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Leveraging Employee Resource Groups to Connect with the Industry’s Top Talent

November 30, 2021
Cindy Manrique

One of the pillars of Gilbane’s Inclusion and Diversity (I&D) commitment is to enhance workforce diversity through recruitment and retention. Our Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) have been instrumental in partnering with Talent Acquisition to help drive this commitment through knowledge-sharing and by representing Gilbane at various recruiting events. Most recently, Gilbane’s Hispanic ERG, HOL@, partnered with Talent Acquisition to attend the SHPE National Convention in Orlando, FL. Gilbane hosted a career booth to connect with potential candidates face-to-face. Ten Gilbane employees from across the country joined together with the single goal of recruiting some of the industry’s brightest candidates to fill open positions at Gilbane. 

SHPE, which stands for the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers, hosts the largest gathering of Hispanic professionals and students in the U.S. looking for opportunities in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics -STEM – field. The convention included two full days of interviewing and connecting with potential candidates. Our recruitment team consisted of both human resources and operations members from across the country: Ana Fonseca (Texas), Brittany Galko (Rhode Island), Alisha Johnson (Texas), Cindy Manrique (New York), Gabriel Rivas (California), Ryan Spotts (Pennsylvania), DeRita Summerlot (Florida), Leonardo Torres (Ohio), Moises Umanzor (DC), and Naeisha Williams (Florida).  

Gilbane’s Hispanic ERG, HOL@, partnered with the Talent Acquisition team to plan out our attendance at the convention, which involved reviewing hundreds of resumes, scheduling virtual interviews, and scheduling onsite/in-person interviews at the convention itself. As a result, over 30 highly motivated candidates were interviewed, and the team had the opportunity to connect with over 300 interested students and professionals through the Gilbane career booth. The Gilbane team left the convention feeling inspired and energized because of the drive and motivation displayed by the next generation of builders. Having the opportunity to recommend diverse candidates for hire across different business units showed the team just how valuable it was to attend the SHPE Convention. In addition to meeting new people, the Gilbane team members had the opportunity to connect and spend time with one another: the team hosted a welcome dinner and enjoyed a session of Top Golf. These gatherings remind us how special our Gilbane employees are, and how we can all come together for one purpose, regardless of our functions and geographical locations – One Family, Una Familia.




About Authors
Cindy Manrique is a project manager with over 7 years of experience in the construction industry. She has experienced several roles during her participation in Gilbane’s Management Candidate Acceleration Program (MCAP), which she graduated from in 2017. The MCAP rotations provided her the opportunity to gain project experience in residential, retail and higher educational markets, as well as estimating and purchasing. She is a graduate from New Jersey Institute Technology with a bachelor of science in Construction Engineering Technology and an MBA from Rutgers University. Cindy is on HOL@ Gilbane’s national steering committee and leads the New York office ERG, in addition to being a member of the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers.
Read more posts by Cindy Manrique