OCBJ Feature: Casco Says DEI Initiatives Lead to Happier Clients, Employees
- marketing12415
- Jul 26, 2024
- 1 min read
Read full Orange County Business Journal Article by Kaitlin Aquino here.
Cheryl Osborn knew the importance of diversity, equity and inclusion when she started Casco Contractors in 2000.
“The amount of women-owned contractors,” let alone the amount of women in the construction industry, “is pretty low,” Osborn, president of the Irvine-based construction company, told the Business Journal.
“I have the typical stories of not being taken seriously and having to work harder than my male counterparts to prove myself in this industry.
“But that’s just par for the course,” she added.
Women currently make up 9.9% of the construction workforce in the U.S., according to the National Association of Women in Construction.
The amount of female leaders in the construction industry is even lower. Casco, however, has just contributed to that number with the recent hire of the company’s first woman superintendent—a rare find for the industry, which is dominated by men.
“Around 1% of superintendents [which oversee the building process from planning to completion] are female,” Osborn said.
Being one of three women-owned contractors, she knows amidst a sea of hundreds of firms owned by men, diversity is “definitely embedded in Casco’s culture,” Osborn said.
Casco’s DEI initiatives range from diversity-minded recruitment, women-friendly field gear and philanthropy that strives to uplift young girls and women.
“We try to keep our eyes open to people who wouldn’t get opportunities elsewhere,” Osborn said.