Why So Many Women at BAM?

BPM News tackles a hot potato question that sustains record levels of mystery: Why is BAM almost entirely FEMALE? Hearsay follows, women at BAM like to roll up their sleeves to get things done BAM-style. Someone is overheard muttering, "Could it be that landscape is soft and women are soft?" (OH NO YOU DIDN’T) The most conflagrant rumor: BAM’s male principals prefer to work with women. (AHEM) Still others have astutely pointed out that across the globe, China has the highest number of powerful women in business.

Co-founders Dan Gass and Jake Walker share candid thoughts on the topic.

BPM Newsagent: “Dan, Jake, BAM is almost entirely female. Why?”

Dan Gass: “In fact because Chinese names don’t necessarily imply a gender, when we select portfolios for interviews, we are gender blind.”

Jake Walker: “People think Dan and I purposely choose women over men. But it’s not the case. It’s deeper than that. In our experience—not always but a lot of the time—women at BAM are more thoughtful, dedicated, and hard-working.”

BAM Women Get It DONE

^ 景文负责的施工现场！Jingwen takes charge!

^ Plover 把它“砰”地一下放倒了旁边的哥们儿超喜欢！Plover lays the smack down and that guy likes it!

^ Denise：“看！这个现场还只是一个大洞，但我们预计 37 天就能完成！”(Denise) “Look! The site is a giant hole and there are only 37 days until this is supposed to be finished!”

Do Chinese Women Have Superpowers?

Jake: “This is something that needs to be checked, but I believe as a percentage of businesses, there are more women CEOs in China than in America. For women in China there is still discrimination but it’s not expressed in the same ways as the west.”

You’re RIGHT, Jake! The number of females in top executive positions in China IS extraordinarily high! This could be because China’s population is the largest globally at 1,384,688,986 (USA, third most populated country in the world, has 1 BILLION FEWER people!) Still, in a 2015 survey by Fortune’s Global Most Powerful Women, China is home to most self-made female billionaires in the world. HOLY SMOKES!!!! “Chinese women trounce powerful women from other countries,” writes Claire Groden in her Fortune article. Of all countries surveyed, Chinese women account for more than 50% of all females in powerful business positions globally. Another finding shared by Fortune: “More and more of our MPWs are self-made businesswomen with no political connections or ties.”

Motivating news for the human race!

"Down & Dirty"

^ BAM 的女性撸起袖子来工作！这就是“Down & Dirty”。Women at BAM get down and dirty, rolling up sleeves to get the work done!

Jake: “At BAM when we work we get into design issues by rolling up our sleeves to get the job done. In business settings, we find that male managers delegate more than women managers delegate. We see women managers muck around fixing the problems, the way BAM does.”

Groden’s Fortune article, Most Powerful Women, recounts a story that points to the readiness of the most powerful women to get down and dirty. “China’s large portion of powerful women can be attributed in part to its rapid economic development, especially since the One Child Policy led Chinese parents to educate their sole children with a gender-neutral zeal..."

"...A handful of the women on Fortune’s MPW list personify China’s ascent: Zhou Qunfei, the CEO of Lens Technology, grew up motherless in a tiny farming village, helping her family by raising pigs and ducks. She started her career as a teenager making watch parts in a Guangdong factory before opening the shop that would make her the world’s richest self-made woman. Dong Mingzhu of Gree Electric and Wang Fengying of Great Wall Motor boast similar stories, working their way up their respective companies from starting positions as saleswomen over the course of decades.”

BAM on FAMILY

^ BAM 的一张“妈妈桌”。Mom-desk at BAM. Having a family and being professional does have to be a choice about one or the other.

BAM understands that family always comes first. From older generations past to the making of the next generation, family is very important to BAM. This is not to suggest that women over men value family more, however, BAM is extremely generous and flexible when it comes to taking time for family.

Many companies view women getting pregnant as a liability. In China there is greater discrimination in this sense than in the west. For example, women who have children already find jobs more easily, because the employer will not have to pay maternity leave. Often during interviews women may be asked very personal questions such as whether they have significant others, and if so, how developed the relationship is; or what their marital status is; or just straight out whether they plan on having children. BAM of course does NOT ask questions like this and is very supportive of the young families of both women and men.

In all cases thus far, BAM has left it up to the employee to determine exactly the terms of their maternal leave. BAM is here to help. Because of this ‘pay it forward’ attitude, BAM finds that when employees come back (especially women) they are more tenacious, more committed, and bring a much greater value to the team. Not only this, but the younger women very much look up to these role models and see that having a family and being professional does have to be a choice about one or the other.

^ Allie 的儿子 Ford （左） 和女儿 Ferra （中）。Allie’s son Ford (left) and daughter Ferra (right).

^ 别！别按那个按钮！No! Not THAT button!!!!

WoMAN at BAM: "Denise Designs"

Sneak peek at BPM News installment, "Denise Designs." One of BAM’s rising star designers, Denise, has produced a landscape design preferred by the client. Has Denise’s design been built? Yes! Is it one of BAM's best projects to date? Yes! Keep those guns blazing, Denise! Go BAM!

^ Denise 为她的设计项目 Buji“救火”多次。Denise makes the rounds at her newly constructed project, Buji (Phase 1, Playscraper).