Kayleigh Dietz
Tile Setter, Bricklayers and Allied Craftsmen Local 1
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About Kayleigh:
I’m a journeyman tile setter in the Bricklayers and Allied Craftsman Local 1 union. I started in February of 2013, being hired by CD Tile and Stone. I had never done construction before and I was pretty nervous. The first few months were a whirlwind, not knowing if I could do it or ever be good at working with tile. My body and hands would just ache from the heavy lifting and constant work. There were times I didn’t know if I could make it in the tile industry. My boss, the late Jeff Durant, would call to check up on me or just to chat, making sure the guys were good to me, asking if I needed anything, giving me tools, giving me advice, and standing by me for many years. He always told me he believed in me. With that encouragement from Jeff and my Foreman Robbie Luukkonen, I applied myself. Robbie taught me everything I needed to know.
My hard work ethic (and always having the song from Annie Get Your Gun, “Anything you can do, I can do better”, stuck in the back of my head) drove me forward. Little by little, the guys from CD Tile and Stone showed me the art of our trade, always helping me be better. My goal was and is to always do the best I can each day. Working beside the guys isn’t intimidating anymore. They have my back. I have found a sense of family in these guys out in the field and office, and a place to use my skills to create beautiful, lasting finishes that everyone sees, from mall projects and condos, to public areas and personal spaces. I am a woman in a man’s world, and I love my job.