At Geneva Rock, we benefit from employee diversity of all our employees.
Our workforce includes a variety of races, ethnicities, genders, ages and religions. When we actively understand, respect, and value our differences we create an inclusive, supportive work environment where everyone is more innovative, productive and successful.
New research makes it clear that companies with more diverse workforces perform better financially and are more successful (McKinsey 2018). Companies with diverse workforces and senior leadership teams are:
• 33 percent more likely to generate better-than-average profits
• 70 percent more likely to capture new markets
• Generate 19 percent more revenue
Diversity is not just about doing the right thing — it’s also a business strategy that increases performance and success. I’d like to highlight a few examples of the advantages we gain from the strength of our diversity.
WOMEN IN CONSTRUCTION TRUCKING DIVISION
The construction trucking division consistently achieves high safety records and great results. This division also operates with the highest percentage of female drivers in the company. The national average of female truck drivers is about 6 percent, but Geneva Rock’s construction trucking division is about 12 percent women – twice the national average.
“I’ve found that hiring female drivers is incredibly beneficial because they tend to have tremendous attention to detail and outstanding safety records,” said Tyler Papworth, construction trucking manager.
One such fantastic female truck driver is Kelly Boswell. Kelly joined Geneva Rock in 1980, celebrating her 40th anniversary with the company this year.
“When I came to work at Geneva Rock, I had no idea what construction was all about,” she says. “It’s a male-dominant field and being inexperienced can make you nervous. But, you just do the best you can and work hard. Women are tougher than we realize. My favorite part of the job is a sense of achievement at the end of the day and the lasting relationships that are built.”
She continues, “I loved learning through my experiences. When people were patient and offered help instead of criticism, that was the most helpful and it built my confidence. With the right training, anyone can be successful. Working at Geneva Rock has been a great career opportunity for me and other women in this industry!”
We are facing a labor shortage in the construction industry. As a result, we need to expand our applicant pool and increase diversity at Geneva Rock. If we can fill driver seats with female drivers, we can provide good-paying jobs to hardworking women in Utah while also safely delivering the material our customers and projects need. Ultimately, that’s a win-win for everyone.
HISPANIC WORKERS IN MICRO-SURFACING DIVISION
In our micro-surfacing division, Armando Santos is one of our outstanding field supervisors. Armando started with the micro-surfacing division when we opened it in 2009 and he quickly came up through the ranks through hard work, rising to foreman, then general foreman, and then field supervisor in May 2019.
“Armando speaks fluent Spanish and English, and he has been pivotal in helping us recruit and retain from the Hispanic labor market,” said Casey Hawkins, area manager pavement preservation.
Armando appreciates receiving recognition for his work.
“The best thing is feeling supported and valued at my job, so when I go out and meet people, I spread the word about how great it is to work at Geneva Rock,” he said.
The micro-surfacing division earned one of the highest employee engagement scores across all Clyde Companies last year. The team’s ability to retain quality employees in a tight labor market is worth celebrating, and it starts with supporting and valuing all employees.
I appreciate what every individual does to make Geneva Rock a great place to work. In my 36 years at the company, I’ve seen this proven time and time again: our people make the difference.
While we are proud of the strides Geneva Rock is making, we recognize we have only scratched the surface of lever-aging diversity for the success of the whole company and the construction industry.
Please join me in learning and implementing best practices to recruit and retain great employees from a variety of backgrounds. I know that promoting diversity in our workforce will lead to better outcomes and improve the entire organization.