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As a Certified B Corp, we use business as a force for good. This includes hiring a diverse workforce both at C.E. Floyd and with the partners we use to build our construction projects. We embrace and encourage our employees’ differences and want everyone to feel they have the same opportunity for equitable growth and success.

Social Procurement Drives Value

We’re focused on social procurement and the broader impact our choices have on the community, including economic development and employment opportunities. We make purchasing decisions that drive social value and impact. Some things we’re doing are:

1. Hiring trade partners within 50 miles of the project site when economically possible
2. Intentionally inviting companies owned by under-represented populations to bid on our projects and continuing to grow our list of companies that meet these standards
3. Engaging in the local community in our areas of operations and volunteering with and making financial donations to organizations that are striving to alleviate poverty

Creative Hub groundbreaking celebration

Workforce Hiring Goals

Along with the requirements above, this project also set ambitious but achievable hiring targets for onsite labor:

• 50% local residents
• 38% people of color
• 10% women
• 50% of subcontractors within a 30-mile radius
• 15% apprentices

Each month, we collect documentation from our trade partners and submit a workforce report to the City of Worcester’s Diversity Monitoring Committee, ensuring transparency and accountability. Our success relies on clear communication, rigorous tracking, and a shared commitment to inclusive hiring. In addition to the monthly reports, we meet with the committee every two months to discuss the numbers.

Preparing for Success to Meet the Goals

The work we started several years ago to identify and prequalify diverse trade partners played a crucial role in helping us make a good faith effort to meet the project's hiring goals. We were able to invite at least one diverse company to bid on the project for each trade through these earlier efforts. To build on that number, we also engaged a third-party vendor to expand our diverse bidding pool, and we collaborated with state and local workforce development agencies.

During the bidding phase, we clearly communicated the workforce goals to all bidders and explained the tracking and reporting requirements. Once the bids were in, our project manager talked with the trade partners during buyout negotiations to ensure they understood the expectations and could meet the workforce targets. The requirements were then incorporated into every trade partner contract, establishing a shared commitment from the outset.

Once the buyout was complete, almost 50% of the dollar value of our contracts went to local Worcester contractors, and three contracts went to diverse trade partners. The project is ongoing, so the onsite labor percentages are still changing. The local resident and apprentice targets have been the most challenging to meet.

Supplier diversity aligns with our mission and values, while creating tangible benefits for communities and society as a whole. We acknowledge that we still have work to do, but we’re committed to continuous improvement and growing our impact over time.

Contact us to learn how we can help you make your next construction project a success.