National Diversity Summit Draws Heavy Participation from Baltimore

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More than 100 industry leaders and stakeholders came together June 25 for ABC’s fourth annual Diversity & Inclusion Summit to discuss the value of diversity in construction and promote the association’s mission within diverse groups.

Larry Lopez, National Diversity Committee chair and ABC Baltimore Board Members, facilitated the day, which included appearances from many Baltimore members and staff.

Mike Henderson, ABC Baltimore president, sat on a panel discussing the diversity efforts at the local ABC level with other chapter presidents. Each shared how their organization is working toward achieving ABC’s goals of expanding diversity and inclusion initiatives, delivering best practices and addressing the workforce shortage.

The summit concluded with a panel on best practices in supply chain diversity, with both subcontractors and general contractors sharing their perspectives on best practices MBE firms can bring to the table in the pre-construction and construction processes. Panelists from the Baltimore area included Donna Venerable Davis, CEO of D&L Cleanup, a woman-owned full-service cleaning company; Carolyn Ellison, director of marketing, citizenship and community engagement for Turner Construction; Linda Graves, vice president of diversity and community affairs at Gilbane Building Company; Brad Lewis, corporate director of supplier diversity at Hensel Phelps; Gregory Malcolm, founder and president of roofing company IronShore Contracting, LLC.

See photos from the event!