Chicago Woman Went From Prison To $1M Business — Now Her All-Women Firm Has $4M In Government Contracts

A Chicago woman who left prison in 2020 with no money has built an all-women construction firm that generated more than $1 million (£790,000) in revenue in 2025 and has secured over $4 million (£3.2 million) in government contracts, including work for the Chicago Housing Authority and the city's transit authority.

Pink Hats Construction and Development Group, founded by Traci Quinn, a former registered nurse, now employs Quinn's four daughters as its core team alongside six part-time female staff. The company won a Builder of the Year award from the Southland Development Authority in 2024 and counts the Harvey Housing Initiative and the Chicago Transit Authority among its clients, per the Block Club Chicago.

The path to those contracts was not straightforward. When Quinn began applying for municipal work, the City of Chicago required contractors to fund projects upfront and claim reimbursement later. She had no capital. Loan applications followed, but financial paperwork proved its own obstacle.

'I was too embarrassed to say I didn't understand the financial jargon,' Quinn told the BBC. 'Finally I broke down and said I needed help.' Non-profit organisations then assisted her with bookkeeping, financial planning and bidding on public contracts.

Pink Hats earned $125,000 (£95,000) in its first year and the Southland Development Authority confirmed revenue had grown more than eightfold to exceed $1 million (£790,000) by 2025.

Cannabis Conviction That Led Quinn to Construction

Quinn spent two decades as a registered nurse before the arrest that changed her direction. Working in hospitals, she observed cannabis easing symptoms in patients with conditions including seizures, which led her to open a medical dispensary in California.

In 2016, she was arrested transporting 50lb (23kg) of legally purchased cannabis into Tennessee, a state with some of the strictest drug statutes in the country. She was convicted of trafficking despite having acquired the drug lawfully.

'I bawled, I cried, and asked God why. I'd taken care of people my whole life,' she told the BBC. It was during her sentence that Quinn said she felt a calling to start a construction company focused on redeveloping Chicago's underserved communities after her release.

She launched Pink Hats in 2020 with no industry background. Early sub-contractors delivered work that fell short: structures were unsound, and finishes were unacceptable. Quinn enrolled in construction classes and joined mentorship programmes with established firms to build the technical knowledge the business required.

Women account for roughly 11% of the US construction workforce, with Black women representing fewer than 7% of workers, according to official figures the BBC cited. Quinn said resistance was consistent.

'You absolutely have to work harder as a Black woman. There will always be people who think you're less qualified when you step in the room,' she said.

$250,000 Grant to Fund Training for Formerly Incarcerated Workers

Pink Hats received a $250,000 (£198,000) city government grant in 2024, one of 14 small businesses selected for the funding. Quinn is converting office space into a trades training centre teaching painting, plumbing and related skills. The programme will prioritise people recently released from prison. The firm already provides second-chance employment opportunities for those re-entering the workforce after serving time.

The company is also starting its first ground-up development: 10 affordable single-family homes for a Christian organisation on Chicago's west side. In 2024, it completed a 30-room residential recovery facility for women in the city's Austin neighbourhood.

Pink Hats uses hemp insulation in its builds for its resistance to fire, mould and pests. Quinn noted the parallel with her conviction without elaborating.

Quinn's declared long-term aim is to develop transitional housing for women leaving prison, where residents could live for up to a year, build work experience and receive financial literacy training before having the option to purchase the property.

'I went from losing everything I had, coming out with nothing, and now having over $4 million in contracts,' she told Block Club Chicago. 'It's been a blessing.'

Irma Holloway, head of the Black Contractors Owners and Executives organisation, said Pink Hats had 'carved out a distinctive niche by leading with professionalism, precision and purpose' and that Quinn's work 'proves that when women stay the course and remain committed to their craft, they not only reach the finish line - they redefine it for others.'