SEATTLE SUPPLIER & WORKFORCE
DIVERSITY PROGRAM

Mortenson’s Supplier and Workforce Diversity Program embodies our stewardship philosophy and is at the core of everything we do. It is divided into two areas – small and diverse firms’ participation and workforce development. We are stewards of the community in which we operate our business, and maintaining a focused, relationship-based, and proactive approach to outreach holds us accountable for that commitment. 

Our outreach efforts maximize opportunities by identifying, attracting, pre-qualifying, and building interest and enthusiasm for all Mortenson projects to the community as a whole.

Small and Diverse Business Participation

Mortenson implements a standard 18% small and diverse business participation goal on all projects managed within the Seattle Office. Our initiatives for maximizing small and diverse business participation include the following:

• Structuring and compartmentalizing bid packages to allow for maximum participation by local women and minority-owned businesses.

• Leveraging outreach, relationships, and collaboration with women and minority trade associations to identify and engage firms for participation in current and future projects.

• Building strong connections with the local trade partner community to ascertain the capacity and capability of the current marketplace.

• Establishing aggressive goals consistent with the availability of WMBE firms in the marketplace that help hold us accountable to our approach.

• Facilitating partnerships among majority-owned firms, WMBEs, owner groups, and other design and construction partners in the industry.

• Engaging in proactive and consistent communication to WMBE contractor organizations regularly regarding events, upcoming opportunities, and training opportunities. 

• Utilizing both internal and external mentor-protégé programs to support small business growth and success. 

• Leverage staff augmentation agreements with minority and women-business partners to maximize long-term growth and learning potential. 

Our Community + Diversity Inclusion Expert works alongside our project teams to maximize opportunities for diverse firms. They manage outreach and educational workshops to promote understanding and increase diverse business participation and utilization on our construction projects. 

Additional S/WMBE Resources 

Workforce Development

Workforce development is the second major part of our Program. We recognize that to create an impact in the communities we serve, our workforce must be the best representative. For all projects, Mortenson establishes a workforce utilization goal that is expressed as a percentage of the total work hours of minority and female utilization the subcontractor shall reasonably be able to achieve in each construction trade in which it has employees.