SWFL construction exec rises quickly after COVID relocation

Gabriella DeLuca began her career in mergers and acquisitions in New York, working as an administrative assistant and marketing analyst. COVID turned what was supposed to be a short stint in Southwest Florida into a much longer layover, and she wound up taking a job at construction giant Suffolk as an administrative assistant.

She had no experience in construction, but she did have skills from her previous employment that applied to the role. Within less than four years, she had worked her way up to the position of project manager. She then moved on to a project manager role at Rycon Construction and, more recently, started a new job as business development manager at Benchmark General Contractors.

Photo by Mark Wemple

“I am the first person in the role for this; Benchmark has never had anyone do this before,” says DeLuca. “So I could really make this my own.”

Although she stumbled into construction, DeLuca has found a good career fit. 

“You learn something new every day, which is what has kept me so engaged,” she continues. “Every problem has five different ways to solve it, and you might not see the same problem twice in your lifetime.”

Her persistence has been a strength. “I’m very persuasive, so I take it as a personal failure when I get told no,” says DeLuca. “But it’s a good thing too — it makes you want to go after more and not take these nos.”

Her mom, Mary DeLuca, who worked in bond sales in the 1980s and ’90s, has served as a valuable mentor, especially when it comes to being a woman in a male-dominated field. “My mom is the one who taught me that you don’t play by the same rules as men,” she says. “You have to speak a little louder and fight a little harder, and you might not always win.”

In her new role, DeLuca looks forward to continuing to build relationships with clients, coworkers and community members. “No business starts without a relationship,” she says. “The No. 1 skill I’m trying to bring with me is learn your audience; learn who you really want to get into business with.”

And she’ll keep enjoying the ride her career has taken her on. “Not everyone’s path is set out for them,” she says. “It zigs, it zags, it turns around. There’s no real defined way for some people to get to the finish line, and that’s OK.”