Equity & Inclusion
Equitable Subcontracting
NEI General Contracting encourages and actively seeks the participation of diverse businesses in all of our projects. The most successful projects are those that engage and reflect the communities in which they are built. We take pride in being advocates for continued engagement with diverse businesses across all of our projects. To enhance participation, we have developed a contracting strategy to maximize the involvement of diverse construction firms in our projects. We also believe that building long-term, capacity-building relationships with emerging contractors will have a lasting impact on both individual workers and the communities in which they reside.
Diverse and Minority Worker Participation
46% of all contracts in the past 10 years
57% of all worker hours in the past 10 years
to minority and women workers directly*
Worker Engagement
Across all of our projects, we consistently achieve high participation from tradespeople of color. This achievement is primarily based on our commitment to achieving high diverse business participation. In the construction industry, it is well-known that diverse contractors hire diverse workers. Providing quality construction jobs to diverse workers not only benefits the economy but also offers valuable skills and growth opportunities in the construction industry. With a high participation of diverse tradespeople, we also expand our recruitment efforts and workforce development programs to hire workers from the communities in which we build.
Community Engagement
All of the aforementioned efforts and strategies are part of our holistic approach to community engagement and partnerships in contracting, workforce, and community involvement within the communities in which we operate. Community partnership is fundamental to everything we do as a leader in the national affordable housing industry. While we consider affordable housing an essential need for the communities in which we work, we recognize there are other needs that help communities grow and develop. NEI is proud to be a long-term member of the communities we have built. Our stance is that a community's needs do not cease when the construction project is completed. In fact, it often marks a new beginning for a community, and we aim to be active participants in the long-term development of the communities we serve.
Workforce Opportunity Resource Center (WORC²)
As a long-standing commitment to the community, NEI is a founding board member of the Workforce Opportunity Resource Center (WORC²). The goal of WORC² is to engage a local, community-based, and diverse workforce in all projects within the neighborhoods in which we work. Through established community networks, NEI will work to ensure that this resource benefits workers and both large and small contractors. Our specific focus will be on providing workers and small businesses with "one-stop shopping" for resources and technical support to promote growth and success in their careers or businesses. In combination with NEI's experience and commitment to the community, we are confident that through the center, we can provide meaningful and long-term investment that workers and contractors can build on, expanding their capacity on the current project as well as future projects in the community. Visit the WORC² website for more information.
