Providence, RI – Gilbane Building Company received the 2021 Associated General Contractors (AGC) Large Contractor Diversity & Inclusion Excellence Award at the AGC’s annual convention in Orlando, Fla. Gilbane was recognized for its commitment to advancing diversity and fostering a culture of inclusion within its workforce, supply chain and in the communities they serve.
Gilbane has prioritized inclusion and diversity as a core company commitment and recognizes that the commitment in this area must be continuous in order to effect change. Gilbane also focuses on programs and outreach to enhance opportunities for participation from diverse businesses on its projects, including its Gilbane Rising Contractor program which is designed to help grow certified trade contractors. The company has 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 protege 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 training and education related to unconscious bias and other topics, employee resource groups, a multi-pronged strategic plan, and other initiatives.
“Gilbane knows that inclusion is the fuel that drives diversity,” explains Kavon McAdams, inclusion program manager at Gilbane Building Company. “We can’t achieve diverse results without instituting an inclusive mindset. With the support of executive leadership, we’ve developed a strategic plan with allocated personnel and dedicated resources to drive results.”
Gilbane also joined with five other construction management firms to launch the inaugural Construction Inclusion Week, which was held Oct. 18-22, with the theme of “Building the Foundation for Inclusion.”
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“Earning the AGC Diversity and Inclusion Excellence Award is such a great honor because it means we’re moving in the right direction,” said Yvette Stevens, director of economic inclusion and community affairs at Gilbane Building Company. “This award reinforces how important diversity, equity and inclusion is to our industry. We look forward to continuing to prioritize diversity, equity and inclusion as part of how we do business and ensure it is reflected in who we are and what we do.”
Construction Inclusion Week invites every member of the construction industry to unite to advance diversity, equity, and inclusion. By working together, learning from one another, and being consistent in commitments and actions towards maintaining a safe and inclusive work environment – free of harassment, hate, or bigotry of any kind – Construction Inclusion Week aims to create positive change in the industry for generations of workers to come.
