Browsing: Diversity

What does it take to balance motherhood and a career in construction? In this special Women’s History Month collaboration episode, join Rebecca Leonardis, STO Building Group’s SVP of Marketing and Communications, Stacey Dackson, Structure Tone New York’s Vice President of Operations, and Tonia Rivers, host of Mothers in Construction and owner and president of WLS Construction Consultants, as they dive into what it means to build not just structures but legacies—juggling deadlines, leadership, and the unique challenges of being not just women, but mothers, in the industry.

There’s good news when it comes to women in the AEC industry: There are more women in the workforce than ever. According to Environmental Financial Consulting Group (EFCG), the number of women in the architecture, engineering, and construction workforce has increased to roughly 30% in the last 15 years. New hires, in particular, rate even higher.

With a robust network of over 4,700 construction professionals, the STO Building Group is rich with experts spanning all facets of the construction industry. That means local project teams can readily access that companywide expertise and experience for the benefit of their clients and projects. Here, we highlight just a few of these experts and their areas of specialization.

Women have been working hard to break through as leaders in the world of construction—and have made great strides. While the number of women in construction has hovered between 9 and 11% over the past 20 years, by 2018, nearly one in three companies had promoted women to senior roles.

Exploring the essence of leadership: Join Claudia Healy, STOBG’s Chief Human Resources Officer, as she interviews three independent members of STOBG’s Board of Directors—Jane Chmielinski, Natalie Gochnour, and Julie Schoenfeld—on their experiences, challenges, and lessons on shattering the glass ceilings and redefining leadership in their respective fields. (Part 2 of 2)

Exploring the essence of leadership: Join Claudia Healy, STOBG’s Chief Human Resources Officer, as she interviews three independent members of STOBG’s Board of Directors—Jane Chmielinski, Natalie Gochnour, and Julie Schoenfeld—on their experiences, challenges, and lessons on shattering the glass ceilings and redefining leadership in their respective fields. (Part 1 of 2)

More and more organizations are beginning to understand the advantages of workplace diversity and are working to create an environment where everyone feels valued and part of the team. A new consideration in this discussion is neurodiversity—creating spaces that account for a range of differences in brain function. Here renowned expert Kay Sargent, senior principal and director of workplace at HOK, explains what it means to design for neurodiversity and the role it plays in an overall effort to foster truly inclusive environments.

Last fall, Layton’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DE&I) team officially launched its Trade Partner Equity Program (TPEP).

At STO Building Group, we understand the importance of a collaborative team and are committed to building a more diverse and inclusive workforce in our offices, on our jobs, and in our partnerships. Over the last year, STOBG’s Diversity & Inclusion Steering Committee (DISC) has continued to drive this change within our company through corporate initiatives, while individual STOBG business units developed local approaches to D&I, focused on fostering strong relationships with minority, women, and disability owned businesses in our field.

Policies aimed at improvement are important. They declare intentions and provide guiderails and parameters for action. But action is truly where change happens.