The trades are mostly a male-dominated field, but Audrey Wilton has found ironworking to be the right fit for her as a single mother raising a daughter. As a member of Ironworkers Local 46, and a foreman, Wilton has worked with a variety of local employers on various job sites.
“What I love most is the diversity of new jobs, new sites and working with other trades,” Wilton said.
Ironworkers, she explains, are able to hone many different skills in construction such as shaping architectural, ornamental and structural elements and rigging projects.
The variety of job sites has allowed Wilton to leave her mark on Springfield. She assisted with preserving the Old State Capitol, the current Capitol, the CIPS building downtown – which is the historic Marine Bank – and countless other federal buildings. A high point for Wilton, so to speak, and one of her proudest professional moments was setting the flagpole atop the Old State Capitol dome, which required a helicopter delivery.
Wilton began her career as a general foreman with R.D. Lawrence Construction Company and today works with O’Shea Builders alongside her entire apprentice class, which she describes as rare and cherished. As a woman in the trades, she said she has gratitude for the respect, support and kindness she’s found with both companies.
Wilton’s time as an apprentice included the most solemn honor of her career, which was working on the 9/11 Memorial in Decatur.
Wilton has an affinity for historic projects and speaks passionately about the care required when doing preservation work. “A single spark can destroy centuries-old materials,” she warns. To honor the past, she sometimes takes rubbings of historic buildings, immortalizing names that may soon be lost to renovation.
Some say you cannot do it all, but with the support of the union and the families of other union members whom Wilton has grown to call her extended family, she said it is possible. Her advice to all working parents is both pragmatic and empowering: “Don’t sacrifice one for the other. The job and the benefits offer families incredible health and welfare packages. You can retire sooner with good insurance. The total pay and benefits package, which is what you get versus what you take home, is unmatched.”
Wilton has many good things to say about Ironworkers Local 46 and the respect is mutual, according to union president Dennis Sheedy. “Audrey has been an incredible asset to our local. It’s easy to support a person who is not only a great ironworker, but also a genuinely outstanding human being. She truly embodies the values we aim to instill through our apprenticeship program – work ethic, intelligence and humanity.”
Wilton’s commitment extends beyond her work. She volunteers with the Union Sisters of Central Illinois, constructing garden beds for Garden of Hope and repairing the homes of retired union members.
Looking to the future and the next generation of ironworkers, Wilton is an example of the career that can be created when you take advantage of your apprenticeship by showing up eager to learn and lead. Ironworker apprenticeships are approximately three years of classes and four years of on-the-job hours. With parental consent, teenagers can begin coursework as early as age 17 and can then work on job sites at the age of 18.
Experience is not necessary, but you need to have a high school diploma or GED and the courage to begin. Wilton said it’s even possible to break into the trades as a second career. She’s witnessed apprentices launch new careers in their 30s and 40s, proof that reinvention knows no age.
She believes anyone can be welcomed into the family, just as she was. “There is a reason why it is called a brotherhood and sisterhood,” Wilton said.
Kathleen Alcorn is a lobbyist and consultant for ATOLLetc LLC. She previously served as the past deputy mayor for the city of Springfield and past city clerk for Leland Grove.
This article appears in February SBJ 2026.