Submitted photo Brianna Loomis of Bemus Point is pictured with a Komatsu PC800 excavator she will learn to operate working for CaHill Resources at the new Buffalo Bills stadium site.

ASHVILLE — When Brianna Loomis walks across the stage to accept her Career & Technical Education endorsement through E2CCB, she’ll be doing so as one of the first female high school students in the state to carry with her a commercial driver’s license.

She will also be the first local student graduate to start working construction on the new Buffalo Bills stadium.

The soon-to-be Bemus Point graduate enrolled in the Conservation/Natural Resources Management program through Erie 2-Chautauqua-Cattaraugus BOCES’ Hewes Educational Center for the past two years. When she first registered, Loomis was motivated by an interest in the field and the outside opinion that the line of work may be too difficult for a girl.

“It’s not something girls typically do,” she said in the fall. “My dad’s a contractor, and I grew up working for him, and I just liked how a lot of people were like, ‘Oh, she’s a girl; this is surprising.’ I wanted to prove people wrong in a male-dominated field.”

Loomis’ interest in heavy equipment operation isn’t as uncommon as one may think. Carley Hill, a third generation road and bridge builder herself, and CEO and founder of two businesses in the construction industry, says the trend in a once male-dominated field is shifting.

“The dynamic of what you can accomplish in the field has changed. You don’t need to be the biggest, strongest person out there to be the most powerful on a construction site. You need to have brains; you need to have patience and situational awareness,” Hill said. “As projects become more complex, it opens up the opportunity for different people to come in who may not have seen themselves in this industry in generations past.”

Thanks to forward-thinking staff at the school, students enrolled in the Conservation program at Hewes utilize the aQuiRe platform, an app developed by Hill’s CAHill TECH, which provides immediate training, skills videos, surveys, checklists, and quizzes to construction professionals. Loomis, along with her classmates, utilized the app daily and will be able to continue to do so for an additional year upon graduation. Her work in aQuiRe, among many other things, landed Loomis a job with CaHill Resources.

“She has a level of fearlessness and confidence but also clarity and work ethic when it comes to safety. I was at the Hewes Center speaking to the junior class about my journey in the construction industry, and Brianna introduced herself at that time and asked for more suggestions on how she could become job-ready,” Hill said. “When someone asks you if you have suggestions on how they can become job-ready, you know they’re motivated. That’s a big part of construction because it’s not for the faint of heart. You need to be solution-oriented to thrive in this industry … and Brianna is incredibly initiative-driven and motivated.”

Case in point, Loomis utilized her designated time for an internship to acquire a Class A commercial driver’s license.

“Brianna asked me how she could get her CDL, so I reached out to the CDL instructor, and he set her up with our E2CCB Adult Education department,” said Christian Hy, Conservation/Natural Resource Management teacher. “A CDL is required to join the Operating Engineers Local 17 Union, which she wanted to do.”

“If I ever were to own my own business, I’d have to take a dump truck, a trailer, and an excavator, and that would be a combination vehicle,” Loomis said. “I’d need a Class A license, so I thought, why not get it while I was still in school.”

To make it happen, she offered up her vehicle as collateral so she could take out the $4,200 loan necessary to pay for the CDL class. Loomis would take lessons for eight weeks from noon to 4 p.m. and sometimes until 8 p.m.

With her CDL in hand, Loomis can now hit the ground running at the new Buffalo Bills stadium site in Orchard Park. Loomis will join workers from 34 specialized groups under the Gilbane Building Company and Turner Construction Company operation for the Highmark Stadium project.

“I’ll be working at the new Buffalo Bills stadium site every day, starting at 6:30 a.m. and getting as much seat time as I can,” Loomis said. “Crews will be on-site performing complex operations, so the opportunity is endless.”

Loomis will start driving an articulated dump truck, hauling subbase and overburden material.

“There are excavators out here she’ll get some time running, dirt rollers, water truck, and hopefully some dozer time as well,” Hill said, later adding, “She’s the first coming into this world of opportunity, with experienced tradespeople working on a once-in-a-generation project. This gives her a chance to try out a lot of different things.”

Eventually, Loomis still plans to one day own her own construction company. But for now, she knows she’s in an excellent opportunity to build toward that future.

“If I go up there and work my butt off, I should have some good money saved up, considering I don’t spend it on anything,” she joked. “From there, I could buy my truck and trailers if I wanted to, or they guaranteed me work for whenever, wherever that is. I’m just going to see where I’m sitting in four years.”

When asked if she was a Buffalo Bills fan, Loomis laughed and said she appreciates football for its entertainment value but would argue numerous blue-collar workers deserve to see NFL-like salaries.