Building with a Community-first Mentality
How Listening Fosters Impactful Partnerships in Chicago
Read time: 3 minutes
While we are builders at heart, our purpose goes beyond this.
Rooted in the belief the world is what we make it, building for the greater good is why we’re here. Central to our purpose is empowering our people and communities to create a more equitable future for generations to come.
“Intentional listening is foundational to how we serve our community,” explains Sheryl Van Anne, vice president and general manager of Mortenson’s Chicago business. “To genuinely understand and address the needs of our community, we must stay engaged with our neighbors at all levels, validate the voices that speak up, and continue to meet people where they are.”
We believe everyone plays a role in shaping our communities. The important question all must confront is, “What is your role in propelling the community forward?” Then, what’s important is choosing partners who not only embrace this community-first mentality but keep it consistently at the forefront, guiding towards the impact you’re looking to make.
In this way, our teams leverage Mortenson’s legacy of giving back by creating a better future together alongside our customers, partners, community leaders, businesses, and volunteers.
This community-first mentality is the key to unlocking meaningful, long-lasting impact in Chicago and beyond. See this multi-faceted approach in action:
Listening to Community Needs
In response to the People’s Plan for Community Safety – a community-led initiative to make Chicago safer by providing resources to communities most affected by economic disinvestment, violence, and systemic racism – a need was expressed for positive messaging in high-opportunity neighborhoods.
Mortenson partnered with Alderman Lamont J. Robinson and the Mayor’s Office of Community Safety to install "Words of Love" on the fences of vacant lots to promote positivity, spark creativity, and honor Mental Health Awareness Month.
To learn more about this community-driven, public-private partnership, click here.
Signs spanned the fences of vacant lots saying, “Your Life Matters” and “Black is Beautiful.”
For the Community, by the Community
In Spanish, “Esperanza” means hope. To increase health equity for Chicago's underserved communities, Esperanza Health Center partnered with Mortenson to build a new clinic to continue providing bilingual, high-quality primary care and behavioral health and wellness services to the community, regardless of immigration status, insurance status, or ability to pay.
Truly built for the community and by the community, the project team is tracking to surpass supplier and workforce diversity goals – with 52% of their trade partners representing minority or women-owned businesses and employing a 56% diverse workforce.*
To learn how this project propelled Esperanza’s mission, click here.
Signs spanned the fences of vacant lots saying, “Your Life Matters” and “Black is Beautiful.”
Making an Impact Well Beyond Construction Completion
The University of Chicago Keller Center has received accolades for sustainable design and construction, as well as community engagement. To preserve the building’s past and support the surrounding community, Mortenson worked alongside local Artist Theaster Gates and the University and project team to start a new mill on the south side of Chicago to process damaged ash wood trees from the city’s parks and transform the timber into eye-catching material for building’s interior.
Not only did this mill connect the project to the community during construction via woodworking training and employment, but the facility has also maintained operations after the building's completion.
To view the outcomes of this community revitalization effort, click here.
Over 90,000 dead trees were repurposed within the new mill for the construction of the Keller Center.
Our communities benefit when we are a conduit for their progress.
Grassroots, longstanding community empowerment and philanthropic impact takes many forms – from installing uplifting messages within our neighborhoods, to consideration of eco-friendly building materials, to promoting supplier diversity.
Working together with local organizations, public leaders and project stakeholders, our goal is to make community connections easier and opportunities more abundant.
*Performance based on Mortenson Supplier and Workforce Diversity Programs