He Said Women Can’t Do Construction. She Proved Him Wrong.

When the housing marketing crashed, Paulette Guthrie decided to leave the mortgage industry and give home improvement a try. She had experience in property management and restoration of old houses, so it was a natural fit.

She started working for a man who was phenomenal at kitchens, baths, additions, and other remodeling and construction projects. He was also terrible at running a business.
“He never returned phone calls and would just show up at people’s houses whenever he felt like it,” Paulette said. “I told him that was no way to run a business. That’s not how you treat people.”
When he asked Paulette if she thought she could do his job better than him. Paulette said, “Absolutely.”

He just laughed. He said women aren’t supposed to do construction. Women are supposed to sit in the office, answer phones, and do paperwork. Men are supposed to do the work in the field.
He even offered to pay Paulette $2,000 at the end of the year if she could figure out how to run the business more effectively. Paulette knew she would never see that money, but she didn’t care. She just wanted to learn as much as possible and prove him wrong.

For the rest of the year, Paulette drove around with him in his truck. She saw how he communicated with customers, wrote and presented proposals, and came up with project estimates.

“He was great at the actual construction, but terrible at everything else,” Paulette said. “When it comes to running a business, I basically learned the right way to do things by watching him do things the wrong way. I knew I could do better.”

Of course, Paulette’s boss didn’t give her credit for coming up with a better way to do things, and he certainly didn’t give her $2,000. So Paulette decided it was time to start her own business.

He told Paulette that the state wasn’t giving out any more licenses, and women shouldn’t be doing construction anyway. She would have to work for a man.

Paulette ignored him. She went to the state offices in Trenton and drove up to Newark to speak with a lady who explained the process and requirements for obtaining a contractor’s license. It wasn’t long before Paulette had her license and insurance, and her old boss was history.

Paulette told her daughters, Jessica and Serina, that she wanted to start her own business. There would be no more fancy clothes, smartphone upgrades, and big-screen TVs. Everyone would have to make sacrifices. The girls were extremely supportive and told her to go for it. That made Paulette even more motivated.

Paulette launched Central Point Services and Construction in 2008. She put flyers and business cards everywhere – mailboxes, stores, supermarkets, the library, and in the hands of potential customers. She barely survived that first year, but Central Point grew into a successful, profitable business. In 2018, Paulette realized her dream of opening a store, the Central Point Kitchen and Bath showroom at 72 Benson Ave. Suite B in Hamilton, just minutes from 195 and 295.

“The showroom gives people a place to see and touch the products they buy,” Paulette said. They can see the quality, how they’re designed and built, and why one product might be more expensive than another. The showroom also allows me to keep my costs down because I can buy products directly from wholesalers instead of retailers.” The Central Point Kitchen and Bath showroom displays mostly cabinets and flooring and will eventually add doors, windows, and other products.

The entire experience has been a dream come true for Paulette. Part 1 of the dream was proving that women can be contractors and showing her daughters that girls can do anything. Part 2 was opening a showroom where the community could go to see what they’re buying and make more informed home improvement decisions.

And somewhere, a cranky, chauvinistic contractor is probably wondering what he was thinking by doubting a strong woman.

Visit the new Central Point Kitchen and Bath showroom, 72 Benson Ave. Suite B in Hamilton. Open Tuesday-Thursday, 10-6, Friday-Saturday, 9-5, Sunday and Monday by appointment only.