As a Women’s Business Enterprise (WBE) since 1988, it was the cornerstone of our company to help women and minorities succeed in the construction industry. Our focus was in bringing diverse subcontractors and vendors to the table, as well as contributing to many charitable organizations.
A challenge we faced was to take the same outward focus inward. To date, we have not met our goal related to women in leadership roles, especially those positions perceived as male roles- such as an Operations Director or Project Manager. Our goals were to:
Our actions focused in several areas:
Over one year, the number of women hired in the office increased from 42% to 44%, while women in management jumped from 10.2 percent to 27 percent. The number of female Operational Directors increased from two to three, and project managers from one to five. Feedback continues to be positive from our women’s groups, which meet bi-monthly, and our mentoring program. Next steps include a diversity council.
We are still recovering from the influence of our history, our experiences, our stories and our education. We have been taught in various ways, both consciously and unconsciously, that there are significant differences in values and value-propositions depending, in large part, on your race and gender. My life’s work is about unity and equality and bringing down the barriers that divide us.