Women Strong in Market
By Harry Moskos

An interesting aspect of the recent Parade of Homes tour was the number of homes - about a dozen - that were built by female contractors.

Among them were June Asburn, Marie "Betty" Blea, JoAnn Brfiggs, Charlene Brown, Diane Dalton, Peggy Harwell, Jenice Montoya
and Eva Sanchez.

Not only are they licensed contractors, but they also have interesting stories to share.

Sanchez, for example, is a third generation contractoer whose grandfather, Harold Gipson, helped build Sandia National Laboratories, and her father, Joe Sanchez, has been in construction almost 50 years.

She has been involved in the construction of 30 to 35 homes and worked with her father until "my husband, Pat Dalton, and I wanted to go off on our own."

In this years parade, their home won the silver and best kitchen awards in the $260,000 to $319,000 category. In last years parade, they picked up a bronze award.

Sanchez studied business at the University of New Mexico and also holds a license to practice natural medicine.

"I still keep active in that," she says. "It is a passion."