Wisconsin-based companies, Miron and Boldt join a growing list of construction industry leaders, including Bechtel and Turner who announced their support earlier last week.

On Friday, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo traveled to Milwaukee to join Governor Tony Evers and the Wisconsin Regional Training Partnership WRTP | BIG STEP for a roundtable on women in construction and the trades, where she called on Wisconsin companies, unions, and training organizations to sign on to the Million Women in Construction Community Pledge to bring more women into the construction workforce.

Following her event, which included two Wisconsin-based companies, The Boldt Company and Miron Construction – two of the largest contractors in the state – she announced that both will sign on to the Department of Commerce’s Million Women in Construction Community Pledge. These two companies join a growing list of leading construction companies that have signed on to the Pledge, including Bechtel and Turner Construction, Baker Construction, Gilbane Building Company, McKissack & McKissack, Mortenson, Power Design, Shawmut Design and Construction, and Suffolk.

“President Biden’s Investing in America agenda is creating a construction boom all over the country, and with that boom comes a huge increase in jobs and opportunities for workers in construction and the trades. But to fill these jobs and get projects underway, we need to ensure we are tapping into the full potential of our workforce and that means we have to get more women in the door,” said Secretary Raimondo. “I am thrilled to be expanding our Million Women in Construction Community Pledge with Boldt and Miron’s commitment to support proven strategies that will help women and underserved communities in Wisconsin get access to good-paying, quality jobs in construction and the trades.”

By signing on to the Million Women in Construction Community Pledge, leaders in the industry are demonstrating an ongoing commitment to increase women’s access to training, jobs and leadership opportunities. Signers will  focus on or scale up equitable hiring and workforce development efforts that create broader pipelines and opportunities for women. This industry-wide call to action encourages signers to voluntarily take action by utilizing best practices, including building community partnerships to reach women and girls, investing in solutions that increase supportive services such as child care, and fostering safe, healthy, and respectful workplaces.

In October of 2022, Secretary Raimondo announced the Million Women in Construction initiative, which aims to help build a new inclusive American workforce by doubling the number of women in construction over the next decade.

Last month, the Commerce Department announced a new industry voluntary pledge to bring more women into the construction industry, which included a number of leading construction companies. In addition, the Department also recently announced a CHIPS Women in Construction Framework with the goal of expanding the U.S. construction workforce. Under the Framework, semiconductor manufacturing companies will work with contractors, trade unions, and other community and workforce partners to implement best practices that will expand the construction workforce by increasing the participation of women and economically disadvantaged individuals.

“We at The Boldt Group recognize the importance of women at every level of our organization, from our leadership team to our skilled tradespeople. I am proud to sign the Million Women in Construction Community Pledge on behalf of The Boldt Group,” said Dave Kievet, President and CEO, The Boldt Group. “Boldt will continue to build on women's access to training, jobs and leadership coaching; scale our equitable hiring and workforce development efforts; adopt more best practices and support women in a safe, healthy and respectful workplace in alignment with the pledge.”

“Miron Construction understands that diversity drives innovation. With women comprising 10.9 percent of the construction industry and only 4.3 percent of skilled trade workers, our industry has an imbalance in gender diversity. Miron is committed to the equitable inclusion of all traditionally marginalized groups; we are excited to see the Million Women in Construction pledge help fill the skilled trades gap with passionate and smart individuals and increase gender diversity in the construction industry,” said Dave Walsh, Executive Vice President, Human Resources for Miron Construction.

The Million Women in Construction initiative is a nationwide call to action for the construction industry – construction contractors, trade unions, and training institutions – to commit to bold steps that will ensure a robust and diverse workforce in the years ahead. It will be necessary to recruit, train, hire, and retain thousands of new and non-traditional workers – the next generation of skilled laborers and leaders who are prepared to rebuild U.S. infrastructure and supply chains and complement Federal government investments.