Ladder Up is a women-owned social enterprise, training and equipping all-female teams to provide an in-demand construction service.

We empower women of all backgrounds with a well paid skill set, a community of support and apprenticeship, and a partnership that helps them take steps towards homeownership, all while creating an equitable and available workforce for homeowners.

We are not simply a small-project home renovation company looking to meet a market demand, we are a group of women seeking to establish community. 

We know home is where the family gathers, where parties are hosted, where relationships thrive, where community is built.  

We will make home for our clients. 

We know that there is a pay gap for working women and that it can be difficult to save for a down payment, especially for a single mother. 

We will provide support towards making home for our team. 

We will expand the title of “homemaker” to include the physical establishment and the economic stability of the home.

We will redefine the relationship between client and contractor by inviting our clients to be part of our team through our superior project delivery and through personal relationships with those working to renovate their home. 

Ladder Up will meet the comprehensive needs of our colleagues, ensuring their lasting participation in our company and success in their lives.

Central to our business model is a salaried position, company-provided benefits, and the opportunity to opt into the Ladder Up Down-payment program. Providing women with a marketable and lucrative skill set as well as a pathway towards homeownership will bring stability not only to her, but also to her potential family and the community around her.

The Big Picture

Ladder Up offers women the an accessible route to enter the insular construction industry. Our apprenticeship model provides on-site training and allows for advancement within the company. 

We have designed this model for maximum impact, with goals of replicating our teams efficiently to meet the market need.

Each woman supporting the one ahead and the one behind, Ladder Up will expand the footprint of women in this industry. 

Oz Ozburn is our founding member and CEO. She has led multiple large-scale institutional projects requiring the leadership of 10+ consultants, creation of the design, and the guidance of the client, as well as dozens of small-scale residential projects requiring no less coordination or detail.

After establishing her own residential office in 2017, she found that no matter the scale of the project or the size of the budget, the needs of all clients are consistent: good communication and a quality product. 

As Oz leaned into the residential field, she saw how hard it is to find a contractor willing to do projects under $50,000. Her clients were often frustrated by handymen without professional contracts, implementable budgets, accountable schedules, and with sub-par organizational skills. 

The construction industry remains one of the most male-dominated industries, with women making up under 1% of the construction workforce in America, despite the fact that the jobs are well-paying, sustainable, and have consistent hours.

Based on a belief that design can be a tool used to foster social change, and rooted in robust experience with residential clients, Oz founded Ladder Up to combine these two passions: successful design and placemaking and creating a way for amazing women to enter a field where they can thrive.