Judy Dinelle Named 2025 WIRC Woman of the Year

Judy Dinelle, building ambassador at 84 Lumber, was named WIRC Woman of the Year at the 2025 Women in Residential Construction conference held Sept. 24-26 in Austin, Texas.

Dinelle has worked within the building industry for nearly 40 years, holding jobs all across the spectrum. She has worked with home builders associations at the local, state, and national levels for more than 20 years, and has been with 84 Lumber since 2003.

A natural leader and a founding member of the WIRC conference, Dinelle has paved the way for women to enter the industry. As past chair of the National Association of Home Builders' Professional Women in Building Council, she helped form 10 new councils and grow membership by 20%. She holds multiple industry designations and has received numerous awards for her trailblazing work.

When presented with the award, Dinelle delivered a heartfelt speech:

“I’m truly honored to accept this incredible award from the Endeavor team. To be recognized by my peers from across the country is humbling, and I’m very grateful to stand here representing all of you. I also want to take a moment to thank the other Women of the Year recipients. I feel privileged to walk alongside such trailblazers and role models.

So twelve years ago, I told my good friend Tony Mancini that I had a dream; a dream to create the largest women’s conference in the world. So, while it didn’t exactly go as I planned, it took a little bit longer, it was okay. But I never let him forget about it. So every time I saw him, I’d bring it up, and before long, I also enlisted Judy Brociek to help me nudge him along a little bit.

Ten years ago, I get a call from Tony and Judy asking me to meet them in a pub in Las Vegas. So I drop everything, I jump into a taxi, and truth be told, I got a little nervous when the driver made me call Tony before letting me out of his car. So, Tony came out and I was able to go and he let me go. I walked in and Tony said, ‘well sit down,’ and I said, ‘okay,’ and he said, ‘okay… we’re going to fulfill your dream and start a woman’s conference.’

So here we are ten years later, celebrating what has grown into something very extraordinary. That dream became a reality thanks to so many people. But I want to give a special shoutout to Lisa Allen, Erika Mosse, Denise Dersin, and the entire SGC team for all the years of partnership and dedication. And I also thank Endeavor for their part coming forward.

But this award isn’t just about me. This belongs to my entire team. To my 84 family, thank you for encouraging and supporting me in doing this work. I love, every single day, doing this job. I’m especially proud to say that 84 Lumber is a woman-owned company. To the members of the professional women in building, thank you for the community you created. Thank you to my tribe, and a special thank you to my wife and to my mom, two of the strongest women I know. They are my foundation, my inspiration, and my daily reminder of what strength really looks like.

What inspires me most is all of you. Every single woman in this industry who is chasing their dream, you’re breaking barriers, and building a better future. You’ve taught me patience, which is not my strong suit, resilience, and most important, lifting one another up. You’ve shown me that unstoppable leadership is not about fitting into someone else’s mold. It’s about defining our own path and living with courage and authenticity. You have shown me how far sacrifice and dedication can get you to where you want to be. We are a family of strong, understanding, independent, professional women that show me how to be strong, powerful, and resilient.

Elizabeth Gilbert once wrote, ‘the women whom I love and admire for their strength and grace did not get that way because shit worked out. They got that way because shit went wrong, and they handled it. They handled it in a thousand different ways on a thousand different days. But they handled it.’

These women are my superheroes. That strength, that grit, that determination; that’s what makes each of you the superheroes in my eyes. We are brilliant. We are empowered. We are making change happen. We are doing this together. The woman I am has given me a platform to help those that want change, that want leadership. That platform is not just mine. It belongs to all of us. It’s our responsibility to share it, to pass along our knowledge, influence power and lessons, both the wins and the setbacks, so that more women can climb together and climb higher.

We have an incredible opportunity to redefine what power, influence, and success looks like. So, my challenge to all of you is this: give someone else a ladder. Because it’s our time. We are ready, we’re together, and we’re building something unstoppable.”