Having That Grit: An Employee-Owner Spotlight on Kayla Ragsdale

Kayla Ragsdale is the Chief Financial Officer for our Hutchens Construction team in Cassville, Arkansas. In three words, Kayla would define her career in the construction industry as “dynamic, exciting, and evolving.” The work hard, play hard mentality represents our brand as a whole, and Kayla certainly fits the bill.

Kayla has been in the asphalt paving industry for 8 years and was recently recognized as one of “20 to Watch in 2020” by Women of Asphalt (WofA). This organization honors women in leadership that are positive influencers in the asphalt trade and within their community. In Kayla’s full interview with the organization, she spoke about her inclusive experience and how she’s developed into her current leadership role. “I’ve had the advantage of having a lot of strong female role models early on in my career. Also, in the asphalt paving industry, I feel like I’ve always had a lot of support from my male colleagues and always been given a seat at the table when decisions are being made.”

Her gritty and assertive personality are symbolic of what it means to be a leader in this industry. Vice President of Hutchens Construction, Brandon Finn, spoke about Kayla’s success and recent recognition. “Kayla is a tremendous asset to the Hutchens team. She has tenacious drive, tremendous work ethic and unwavering support for those who work closely with her. Kayla is also very active in the local community as well as several professional organizations and always represents both herself and Hutchens with the utmost class. Congratulations to Kayla on her much deserved recognition from the Women of Asphalt.”

Assistant Vice President of Finance, Nathan Alexander spoke about Kayla’s success and said, “Kayla has been an absolute pleasure to work with since ESS and Hutchens joined forces. Kayla has excellent technical accounting skills, strong systems improvement knowledge, and great employee morale. Acquisitions and mergers present unique challenges, and Kayla has taken the new ESS/Hutchens partnership in stride. She has been instrumental in our endeavor to enhance our reporting and increase financial projections since our teams merged. Kayla has been a wonderful addition to the ESS family, and I certainly look forward to working on projects with her in the future.”

What would you sing at karaoke night?
“That’s a tough one– Meredith Brooks ‘B*tch’ is probably my favorite.”

Favorite childhood memory?
“Tubing at the lake with my family. My dad didn’t think it was a successful tube ride unless he flung us in the air as high as possible.”

Top of your bucket list?
“Scuba diving at the Great Barrier Reef.”

Guilty pleasure?
“True Crime podcasts.”

One famous person you’d have coffee with?
“Patrick Mahomes is definitely at the top of my list!”

If you could live anywhere, where would it be?
“Sydney, Australia.”

Her buzz phrase:
“Having that grit.”

If you would like to learn more about Kayla, watch her in-depth interview with WofA here!

Pictured in top image: Kayla Ragdale, CFO – Hutchens (back left) and Brian Pickett, Project Manager & Estimator (back middle) with a local teacher (right) and her class of students. This is one of Kayla’s favorite pictures and annual activities with elementary school kids making ‘chocolate asphalt’.