DETROIT – After nearly 20 years caring for patients, former nurse Jayne Griffor traded her hospital scrubs for a hard hat, finding new purpose as a labor foreman on one of North America’s largest construction projects -- the Gordie Howe International Bridge.
“I loved being a nurse. Still love being a nurse,” Griffor said, “but I was getting tired of getting burnt out.”
Her move to construction wasn’t just about career fatigue -- it was deeply personal.
Two decades ago, Griffor’s husband Phillip, a carpenter, was killed on a Detroit construction site.
At just 22, she was left to raise their two young sons alone.
“Is this what I ever dreamt my life would turn out like? No, never,” she said. “But once that happened, it wasn’t about me anymore. It’s about my boys.”
Determined to honor her husband’s memory, Griffor raised her sons to embrace their father’s work ethic and pride in the skilled trades.
“That’s his last name they carry, so it was very important to me to like -- you better respect that and represent him,” she said.
When she decided to leave nursing after the COVID 19-pandemic --Griffor made the bold choice to enter the construction industry.
For the past four years, she has served as a labor foreman on the Gordie Howe International Bridge project, which will connect the United States and Canada.
The historic infrastructure project has become more than a job for Griffor, it’s a tribute to her late husband’s legacy and a symbol of resilience for her sons.
Her journey has come full circle.
Her youngest son, Anthony, is now married with a baby boy named after his grandfather, Phillip.
Meanwhile, Griffor continues to build bridges, both literally and figuratively, between her past and future.
“Most people don’t think in their whole career in construction they’ll get to work on a project like this,” she said. “This is once in a lifetime. So for me to come out here so early in my career and be a part of it—and see and do everything that I have—it’s amazing to me. I’m very fortunate.”
To those considering a career change, Griffor shares advice passed down from her grandfather: “You only get one chance at life. You only get one go around. So go and do... meet as many people, learn as many new experiences. You can always leave it, but if you never try, you don’t know.”