NASHVILLE, TN – Leading construction and development firm Skanska announced that it graduated nine Minority and Women-Owned Business (MWBE) contractors in the Nashville area from its free safety leadership workshop. The program provides educational opportunities by teaching participating contractors how to integrate safety into every aspect of their business.
Skanska's five courses outlined the foundation of construction safety including OSHA regulations, work planning, training, incident investigation and root causes analysis.
The workshop's purpose was to give these MWBE leaders the tools and knowledge to lead their team's safety culture and bring to light safety precautions and procedures that can often be overlooked.
"We are incredibly proud of the commitment of those who participated in our safety leadership workshop," said Alisha Wix, vendor and diversity manager at Skanska. "Led by our environmental health and safety (EHS) professionals, we wanted to create a program for MWBE’s in the area to develop safety leaders and expertise within their organizations. Ultimately, we want to support and prepare our partners for the growing construction opportunities throughout Nashville."
“It was a privilege and honor to participate in Skanska's Safety Leadership Program,” said Obinna Iwuchukwu, owner of Redox Environmatics Inc. “Skanska's safety commitment and empowerment of its partners and subcontractors is second to none. I have truly benefited from the program.”
“To be successful, safety has to be a key component of your company regardless of trade. Skanska's team knows how to set that foundation,” said Michael Cox, project manager at R & Company Construction Group LLC.
The companies and their safety graduates include:
- Imperial Cleaning Systems Patrick Johnson, Project Manager
- K Payne Contracting Angela Ross, Director of Operations
- R & Company Construction Group LLC Michael Cox, Project Manager
- The Cleaning Leaders LLC Sandra Potter, CEO
- Redox Environmatics Inc. Obinna Iwuchukwu, Owner
- John Curry Electric Isilma Castro, Safety Director
- Ace Contractors Inc. Chandan Chaudhuri
- EJO Ventures Lorenzo Holt, Senior Project Manager
- Elite Cleaning Service NiStephanie McNeil, Owner
Graduates were required to attend five weeks of sessions, with one, two-hour session each week. To graduate from the program, participants were only allowed to miss one class.
In the Nashville area, Skanska’s recent projects include Fifth + Broadway, JW Marriott, Cordell Hull, Sixth South, Clarksville’s Multi-Purpose Event Center, the future headquarters for the Community Foundation and others.