Janae Thomas

Janae developed a deep love for construction at an early age often spending Saturday afternoons at her father’s engineering office, listening to “Prairie Home Companion” on the car rides home. Her passion for connectivity lead her through an 8 year journey in the fashion industry and eventually back to higher education, where she is planning on finishing her degree in Construction Management, April 2020, debt free. During her first semester back to school, Janae obtained her real estate license, project managed a 2400 sq. ft. residential remodel, remediated 20 years of smoke damage, and sold the property with an ROI of 12%. To date, she has grossed over $200,000 in returns for her investors and manages over one million in assets as a property manager. 

 “Showcasing a net-positive new build to the community as economically sound while demonstrating to homeowners how they can retrofit existing homes to achieve comparable energy ratings is extremely rewarding. It helps us all to see simple solutions to Utah’s air quality and housing affordability crisis through energy efficiency, this is something I’m proud to invest my time and efforts as we rally together to create a better living environment along the Wasatch front for ourselves and our children.”

As a woman in construction and a mom of two little girls, Janae seeks opportunities to support disadvantaged populations. From her position at Weber State University in workforce development, specifically connecting high school students to the AEC industry, to serving on the scholarship committee with CREW Network, connecting people with economic opportunities brings her joy. Solar Decathlon has taught he+r about green construction concepts, factors behind housing affordability, and how our building footprint affects our future. Connecting students and our community to similar learning opportunities through the Solar Decathlon build has been a gratifying experience for her, one she expects to keep replicating throughout her professional career.