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Round Table: Has Inclusion Week made a difference?
It’s the fourth annual Construction Inclusion Week, an event created by industry leaders to counter hate on jobsites and make the sector more welcoming to a broader pool of workers.
Contractors, subcontractors and trade schools across the nation have hosted events this week to discuss, learn about and grow inclusion in the industry.
But the week also comes at a tumultuous time, as the divisive 2024 election looms and diversity and inclusion initiatives come under fire. With that backdrop, leaders at some of CIW’s sponsoring firms spoke with Construction Dive to provide a temperature check on the effort four years in. Here’s what they had to say.
The following responses have been edited for brevity and clarity.
CONSTRUCTION DIVE: Can you provide an example of how your firm has boosted inclusion in recent years?
MICHELLE REINER, BALFOUR BEATTY VICE PRESIDENT OF OPERATIONS: Our annual Together Allies Summit is now in its fifth year. Hosted during Global Diversity Awareness Month, this companywide virtual conference brings together our 5,000 employees with diverse guest speakers, ranging from members of Congress to professional sports experts to U.S. military personnel, for honest conversations about creating workplaces where everyone feels valued, respected and empowered to contribute their best.
Our goal is to learn from industries and organizations outside of construction. This year, we're welcoming Carl Nassib, former NFL player and philanthropist, to explore how embracing diverse perspectives and talents not only strengthens our people-first culture but directly contributes to our projects’ success.
JORGE QUEZADA, GRANITE CONSTRUCTION CHIEF INCLUSION OFFICER: One concrete example of boosting inclusion at Granite Construction is the active participation in Construction Inclusion Week since its inception.
From the beginning, we have engaged our employee resource groups to share how Granite employees support the CIW’s daily topics throughout the week, such as Commitment & Accountability, Belonging, Supplier Diversity and Workplace Culture. Additionally, during the week we communicate and implement initiatives to promote inclusive diversity, such as hosting webinars, providing training sessions and creating a supportive environment where all employees feel valued and respected.
BRAD LEWIS, HENSEL PHELPS CORPORATE DIRECTOR OF SUPPLIER DIVERSITY: Hensel Phelps has an internal initiative called Building Together, which promotes enterprise-wide engagement around our core values: Ownership, Integrity, Builder, Diversity and Community. The initiative includes toolbox talks, designed to guide discussions on DEI-related topics.
Additionally, each regional office has its own forum that focuses on local efforts to advance diversity, equity, inclusion and community involvement in their specific projects.
ZORAYA ROWLANDS, JE DUNN DIVERSITY, EQUITY AND INCLUSION DIRECTOR: We provide scholarships for people of color pursuing degrees in architecture, engineering and construction, including a guaranteed internship.
We partner with the National Association of Women in Construction, National Society of Black Engineers, Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers and RecruitMilitary to recruit diverse talent. We prioritize education by offering training programs that raise awareness about unconscious bias, cultural competency and inclusive leadership. These programs ensure that our employees are equipped with the tools to create a welcoming environment for all.
Our employee resource groups — Moment Connection (Women ERG), Blacks United in Learning and Development, VALOR (Veteran ERG) and SOMOS (Hispanic ERG) — provide platforms for employees to connect, share experiences and collaborate on initiatives that drive inclusivity across the company.
DEI policies have faced backlash and more restrictive legal rulings this year. What is the status of DEI in construction? Are you concerned CIW could be less effective?
QUEZADA, GRANITE: Our industry has learned that when construction careers are available to everyone, we create more value for clients, communities and shareholders. The construction industry remains committed to fostering an inclusive environment through continuous awareness, participation and engagement in the practice.
ROWLANDS, JE DUNN: We believe that Construction Inclusion Week remains highly effective. CIW offers an invaluable opportunity to reaffirm commitment to inclusion while facilitating meaningful learning and dialogue. By focusing on education, engagement and actionable steps, we are confident that CIW can continue to make a lasting impact — not only during the designated week but throughout the entire year.
LEWIS, HENSEL PHELPS: While CIW has made strides in promoting inclusivity, its effectiveness is largely dependent on the intentionality behind its implementation. For organizations and individuals who have not been deliberate in their approach, CIW's impact may be somewhat diminished. It's important to recognize that CIW has only been around for a few years, and fostering a truly inclusive culture in an industry historically resistant to such changes takes time.
The industry still has a reputation for not being inclusive. How much has changed? Where is there still room for improvement?
REINER, BALFOUR BEATTY: I am one of the first executives at Balfour Beatty to identify as a person of color, female and a part of the LGBTQ+ community. Throughout my over 30-year career in construction I have personally witnessed and can attest to the industry’s progress, but there is still work to be done.
Our industry could improve with evolving methods of attracting talent into the industry and developing partnerships across the entire supply chain that are culturally- and/or skill set-diverse.
LEWIS, HENSEL PHELPS: I believe progress has been made. You will begin to see the results over the next five to 10 years. There is still significant room for improvement in the construction industry when it comes to diverse business ownership, access to opportunities and access to capital. This also extends to diverse businesses that provide design services in the architecture and engineering fields.
ROWLANDS, JE DUNN: The construction industry has made significant strides toward inclusivity, yet we acknowledge that much work remains.
In recent years, initiatives such as Construction Inclusion Week and company-specific programs have successfully raised awareness and driven meaningful change across the sector. We have seen improvements in diverse hiring partnerships, increased opportunities for women and minority trade partners and businesses and a stronger emphasis on cultivating inclusive jobsites.
How do you take what you learn from CIW and apply it all year long?
ROWLANDS, JE DUNN: Construction Inclusion Week opens doors to innovative ideas and strategies that reinforce our commitment to inclusion, ensuring that the principles discussed during CIW are integrated into our daily practices and culture. We leverage CIW to raise awareness by showcasing our various initiatives and programs, engaging our employees in meaningful conversations that occur in this week, but also throughout the year.
QUEZADA, GRANITE: Applying the learnings from CIW throughout the year involves integrating the principles of inclusion and belonging into our respective systems. This can be achieved by continuously engaging with the educational resources provided during CIW, such as the curriculum and facilitator tools. Regularly reviewing and updating strategies based on feedback and new insights can also ensure that what we learn from CIW is effectively applied year-round.
REINER, BALFOUR BEATTY: The tools and content that CIW provides companies in our industry are a great complement and addition to our existing cultural framework that enhances our commitment to each other and the intentional actions we can make as a business to hold each other to account.
Correction: This article was updated to reflect that Construction Dive spoke with CIW sponsor firms.
