Founding Principal Carrie Strickland established her design practice in 2005 and works predominantly in private development. WPA’s work confronts the challenge of maintaining a high standard of design while working within the constraints of tight budgets, fast-paced development, and the jurisdictional restrictions of zoning codes associated with urban infill projects.

As a certified Women Business Enterprise, WPA has established itself as one of the Pacific Northwest’s leading design voices in an historically white male-dominated field. The firm is 100 percent women-owned, it maintains a minimum of 50 percent women and minority staff, and it is committed to offering opportunities to its staff through sponsorships and inclusive processes.

The firm established a nonprofit organization that participates and organizes community events around design and outreach. These events bring non-designers and designers together to discuss impacts of design on daily lives.

Strickland also has served on many boards and advisory committees regarding urban planning, planning policy and women-owned businesses.

WPA has received more than 50 design and practice awards during the past 15 years. Strickland was named an American Institute of Architects Fellow, the AIA’s highest membership honor, for her exceptional work and contributions to architecture and society. This honor is typically awarded toward the end of an architect’s career, and Strickland is one of the youngest architects to receive the award in the long history of the program, said Brian Cavanaugh, AIA, AIBC, NCARB, principal and co-founder of Architecture Building Culture.

“Works Progress Architecture has had more of an impact and reach than most people know and understand. The prominence of the work coming out of such a relatively small design firm is remarkable. When you also note that the firm has managed this tremendous impact while also setting an example for diversity and women-owned businesses the impact is even greater,” he said.

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Gale Schmidt grew up in an era when a woman’s career choices were pretty much confined to home economics or working as a secretary. She enjoyed building things and was determined to do work that she loved.

“It was the path less chosen and obstacles were everywhere. I was always looked at as incapable because I was a woman,” she said, adding it was common for her to be ignored at the hardware store or lumber yard and her proposed solutions to problems on projects were typically ignored.

“That type of prejudice of underestimating a person’s talents or abilities needs to be obliterated. People need to be given a chance to learn and grow and be valued.”

Now the owner of her own business with 12 employees, Schmidt takes a proactive approach to diversity, equity and inclusion within her team.

“Periodically, we will discuss diversity in our morning meetings. I try to get the privileged among us to notice that our neighbors do not have things as good as we do, that the system is not equal,” she said. “I’ve brought in trainers and had diversity training. I often speak of news events that show disparity and try to raise awareness. It’s easy to think a problem does not exist if we only see our immediate circumstances. It’s important to see things from the other side.”

Schmidt started A2 Fabrication in 1996 as Access Ability Inc., and manufactured and sold wheelchair access ramps. A2 Fabrication produces commercial railings for balconies, pedestrian areas, parks, stairs and commuter stations.

Irene Appel with Professional Business Development Group shared an anecdote about a project where the owner and architect had concerns about concrete ramps that were to feature steel handrails. Schmidt and her crew held the rails in place for about 10 minutes so the owner and architect could see what the final product would look like.

“They were very pleased and could see that the concrete work did not need to be redone. This was an extra trip and effort for (Gale’s crew) and was instrumental in making the project a success,” Appel said.

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Skanska has a six-step approach to engaging diverse vendors that includes conducting consistent outreach, crafting project-specific, inclusive procurement strategies and marketing projects. It also provides technical assistance and support, captures spend and perform compliance and reviews best practices and lessons learned.

“Skanska pursues community collaborations and undertakes mentoring and coaching with smaller and growing diverse firms to ensure their long-term success,” said Tim Johnson, executive vice president and general manager. “We are dedicated to supporting emerging, diverse and start-up companies because we believe we have a responsibility as a business in Oregon and Southwest Washington to do our part to grow and strengthen the diverse, talented community, which is the foundation of who we are.”

In one instance, Skanska worked with a smaller subcontractor that needed guidance on cash-flow management. It helped the firm change its cash-flow model, which set it up for success during and after the project. Skanska strives to foster a community of people willing to mentor, coach and guide its partners for the success of its projects and its COBID partners.

Skanska’s collaborative outreach events include Meet the Primes, where public agencies join the industry’s largest general contractors and sub-primes to meet COBID companies with contract opportunities.

Johnson said Skanska benefits as well from its partnerships with COBID businesses. “Here in Skanska’s local operations, we are continually reaching out to MWESB businesses, working with them to bid on our projects, actively cultivating deeper relationships and engaging early on to help grow their opportunities right alongside ours.

Specifically, we all benefit by raising the voice and bidding power of these firms to cultivate a stronger, diverse industry.”

Skanska is one of the world’s leading construction and development companies. Its local operations comprise the Oregon and Southwest Washington regions, and in 2019 it had revenues of $980.6 million. The 2019 combined Oregon and Washington gross revenues totaled $1.52 billion.

In the U.S., Skanska’s core operations include building construction, civil infrastructure and developing self-financed commercial properties, which together generated $7.6 billion in revenue in 2019. It has invested a total of $2.7 billion in commercial and multifamily projects.

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Since 2007, NAMC-OR has worked to serve the interests of and eliminate barriers for disadvantaged, minority-owned and women-owned construction and professional service businesses. The chapter provides a voice on major legislative issues and information about contracting opportunities.

The group has been a part of social movements for decades and, led by Executive Director Nate McCoy, NAMC-OR held “Racism in the Construction Industry,” a July 14 listening and brainstorming session via Zoom. Minority contractors, trade group leaders and leaders of local business industry companies and organizations attended the listening session.

John Cardenas, Prosper Portland’s senior construction diversity coordinator, credited NAMC-OR with pushing to have “hard conversations about race and racism in the construction industry with top elected officials, executive directors and business leaders.”

NAMC-OR recently compiled and presented the Equity Report and video to the Metro Council. The report highlights the equity goals and outcomes for the Oregon Convention Center Renovation Project. The partnership of Metro, Colas Construction, Raimore Construction and NAMC-OR created an unprecedented level of participation in the project by the African-American community, a substantial portion of which had been displaced by the original project.

With a timeline of 13 months, the OCCRP was completed on time, on budget and with an average contract amount of $2.6 million going to certified MBE firms. “A diverse workforce is not only possible, but will exceed all expectations when leadership is serious about utilizing and valuing equity, diversity and inclusion,” McCoy said.

As the COVID-19 pandemic began to impact NAMC-OR’s members, the organization provided technical assistance to help members submit applications for financial relief, including showing that they met requirements to receive it and sending email updates about other opportunities when the first round of funding quickly ran out.

Recently, NAMC has been advocating and working with government partners to make policies and resources sustainable long term and not just seasonal or one-time only so small businesses can truly grow and prosper through this pandemic and beyond, McCoy said.

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As HDR explored ways to connect with local COBID-certified companies, the engineering consulting firm partnered with Emerio Design to conduct a survey to identify the most common issues that COBID firms deal with, such as project management, contracting, business development and marketing.

HDR and Emerio, a COBID firm, hold regular Coffee + Connect forums and assemble subject matter experts, including consultants, local and state agency staff, and others to provide presentations and sit on Q&A panels to discuss COBID firms’ concerns and answer questions.

“As a firm, we are committed to supporting diversity and inclusion for our own staff and within our community,” said Amey Rivera Ledoux, HDR’s marketing services manager. “In addition, our client’s goals often include robust diversity objectives. Including COBID-certified firms in meaningful roles on projects, providing mentoring, and helping them grow and thrive enables us to better support our clients in achieving their goals.”

HDR involves its COBID partners in large, complex projects such as the I-205 Improvements Stafford Road to OR 213, I-5 Rose Quarter Improvement Project and Outer Powell Transportation Safety Project. It provides outreach, engagement and support, including helping firms become COBID certified and sponsoring and participating in organizations that support the COBID community.

Ledoux noted that HDR has seen many positive results from partnering with COBID firms. “Over time, we have developed relationships with many partners who enhance our ability to serve our clients and deliver projects reliably and provide diverse perspectives. Many of these firms have grown as we’ve continued working together, which provides a greater regional capacity of qualified personnel. That capacity is critical to delivering large projects.

“Partnering with COBID-certified firms has also resulted in knowledge sharing and long-term relationships between our staff and our small diverse business partners that routinely results in more efficient, creative project outcomes that reflect community values,” Ledoux added.

HDR’s participation in organizations that support the COBID community include the Women in Transportation Seminar. HDR’s Sumi Malik is the Oregon chapter president. Its support of the Oregon Association of Minority Entrepreneurs includes sponsoring and volunteering for its annual Youth Entrepreneurship Conference and Luncheon and Tradeshow.

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Kenechi Onyeagusi has long had an affinity for numbers and earned her degree in accounting and worked as a CPA before deciding she wanted a career with more social interaction.

“When I moved to Portland, I started my career in commercial banking,” she said, adding she worked closely with businesses and honed her financial analysis, business development and risk management skills over more than a decade.

“As I grew in my career, I started managing relationships and working with both businesses and nonprofits to help them grow.”

The mother of two young children, Onyeagusi found that she wanted more balance between her work life and her home life. She joined PBDG as executive director in January and said the transition has been a good fit for her.

“I’m an entrepreneur at heart and I wanted to work with businesses of color. I wanted to invest my time in creating generational wealth for and with people who look like me,” she said. “The construction industry has really marginalized not just people of color but women of color, so it’s my goal that we start to listen to women and people of color and that everyone feels heard and valued.”

Onyeagusi said that moving forward she would like to see PBDG strengthen the education, training and advocacy it provides to remove barriers and create opportunities for certified members to network and connect with partners. The organization is also focused on the health and safety of its member firms and their employees.

“It’s important that businesses are not just thriving but the owners are thriving as well,” she said. “As an industry, we need to start paying attention to the way that our businesses impact our community and our organization will continue to do that.”

Onyeagusi has served on the boards and committees of several other nonprofit organizations, including Birch Community Services, Micro Enterprise Services of Oregon, Business Diversity Institute, Mercy Corps NW, Meals on Wheels, Risk Management Association of Portland and Impact NW. She currently serves on several equity and economic development-focused committees serving COBID-certified firms in the region.

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Paul Schulz, principal at Pence Construction, attended an event at the Portland Opportunities Industrialization Center a few years ago and recalls being impacted as Joe McFerrin, POIC’s president and CEO, spoke to young people about their futures.

“I grew up in Portland and I think we’ve all got a lot to learn. Joe is a great partner to learn from and he has greatly impacted our emphasis on DEI,” Schulz said.

Pence Construction has been intentional about increasing diversity, equity and inclusion for several years. Its principals reached out to leaders in underrepresented populations throughout Portland to understand where inequity exists in subcontracting and beyond.

“We believe that as a company and as individuals we have an obligation to represent our entire community, and our support of COBID companies is just one spoke of that commitment,” Schulz said.

As Pence strives to support COBID-certified companies, the partnerships also benefit its employees who learn from those firms and how to identify barriers and find solutions. “We’ve found great partners through this process and each relationship has helped lead us down the path,” Schulz said.

Among its DEI initiatives, which include direct mentoring and teaching classes through the Professional Business Development Group, Pence established a scholarship program and recently awarded its first to a minority student to study construction engineering and management at Oregon State University.

“We would be happy for them to come work for us after college, but our goal is industry-wide diversity in leadership,” said Schulz, an OSU alum.

Franklin Smith, owner of Allied Systems Northwest, said he has attended several events sponsored by Pence to encourage and inform COBID firms of opportunities. “I’m constantly contacted by reps of Pence to inform me of opportunities by both phone and emails. They take action in promoting participation.”

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The powerhouse trio leading O’Neill Walsh Community Builders has a longtime commitment to building affordable housing and other projects that enhance communities while promoting diversity, equity and inclusion by hiring women and minorities, leading apprenticeships and mentoring both on and off the job.

Ali O’Neill is co-founder and co-owner of O’Neill Construction Group and a managing partner of OWCB. Since 2016, she has served as board treasurer for Oregon Tradeswomen Inc., and she has a 22-year commitment to workforce training and promoting equity within the industry.

Maurice Rahming co-founded and co-owns O’Neill Construction Group and also is a managing partner of OWCB. He is a founding member of the Professional Business Development Group, which facilitates training, mentoring, business development and financial management skills for COBID firms.

Afton Walsh, project manager and community outreach director for Walsh Construction Co., is a managing partner of OWCB and has a construction background that spans 13 years. She is also a board member of the Portland Community College Foundation.

OWCB views workforce diversity as a means of creating access to meaningful and well-paying careers in construction and a pathway out of poverty for people of diverse backgrounds. It works with all major pre-apprenticeship programs to increase participation of people of color and women. Its efforts to create a diverse background start in the schools and continue by removing barriers to apprentices and providing opportunities to journeyman-level workers.

OWCB has completed several affordable housing projects with the belief that safe, stable and affordable housing plays a critical role in enhancing economic prosperity and inclusion within the region. Its projects include the Beech Street Apartments, The Louisa Flowers, Orchards of 82nd + APANO, Butte Hotel, the Asian Health and Services Center and REACH Community Development’s headquarters. It currently is working on the Meyer Memorial Trust headquarters and the first phase of the Broadway Corridor project.

“We’re really proud of this partnership. We’re proud of our successes and the diversity on our projects and the community-building we get to do together,” Walsh said. “We look forward to the projects that are yet to come.”

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Schwabe’s attorneys assist COBID companies by helping them obtain their certification, making them aware of the resources that are available and helping them navigate a variety of issues involving public works projects. The firm also uses its network of contacts within the industry to connect COBID firms with other companies and build relationships.

In addition, Schwabe helps construction companies with their diversity and inclusion efforts. It established an equity practice that is focused on identifying racial, gender and other disparities; creating solutions-based approaches to mitigate and eliminate disparities; and developing partnerships and programs to connect and capitalize on shared values and goals.

“The construction industry can only benefit from increasing its diversity,” said Stephanie Holmberg, shareholder and Real Estate and Construction Industry Group leader. “Diversity can help address the skilled labor shortage, increase productivity and innovation, and provide a culture that is more reflective of the communities in which we work. Continuing to support COBID firms is just one way Schwabe can help achieve these goals.”

The firm’s commitment to diverse lawyers begins at the top with CEO Graciela Gomez Cowger, and it hired Molly Washington, former in-house counsel for the city of Portland, to lead its equity practice. Women make up 75 percent of its executive team, 29 percent of its shareholders, 60 percent of its Board of Directors, and 36 percent of its department heads and industry group leaders. About 35 percent of Schwabe’s intellectual property group are women, minority or LGBTQIA+ attorneys.

Along with the equity practice, Schwabe has a Women’s Initiative and a Diversity Committee. It offers a 1L Diversity Fellowship Program, with scholarships for students who have completed their first year of law school. It recruits from diversity job fairs and also hosts diversity-focused receptions and networking events for law students.

“There is no question that to achieve the best, most innovative solutions for our clients, it’s important to seek out varied perspectives. Creating a more diverse community within Schwabe continues to be the goal. While we are proud of the progress we’ve made, we recognize there is still work to be done,” Holmberg said.

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Nolan Lienhart began working on the Broadway Corridor project in 2015 when ZGF was selected to lead the Broadway Corridor Framework Plan, develop urban design concepts, prepare the Central City Master Plan, and support steering committee and community engagement activities. He said he’s learned several lessons since then.

“In particular, I’ve enjoyed the opportunity to take the Broadway Corridor design process on the road,” Lienhart said. “Recognizing that this development is intended to serve and invite the whole city, much like Pioneer Square and Waterfront Park, we took our open houses and pop-up design activities into other neighborhoods, meeting people at libraries, a bus stop, community centers, and the Mercado. We got feedback from people who may have never attended an open house had we not met them where they were.”

An expert at bringing all stakeholders together, Lienhart received big news recently as the team cleared a major hurdle with the approval of the agreement with the master developer Continuum Partners and the important Community Benefits Agreement. The CBA will ensure ample opportunities for minorities and women throughout the project.

The project will connect the Old Town/Chinatown and Pearl District neighborhoods and the majority of the properties within the 32-acre site are owned by Prosper Portland, including the 14-acre USPS site, which is jointly owned with the Portland Housing Bureau. The project offers the potential to create nearly 4 million square feet of new economic, business, social and community development opportunities.

The location and size of the Broadway Corridor represents an opportunity to realize Prosper Portland’s vision for an equitable economy by advancing prosperity, creating a vibrant neighborhood and supporting living-wage jobs. Lienhart said the project is unique because of the degree to which Prosper Portland leaned into equitable economic development as a guiding principle.

“Racial and economic justice were the top priority in assembling the steering committee, engaging them early in the process, and committing to Prosper’s first-ever community benefits agreement. This commitment to equitable economic engagement and community benefits informed our design and planning, and elevated a lot of new voices in defining the future of this district,” he said.

“My hope is that the energy we’ve generated translates into implementation quickly. The benefits of this project will start to reach people through demolition to construction, and in the new housing and public spaces we’ve planned. The sooner that happens, the better!”

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