Life & Work with Katrina Vinson of West Hollywood

Today we’d like to introduce you to Katrina Vinson.

Hi Katrina, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
Employment Career:
I originally went to school for Kinesiology and graduated CSU Fresno with a BS degree in Kinesiology – Exercise Science. I worked in the Fitness industry for about 15 years mainly as an operations manager of various gyms and then managed the Corporate Fitness Center for Union Bank for 8 years before switching careers into construction. I always love sports, I was a four sport athlete in high school & junior college, and fitness but I also had a passion for building things and working with my hands. Ever since I could remember, I was taking things apart to see how they worked and I would attempt to fix anything that broke around the house including our VCR when it stopped working. I was often successful. If I wasn’t outside playing sports with the neighborhood kids, I was tinkering. Soon I was learning to fix my own bike or fix my own flat tire. I just loved the feeling of accomplishment that I got when I succeeded and I was often succeeding in anything I attempted. I had a very high mechanical aptitude. I just had an understanding of how things worked or learning how they worked made complete sense to me. In high school, while my classmates really struggled in physics class, it came naturally to me. It all made rational sense to me. I also really excelled at math at a young age and was placed in a program at San Jose State University for kids gifted in math during my summer after the sixth grade. I was learning high school level algebra but again it came natural to me and just made sense. Algebra had formulas and rules and just like following instructions on how to assemble something, I had no problem following those rules and formulas. I struggled in most other subjects, however. I really struggled with spelling, reading, writing, and book reports. I read at a much lower level than my classmates and really struggled to read in general. It just took me much longer than my peers to finish a paragraph. Forget about trying to finish a book. I struggled in history as well. I honestly thought I was just not smart. It wasn’t until my late 20s and into my early 30s that I discovered I had ADHD with a learning disability. Once I made it through Junior College, transferring with my AS Degree Liberal Arts, I started my major in Kinesiology and was excelling in school. Kinesiology is all math and science and I barely needed to study for my heavy science, math, and biomechanics tests. I absorbed the material like a sponge and I was always good at math and science so it was cake for me. I really struggle in my GE classes, of course, but I got through them. I eventually graduated with my degree in Kinesiology all while working and putting myself through school. I managed to go to school full-time, be a student athlete all through college, and work to pay rent and other living expenses. I had a good work ethic and I moved up to management positions at a young age. I was mature beyond my age back then since I grew up being the oldest of four to a single mom. I often had to help raise my siblings and take on more responsibility from a very young age. That easily transferred into management skills and maturity. Once I graduated college I moved back to San Jose and took a job as the front desk lead at a rock climbing gym but it was not long before I moved up into operations manager of the entire gym, overseeing all personnel, operations, and doing the gyms payroll and accounting. Eventually, I moved to LA for a job in corporate fitness with Union Bank where I stayed for over 8 years. It was in my mid to late 30s when I took a carpentry class at Los Angeles Trade Tech College and my life changed forever and went into a complete new direction.

Starting LA Trade Tech College not only changed my life but it taught me so much about myself, about my ADHD, about what I was capable of, but it also made me feel smart and capable for the first time in my adult life. For the first time ever I was the teacher’s pet in all my classes, I was the the nerd, and the was the one my classmates went to for tutoring. I was also extremely good at building. In my first semester, I was asked to lead the school’s carpentry team in carpentry competitions against other schools. It was not long before I was realizing that this program, that I started as a hobby, was turning into a career change. By the end of the two years, I was graduating first in my class with a 4.0 and a three job offers. I ended up accepting an offer for 22k more a year than my salary at Union Bank.

In my first year in construction, not ever being exposed to construction prior to attending Trade Tech, I was promoted from Assistant Superintendent to Superintendent. Superintendent is a role that usually takes 15-20 years to move up the ranks to. I was being told that I was operating at a level far beyond my years and I was outperforming Superintendents who had been Supers for many years. Soon after that I was asked to serve on the Planning Commission for the City of West Hollywood by council member, at the time, Sepi Shyne. I accepted and served for one year before I had to step down due to major life changes that took my attention away. I’m now just under 5 years into my career as a superintendent and there’s already talk of me making Senior Superintendent soon which usually takes another 15-20 years of Superintendent experience. I’m also in the process of getting my own General Contractor’s license and starting my own business.

As for my story with Pride Riders and leading the motorcyclists in the WeHo Pride Parade & Dyke March. I had been riding motorcycles since I was 18. That’s when I got my motorcycle license and first motorcycle. I didn’t come out at gay until I was 22. Sometime in my mid to late 20s, I attended the Pride celebration in San Francisco and saw Dykes on Bikes for the first time. I was completely taken back. I had no idea a group of lesbian & queer women lead the parade every year and I added it to my bucket list to ride with them someday. After moving to LA in 2011, my motorcycle at the time was stolen within 6 months of moving. It would be a few years before I got another motorcycle but once I did, I joined the LA Pride Parade & Dyke March which was held in the city of West Hollywood. I ended becoming close friends with the woman who was the organizer of the motorcyclists and I began helping her when needed. One year, in 2022, she came down with Covid the night before the parade and called me to ask me to lead. I gladly filled in for her. The next year in 2023, the city of West Hollywood was having it’s own parade but there was no leader or organizer for the riders so I stepped up and I’ve been leading/organizing the rider in the West Hollywood Pride Parade and Dyke March ever since.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
I’ve had many struggles throughout my life. I think I listed a lot of them in my previous response but I will have to give this some more thought.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
Most people know me as the fix it person and call upon me for help fixing or repairing just about anything. I’m currently renovating my own house so I post a lot of videos documenting that and trying to teach along the way. I’m also known for being a motorcycle leader and fitness professional.

Founder and Organizer of Pride Riders

Starting my own contracting business – She Nailed It Contracting

Carpentry Teacher at Los Angeles Trade Tech College

Commercial Construction Superintendent for HITT Contracting

Is there a quality that you most attribute to your success?
Determination and perseverance. I think my ADHD turns into a superpower at times.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fitcarpenter81/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katrina-vinson-188584221/
• Other: https://www.instagram.com/pride_riders_la/