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How can we move the inclusion and diversity needle in the A/E/C industry?

October 6, 2020
Karrie Kratz
At Gilbane, we find inspiring ways to utilize our collective energies towards improving the ways in which we conduct business, interact with local communities and allow our diverse team of employees to engage with their whole self.

This week, as we celebrate inclusion and diversity, our team explored one question: How can we move the inclusion and diversity needle with action to build sustainable capacity in the workforce, business and community? In order to seek answers, we spent time interconnecting the circles of our fabric; our trade contractors and supply chain, our clients, our employees and our communities.

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Rosilind Thomas, Gilbane UJIMA employee resource group leader

We Care. Caring is one of Gilbane’s core values that our teams exemplify when we lead forward, propelling our business decisions through the lens of our hearts. Through numerous and long-spanning relationships with the local contracting community, UJIMA employee resource group (ERG) leader Rosilind Thomas, has broadened her sphere of impact beyond the walls of Gilbane. UJIMA, one of six Gilbane ERGs to have a continuous impact on our culture and in our communities, is comprised of a community of Black/African American employees and advocates at Gilbane who foster an inclusive culture by attracting and supporting professional development, community engagement and providing a voice across the enterprise. Rosilind provides opportunities for interconnections between individuals, disadvantaged small businesses and industry organizations including the Hispanic American Construction Industry Association (HACIA) and National Association of Women in Construction (NAWIC).

“In order to move the needle …we need to continue to find ways to convince our industry to step outside of similarity bias and develop programs to ensure the inclusion of women, minorities, veterans and the LGBTQ+ community,” says Thomas.

We Ally. In 2020, Gilbane proudly became the first firm in the construction industry to support Equality Illinois, a non-profit advocacy group centered around advancing equal treatment and full acceptance of the LGBTQ+ community. Through our team’s journey with similar organizations, we seek new ways to be better allies to our business partners and team members and ensure that all facets of diversity are represented at the table when making critical business decisions.

We Unite. Action can be taken in small steps. Recently, Gilbane’s preconstruction team hosted an ‘Estimating 101 Course’ for HIRE360, a community partnership to expand employment and advancement opportunities to underrepresented individuals and businesses in the Chicagoland area. In addition, Gilbane’s national long-standing partnership with the ACE Mentor Program helps connect the dots to effectuate change and diversify our entire industry by empowering our future workforce. As part of our commitment to inclusionary business practices, our Gilbane Rising Contractor Program offers our certified trade partners an opportunity to develop and broaden their industry skills and knowledge, while also gaining first-hand insight on working with Gilbane.

The true power of inclusion and diversity comes from creating a more powerful outcome for our community…one client at a time, one opportunity at a time, one partnership at a time. Take action and move the needle each day by constantly learning from each other.




About Authors
Karrie Kratz serves as Vice President for Gilbane, overseeing all business and sales strategies for Gilbane’s Chicago business unit. Karrie has been with Gilbane since 1999 and has worked in all facets of the company. Karrie is the leader of Gilbane’s empoWer employee resource group and is a graduate of New England Institute of Technology with a Bachelor of science in Architectural Building Engineering Technology. She is actively involved in the community and serves on the board of directors for the ACE Mentor Program Chicago.
Read more posts by Karrie Kratz