to India and Germany where Debbie attended graduate school and earned a Doctorate degree in Chemistry!

Debbie and her husband returned to California where she worked as a chemist for 20 years. Meanwhile, she and her husband built their residential remodeling construction company. In 2002, Debbie partnered with her husband full-time in their construction company.

Volunteering at RTLB

Volunteering at RTLB was an easy choice for Debbie. “I was impressed with the people, no egos, and everyone wanted to help Long Beach. They were all sharp people,” Debbie remembers.  “We were painting a Boys & Girls Club. I was Site Captain, and it was drizzling and dreary outside, but all these volunteers came out and were in good spirits.”

“I remember another day when it was beautiful outside and I thought,  all these college kids are spending their entire day painting the house of someone they didn’t know instead of being at the beach. You hear about the negative aspects of society, then you see the positive side of society and how people want to help each other. It gives you a very good feeling.”

Debbie remembers a homeowner who was wheelchair-bound and had no access out of his house. “He was stuck in his house 24/7! We ended up putting a concrete pad in the back yard and he was able to go out to the backyard where he hadn’t been for years and years and years and he started crying, thankful to be outside of his house.”

Debbie added, “These aren’t big things, but they make you feel good about what you are doing.”

Congratulations to Debbie Marr-Leisy as RTLB honors you during Women in Construction Week.