US firm Clark Construction Group has announced its central role in Construction Inclusion Week, an initiative to build awareness, celebrate diversity and equity, and grow inclusion across the construction industry.

The Maryland-based construction company is a founding member of the initiative, where the mission is to unite the industry and “collectively set expectations for behaviors that foster positive and lasting change.” The week-long event will begin on October 18, 2021, and is open to the entire industry.

The idea behind Construction Inclusion Week was created in 2020 when Clark Construction Group along with fellow contractors DPR, Turner, Gilbane, Mortenson, and McCarthy joined together to form the “Time for Change” consortium to identify ways to advance diversity, equity, and inclusion within the construction industry.

The theme for Construction Inclusion Week’s first outing is “Building the Foundation for Inclusion.” Topics will include leadership commitment and accountability, unconscious bias, supplier diversity, job-site culture, and community service and outreach.

Participating firms will have access to materials and resources such as toolkits and conversation guides to bring awareness to diversity, equity, and inclusion concepts for job sites, teams, and organisations.

Construction Inclusion Week is one example of Clark’s effort to improve its diversity and inclusion strategy, which is underpinned by four key tenets including culture, namely an effort to continually develop a positive, inclusive, and respectful workplace; growth, including how to attract, retain, grow, and promote a diverse mix of talent at all levels of the organisation; resources, including how to provide the resources and support for its employees and company to thrive, and engagement to positively impact communities by providing access to opportunity.

Robby Moser, President and Chief Executive Officer for Clark Construction said: “As business leaders, we have a unique opportunity to leverage our collective voices and resources to identify and solve key industry and societal challenges. Clark is honored to be part of this industry-wide journey to build and foster a culture of diversity, equity, and inclusion, where our people and communities can thrive.”

To find out more about Construction Inclusion Week, click here.