SUPPORTING AND CELEBRATING
A Diverse Workforce
Old Friends, New Beginnings
Woods Construction & Interiors is not new to the construction industry or the challenges it faces. In fact, for seven decades and counting they have served the entire nation, employing hundreds of people from all communities and backgrounds. President John Bodary already knew about ConstructReach thanks to a mutual relationship with Target, so when he decided it was time to expand and strengthen Woods Construction’s internship and apprenticeship programs, he knew exactly where to turn. At the beginning of 2021, they finalized a contract with ConstructReach to help them reach their Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) goals.
Diversifying the Pipeline
One of Woods Construction’s goals was to increase their college relationships by 30%. Their team worked with ConstructReach to identify more diverse universities to broaden their pool of talent. Additionally, ConstructReach connected Woods with local high schools to start informing students about their options and encouraging them to enter trades at an earlier age. ConstructReach is helping to make Woods’ internships and job opportunities more appealing to diverse young people by developing more inclusive and modern job descriptions.
“There has never been a better time to make sure our workforce looks like the human race,” says Bodary. “We do work all over the country, and we’ve seen firsthand that people of color are not always given the opportunity to pursue jobs in construction. When you look at the ratio in trades, it’s not representative of the population, and so we want to help fix that.”
Making Progress
Now that Woods is working towards their college expansion goals, and their most recent internship program has ended, Bodary has noticed some amazing results. Most notably, both interns they had hired are still working for Woods while finishing school and may come on full-time once they earn their degrees. ConstructReach has truly become an extension of the Woods family, and Woods plans to have ConstructReach join their Annual Safety Days and host an “I built this!” event with ConstructReach soon.
A Bright Future for All
Diversity has always been a critical component of Woods’ company mission, which is why Bodary is thrilled that ConstructReach has helped make inclusivity a more structured and intentional part of their hiring and onboarding processes. “ConstructReach has helped us make diverse people feel more comfortable at work. With ConstructReach, we have been able to be proactive and move forward.”
