Mortenson has been on our diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) journey for more than a decade, with committed efforts to creating a culture where everyone feels belonging and our differences are celebrated. In 2022, the Denver Business Journal recognized Mortenson as a winner of the 2022 Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Award. In its inaugural year, the Award honors both outstanding organizations and outspoken individuals in metro Denver who go above and beyond to bolster equality across all areas of diversity, including age, disability, gender, sexual orientation, race, ethnicity, religion and neurodiversity.
Mortenson Team Members The success of our business is a result of the strength of our teams who draw on a diversity of perspectives. As we actively invest in a more inclusive culture through mentorship programs, resource groups, partnerships with minority businesses, structured bid packages and more, we strive daily to positively impact DEI within our company and our communities.
Fostering diversity, equity and inclusion in our workplace looks like:
Conducting a bi-annual engagement survey to understand if team members feel heard and if inclusion is felt in a meaningful way. This data helps us understand our performance and establish corresponding goals throughout the year, including quantitative and qualitative measures.
Participating in Construction Inclusion Week, creating opportunities for the entire industry to learn from one another. This establishes consistent commitments and actions toward maintaining a safe and inclusive work environment with a goal of cultivating an environment free of harassment, hate, or bigotry of any kind.
Hosting Flavor, a company-wide even designed to facilitate meaningful connections between People of Color and senior leadership. Reinforcing the company's commitment to DEI and educating others through dialogue, exercises, and internal and external perspectievs, this yearly event consists of small group and panel discussion, a leadership address, and networking.
Approximately 34% of our workforce is female, nearly triple the industry average of 12.3%. We engage diverse team members and their allies through internal development programs, expanding hiring practices, and setting fair compensation packages across the company. Our focus extends beyod numbers to promoting real parity. From career mapping to Women's Skills Nights during Women in Construction Week, which provides training and experience using the tools needed to advance on the construction site. Opportunities for advancement are porvided for all.
Mortenson Team Members Transforming Communities Through Economic Inclusion™
As a national firm, we are in a powerful position to create change in our workforce and by providing opportunities for economic advancement for historically underrepresented audiences in the industry, thereby expanding hiring capacity. Partnering with diverse organizations across Colorado gives everyone we interact with opportunity.
- Working with minority and women-owned businesses on projects totaling $962 million through our Community Empowerment Program, with a focus on continuing to grow our efforts to reach new businesses and expand our diverse trade partner database since 2009.
- Partnering with Cleo Parker Robinson Dance, a nonprofit dedicated to using the universal language of dance to honor the African Diaspora, explore the human condition, champion social justice, and unite people of all ages and races.
- Bidding packages include a minimum of 15% participation by small minority and women-owned businesses in Denver each year.
Impacts in the Denver community
The construction industry is experiencing an unprecedented labor shortage. Compounding the crisis, 32.5% of the construction industry is over 50 years old and approximately 29% of the workforce will retire by 2026. Nationwide, experts forecast a one-million-person shortage in the construction industry by 2023.
Rapidly building a larger and more sustainable workforce pipeline is crucial to metro Denver's success as growth continues. Recognizing we must see it to be it, we work to expose a broad cross-section of youth to the opportunities for meaningful careers in construction. Our workforce development team visits schools, conducts mock-up sessions, discussion panels, hands-on construction pours, and offers diverse examples of success in this industry.
A few of the organizations we support in Denver:
- HOYA Foundation's annual Transportation and Construction Girl
- STEMblazers
- Firefly Autism
Shifting the paradigm around DEI will take time and much more effort. These proactive stps help improve DEI across our company and the entire construction industry and the communities we serve.