Providence, RI – Gilbane Building Company announced it received the 2023 Associated General Contractors (AGC) Large Contractor Diversity & Inclusion Excellence Award at the AGC’s annual convention in Las Vegas. Gilbane was recognized for its continued commitment to advancing diversity and fostering a culture of inclusion within its workforce, supply chain, and in the communities it serves.
“Receiving this national award for the second time reinforces how important diversity, equity and inclusion is to our company,” said Yvette Stevens, vice president and director of economic inclusion for Gilbane Building Company. “We look forward to continuing to prioritize our efforts in this space as part of how we do business and ensure that work is reflected in communities in which we are working.”
Gilbane focuses on programs and outreach to enhance opportunity for participation from diverse businesses on all its projects, including its Gilbane Rising Contractor program which is designed to help grow certified trade contractors. In March of 2022, the firm announced its commitment to generating $4 billion in awards to minority-, women-, disadvantaged, LGBTBE, and veteran-owned businesses over the next five years.
Gilbane has also created dedicated roles focused on both economic and internal inclusion and diversity. To help drive economic inclusion, Gilbane develops procurement strategies designed to maximize participation, engages diverse subcontractor participation through outreach, encourages meaningful contracting opportunities, initiates mentor protégé relationships, creates strategies to help firms build capacity, and examines ways to reduce barriers to success. The company focuses on internal inclusion and diversity efforts with leadership support from an internal Inclusion & Diversity Council, through trainings and education related to unconscious bias and other topics, employee resource groups, a multi-pronged strategic plan, and other initiatives.
In 2021, Gilbane joined with five other construction management firms to launch the inaugural “Construction Inclusion Week,” an annual event that invites every member of the construction industry to unite to advance diversity, equity, and inclusion.
