Margaruite Bynum follows father's footsteps in construction at B2K Development

Among Margaruite Bynum’s fondest childhood memories are those of her father, James Williams, driving his wife and the couple’s five children through Long Island and Queens as the family traveled to and from various locations. On those trips, he'd act like a tour guide of sorts.

“He would point out places, and say, ‘I worked on that,’” Bynum, 46, of Amityville, recalled. Williams, now retired, for decades was a sand and gravel transporter on construction projects, making him part of the demolition and excavation process.

Seeing her dad's impressive work, Bynum said she switched from wanting to be a teacher, like her mom, or a nurse.  After years working in other jobs, she ended up following him into the construction field five years ago.  

“I so marveled that the projects he worked on started as nothing and ended up as significant projects,” Bynum said. “He helped with the building of the first JetBlue  terminal at JFK Airport and also did a lot of work at LaGuardia.” She added, “I adored listening to those stories — and I still do.”

Today it’s the 76-year-old Williams who marvels at his daughter’s construction job. Bynum is an assistant project manager at Jericho-based B2K Development. She belongs to an industry where just 1.25% of the workforce is women, according to a 2023 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics report. Women make up 10.8% of construction managers.

B2K Development is the firm responsible for The Bristal Assisted Living brand, which built 16 communities on Long Island. They are also the builders and developers behind numerous 55+ communities across Nassau and Suffolk counties.

Hand in big projects

“I don’t get my hands dirty,” Bynum quipped in explaining the two construction positions she’s had so far. She's worked on B2K projects including The Bristal properties at Bethpage, Mount Sinai and in Manhattan, The Boardwalk luxury condominiums in Long Beach, The Seasons 55-plus communities at Dix Hills and East Northport, and The Brix luxury apartment complex in Uniondale.

Currently Bynum is assigned to a 106-unit senior housing project in Queens — The Astoria Towers II — for which B2K is operating as general contractor. On that job Bynum is working in an assistant supervisory role for a crew of 45, with that number expected to swell to 150 by the end of the project.

Bynum, a graduate of SUNY Empire State College, where she earned a bachelor's degree in business administration, got her first construction job in 2019.

Before that, she held secretarial positions and managed trade shows for a waste water treatment manufacturer.  Bynum was a project manager for Sandy relief  from 2013 to 2015, and afterward worked as a general manager for her brother, celebrity chef Marc Anthony Bynum. 

Marc Bynum, 45, is a three-time champion of the reality-based cooking television game show series “Chopped.” He also owned the Farmingdale restaurants The Pie Hole and Hush Bistro.

 Three days after graduating with her BA in 2019, Bynum  was offered a contract administrator position at Engel Burman (now B2K).  As a contract specialist, her duties included drafting and writing contracts for subcontractors on building projects.

"She was originally introduced to us through her relationship with Jon Weiss," a partner in B2K, explained Scott Hoyle, B2K vice president of commercial construction and a Centerport resident. Bynum said she became friendly with Weiss when he was a frequent customer at Hush Bistro.

'I just worked hard'

In October 2022 Bynum was promoted to her current role, where her responsibilities include assisting with contract bidding, project scheduling, engineering matters and site safety. She is based at the company’s Garden City construction office.

How did she earn the promotion? “I just worked hard. I asked tough questions and always volunteered for tough assignments,” Bynum said.

She added of her supervisor, Martha Xuereb, “She encouraged me ... she would give me assignments to gain an understanding as to how construction worked.”

An engineer, Xuereb, 48, of Huntington, has been in the construction business since 1997. She has worked in supply chain management, system development, cost analysis and design for U.S. and international projects, and said Bynum is a standout in the industry.

“She has an intuitive ability to handle people — it’s a good skill and gift that most people don’t have,” Xuereb said. “She’s curious — and when she doesn’t understand something she will try to find the answer on her own first, then ask for help if she needs it — with management this is really important.” Bynum pays close attention to detail and  "people listen to her and respect any concerns she has,” Xuereb added.

That respect comes from both men and women, according to Hoyle.

 When it comes to working with men on the job, “She’s not intimidated, and she’s sometimes smarter than us.”

Early signs

Although Williams said he knew his daughter was smart,  he said he had no idea she would ever be interested in going into construction. However, it seems there were signs early on

“I was very much a tomboy,” Bynum said. “I played all the sports with my brothers, and out of all the kids I broke the most bones.” She added, “One summer I painted the exterior of the family home by myself,” and it was Williams who taught her how to use a hammer, screw gun and drill.

There was also the gift a teenaged Bynum wanted to make for her parents when she was in 11th grade.
“I wanted to give my parents a circular driveway as a present, so I started lifting up the grass,” Bynum explained. “Unfortunately, my effort failed miserably. My dad was quite upset. He took a lot of pride in his grass and lawn.”

Williams, an East Farmingdale resident, worked for 30 of his more than 40 years in construction for Broman & Son Inc., based in West Babylon.

He said he experienced a lot of racism early in his career, “but I ignored most of it. I had a purpose, and had my mind set on what I wanted to do. I wanted to have a good income, a home and a pension.”

While Bynum is both female and Black, she said she hasn’t personally experienced problems in construction because of her gender or her race.

“Little by little attitudes have changed,” she said. “But there are still few women in it because little girls don’t know this option. They are told to be hairstylists, makeup artists, veterinarians, nurses, social media influencers … but no one is telling them there is a lucrative future for them in construction.”

Females should be encouraged to consider the field, Bynum said, because the value of the jobs is not just found in a good paycheck. Like her father, Bynum said she finds pride in creating something that countless people will live in or use.

“What I like best about my career is the ability to create something from the ground up that people can live in for decades. I love being able to say that as a woman — as a Black woman — that I work in a male-dominated industry,” Bynum said. “I love seeing the look on people’s faces when they learn that.”

Did any of Bynum's other brothers go into the construction field? No, they all took other paths.

“I’d try to get the boys to visit the job sites [while they were growing up], but they didn’t want to go because I’d leave at 4 or 4:30 in the morning,” Williams noted, and for the same reason, Bynum didn’t visit them as a child either.

Michael, 51, is a DJ; James Jr., 41, is a correction officer; and brother Matthew, 40, a personal trainer, is an assistant football coach at Farmingdale High School.

When asked how Williams reacted when she told him she wanted to build a career in construction, she said he was very happy and knew she could nail it.

“His smile was so big,” Bynum said. “I can remember him saying, ‘There won’t be anything you won’t be able to do. If you need me, I’m here.’ ”