Gilbane Building Co. views its efforts to seek out and support minority, women-owned and disadvantaged firms for its projects as more than just meeting mandates. The global construction management company, now a $6.5-billion firm with more than 45 offices worldwide, once dealt with similar challenges as a tiny carpentry startup founded in 1870 in Providence, R.I., by two brothers whose family fled Ireland’s Potato Famine 25 years before.
That legacy lives on 150 years later as Gilbane continues to promote diversity among the contractors and subcontractors it manages. Despite the pandemic, the company’s New York regional revenue reached $1.56 billion in 2020, up from $1.49 billion a year earlier, and with its aggressive subcontracting efforts, project innovations and strong community connections, ENR editors have named it the region’s 2021 Contractor of the Year.