Chairman's message: Young leaders to enhance diversity

A pipeline of up-and-coming leaders is critical to the long-term success of any organization. Those leaders should also reflect changes that are going on in the construction industry and the world at large. ABC-Mass. chapter already has a thriving young leaders group, and at our planning conference last fall, diversity emerged as one of the organization's four top priorities for the current year. A working group chaired by Kyle Regan of DECCO, Inc. has been meeting to try and achieve our goal of enhancing diversity. A threshold challenge for the diversity group is how to attract more women and minorities into the construction industry. One tool for achieving this and other goals developed at the planning conference is to more aggressively pursue partnerships with other organizations. ABC-Mass. chapter has already reached out to the National Association of Women in Construction (NAWIC) and we are exploring ties with minority construction organizations. Once we succeed in promoting the construction industry to a more diverse population, our next challenge is to use the resources available to us as the commonwealth's largest construction trade organization to nurture that interest among both individuals and companies. The working group is looking at a number of options for achieving this goal, ranging from diversity training for members to direct assistance for women- and minority-owned companies. The types of support the group is considering range from general mentoring and education on construction career paths to more targeted help with bonding and credit issues. Given the many options the working group is currently looking at, one option is to split it in half, with one group focusing on recruitment and the other on education. The Diversity Working Group is just beginning its work and you can make a real difference. If you would like to be involved with the Diversity Council, contact John Rich at (781) 273-0123 or Kyle Regan at (603) 673-2200. Those interested in our Young Leaders Group should contact Jim Abbott at (781) 273-0123 or Joe Camilo at (978) 663-0292 ABC-Mass. chapter's motto is "more members, more clout" and few things will help make that goal a reality more than a rich pipeline of young, diverse leaders. Chris Kenney is the chairman of the Associated Builders & Contractors-Mass. chapter, Burlington, Mass.