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The consensus became clear among Oregon construction leaders during a recent panel discussion about ending discrimination and racism within the industry. They want to make their industry better, and they recognize that the effort is a marathon and not a sprint.

More than 400 people attended Wednesday’s event via Zoom. It was led by both Nate McCoy, executive director of the National Association of Minority Contractors’ Oregon chapter, and Mike Salsgiver, executive director of Associated General Contractors’ Oregon-Columbia chapter.

鈥�(We are here to) bring a closed-end to 2020 and a renewed interest in 2021 all premised on ending and eradicating discrimination and racism in the construction industry,鈥� McCoy said.

The discussion focused on four pillars: zero tolerance, workforce education, recruitment, and institutional advancement and mentorship. Inroads must be made in these areas, speakers said. Also, business challenges need to be addressed, and a culture change needs to take place, they said.

Molly Washington, one of the panelists and of counsel at Schwabe, Williamson & Wyatt, noted that the Black Lives Matter protests might have been a reawakening for some, but for others, it has been their lives and their families’ lives.

鈥淲e have to move forward from the idea that ignorance is even an option,鈥� she said. 鈥淲e have to be informed.鈥�

Throughout the discussion, each panelist mentioned that general ignorance of the BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and people of color) community has been stifling the industry for too long.

The discussion established that educating the workforce about the history of injustices in the BIPOC community is an important step. Education at all industry levels serves to create a respectful environment and teach what will no longer be tolerated, speakers said.

In May, Andersen Construction executives didn’t learn that a hate crime had occurred on one of the company’s job sites until 20 days later. Only a social media post brought to light the appearance of a noose at the site, CEO Joel Andersen said.

鈥淲hat it started to register immediately was how ill-prepared we were as an organization and really quite frankly as an industry,鈥� he said. 鈥淎ll of the safety guards put in place in the industry to protect the workers failed. The foreman, out of sheer ignorance, didn’t understand the magnitude of this situation.鈥�

Andersen said the industry is predominantly white, heterosexual men 鈥� people who have rarely been marginalized. That has led to a lack of understanding of when issues occur on job sites.

Instead of a zero-tolerance policy being one strike and you’re out, Andersen Construction is looking at a more educational approach. The focus will be on educating workers on what is not tolerated and helping them understand marginalized communities.

One of the ways workers can become educated is through bystander intervention and harassment prevention training. Providing this at every level of the industry will cause a shift away from discrimination, Oregon Tradeswomen Inc. Executive Director Kelly Kupcak said.

鈥淲e need bystanders to be front-liners and not sideliners,鈥� McCoy said of workers who observe racism or harassment on job sites.

There has to be a commitment to inclusivity in order to achieve zero tolerance, said Jeff Moreland, president of Raimore Construction. The BIPOC community represents 40 percent of Raimore’s field staff and 70 percent of its management staff. That helps foster an environment of zero tolerance, he said.

One of the first steps to create an inclusive industry, Colas Construction President and CEO Andrew Colas said, is in recruitment. Conversations at that stage go hand in hand with the values a company holds, he said. If companies want to recruit from the BIPOC community, he added, it’s important for them to show people who look like them at different levels.

But to get there, recruitment strategies might need to change. Dave Drinkward, president and CEO of Hoffman Construction, said firms need to do a better job of making the industry more attractive. For a long time, Hoffman Construction’s leader of recruitment was a middle-aged white man, which Drinkward said probably turned away more people than he thought.

There has to be more focus on how people can make a career out of the industry, Drinkward said, noting he’s looking at institutional advancement and mentorship programs.

鈥淚 think the best way we learn is to teach and grow together,鈥� he said. 鈥淎nd if we’re not in it to build competitors, then we’re not in it for the right reasons.鈥�

The NAMC and AGC chapters plan to continue conversations on the topic monthly.