SANTO DOMINGO– She defines herself as a disciplined, persevering woman, passionate about knowledge in all her fields. A mother, daughter, wife, sister, union leader, and successful businesswoman, she leads Melcon, the construction company she founded 18 years ago with her husband and father-in-law, where she serves as Vice President of Promotion and Construction.
Annerys Meléndez, the newly appointed president of ACOPROVI, the Association of Housing Builders and Promoters, is a true civil engineer who grew up surrounded by construction work, alongside her mother Felicia Rodríguez, who would take her little girl to the jobs she did at that time.
Enamored with that world, the determined businesswoman made a pact with the profession and has never been drawn to any other career. She graduated summa cum laude from INTEC, the Technological Institute of Santo Domingo, where she also earned a master's degree in construction management.
Meléndez asserts that being a woman has not been an obstacle in a field where "the male engineer" predominates and "the female engineer" is almost never seen. Study, preparation, clarity of goals, and seeing the positive side of things have been the magic that has yielded the fruits of her great career.
With clear goals, the recent graduate began the process of putting her degree to use. A classmate contacted her to take on the supervision of a construction project in Casa de Campo. Without hesitation, she accepted the responsibility and for almost three years left the nest, returning to create her own brand, now one of the most prominent in the construction industry in Santo Domingo.
He launched his business with a project in Alma Rosa. More than 20 residential projects in the National District, shopping centers throughout the country, villas in tourist destinations, and over 50 direct employees, including nearly 20 engineers and four architects, are part of the harvest Meléndez is currently reaping. His brother Romel, a civil engineer, manages field operations.
Mother and union member
Balancing roles is a challenge for Annerys Meléndez, who, along with her husband of 15 years, planned to have their children close together. With Sofía, Sarah, and Juan José, ages 9, 8, and 6, she begins her busy day getting them ready for school.
She says she's a mother involved in her children's activities, picking them up from school, spending quality time with them, and setting goals for their upbringing. "You can have money, have achieved many professional goals, but the one who wants to be a responsible mother and fails at that will live with a lot of pain for the rest of her life.".
She thanks the father of her children, her first boyfriend and the one with whom she created the company, for his support for the past 24 years since life brought them together; as well as her mother and mother-in-law who lend her a hand with her little ones.
She has been part of ACOPROVI for 12 years, now holding the leading role as president, with defined plans to continue strengthening the association.
Her proposal for women is that they prepare themselves and "never doubt themselves," that they self-evaluate and see what they lack, fill the gap and go out to conquer the world.
She is aware that there are sexist traits in society and that in engineering, "what takes a man one step takes a woman three." But she insists that she doesn't take it personally; she learns, moves on, overcomes it, and grows.
Born in the Cibao region, with a father from Puerto Plata and a mother from La Línea, Annerys Meléndez was raised with strong values, exemplified by example. “Love for one's neighbor, respect for others, responsibility, excellence, discipline, and perseverance.”.
There were no expensive clothes, nor costly trips; she studied on a scholarship at INTEC, and when it came to prioritizing, her family prioritized their sacrifices to meet her school needs.
“In the second half of my life I want a little more balance. Achieving my goals has involved a lot of sacrifice. I want to dedicate more time to myself as a woman, integrate altruistic work, helping women and contributing to society through healthy families,” Meléndez reflects.
Interview originally published in the second edition of El Inmobiliario print magazine.
