Building a More Diverse Industry

Summer 2023 - Recently, the Small Business Administration awarded City Enterprise, Inc, President and CEO Wonderlyn Murphy the 8A Contractor of the Year Award for Massachusetts and all New England. 8A is a government program designed to help small, minority-owned businesses. Though the process to become certified as an 8A business is rigorous, the benefits can be valuable.

The pursuit of an 8A certification is a worthwhile exercise for any construction entrepreneur who meets the criteria. Certainly, there is plenty of room for increased diversity in the construction industry as business owners and as construction workers.

Congressman Richard E. Neal (D-Massachusetts) is joined by SBA representatives in congratulating Murphy and her staff during ceremony held this spring at City Enterprise’s jobsite at Springfield Technical Community College in Massachusetts.

According to statistics, Wonderlyn is one who comprises just 13 percent of women construction company owners. And although more than 50 million Americans earn a living in the construction industry, Hispanics and Latinos make up just 15 million; African Americans represent only 8.5 million; and other minorities comprise about 2 million, according to the National Association of Minority Contractors.

The construction industry in the United States is expected to grow steadily over the next four quarters. United States Construction Industry 2023 Databook Reported that the market is expected to Grow by a whopping 6.1 percent through 2027.

Programs like the government's 8A Certification coupled with increasing access to STEM courses for diverse student bodies will help ensure more diversity in the construction industry of the future. It is up to the contractors and construction workers of tomorrow to begin laying the foundation today.