91视频

A consortium of major national contractors on Monday will launch the inaugural Construction Inclusion Week to fight racism and other forms of discrimination.

In Portland, Mortenson Construction and Turner Construction are taking part. Each day, curriculum will focus on a specific topic.

The Time for Change consortium grew out of social unrest last year, said Dan Mehls, vice president and general manager of Mortenson’s Portland office.

鈥淔irst of all, it’s just the right thing to do,鈥� he said. 鈥淥ur society is changing. Our country truly is a melting pot.鈥�

Contractors must also be responsive to their increasingly diverse customer base, Mehls said.

鈥淥n the business side, the face of our customers is changing,鈥� he said. 鈥淭o relate to our customers we have to be more diverse and inclusive.鈥�

The curriculum topics are:

• Monday: leadership commitment and accountability
• Tuesday: unconscious bias
• Wednesday: supplier diversity
• Thursday: establishing and maintaining a positive jobsite culture
• Friday: community engagement and philanthropy

The other members of the Time for Change consortium are Gilbane, DPR Construction, McCarthy Building Companies and Clark Construction Group. The group’s work adds to local efforts, including the Safe From Hate campaign that was initiated after a noose was discovered at a construction site at Portland State University.

Supporting diversity and inclusion requires ongoing effort, Mehls said.

鈥淣obody changes their bias or their mind overnight,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t takes multiple conversations and perspectives and experiences for people to change their thinking, and we understand that.鈥�

Mehls compared the diversity push to the decades-long effort to elevate safety as a primary goal at jobsites. A century ago, deaths at construction sites were expected and funeral costs were factored into bids, he said.

鈥淚t’s been a long journey for our industry for many decades to understand that it’s not OK to hurt anybody on a jobsite,鈥� he said.

Likewise, Mehls said, 鈥渋t’s not OK to be disrespectful based on people’s race or colors or perspectives. Everybody should be heard, and not just the loud voices. Sometimes it’s the quiet voices.鈥�

More information and materials are available at .