Jackie Richter, founder of Heels and Hardhats and Endurance

After struggling to find individual work in the construction industry due to her gender identity, Jackie Richter created Heels and Hardhats – a female owned and operated contracting business that provides a wide variety of special contracting services. Within months, her team began contracting as a Tier 2 supplier with Northern Pipeline (NPL), which is a Tier 1 supplier for Southern Company Gas subsidiary Nicor Gas in Illinois. NPL introduced Richter and her team to Nicor Gas directly.

After completing Southern Company Gas' supplier diversity program, Heels and Hardhats went from being a subcontractor to a Tier 1 supplier for our system. For more than 15 years, our supplier diversity program has opened doors for diverse and minority-owned businesses by way of mentoring programs and developmental support with the goal of helping them prosper and reach long-term sustainability.

"Mentoring has built us to be who we are today," Richter said. "I'm very fortunate for Nicor Gas and Southern Company Gas' willingness to share their knowledge to bring us up further in life."

Richter has since created her second company, Endurance, which is also a supplier for the Southern Company Gas system. Hear more of her inspirational story.