October 5, 2021

DALLAS, TX – In observance of Global Diversity Awareness Month, Balfour Beatty hosts its second “Together Allies” conference dedicated to the company’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DE&I) commitment. The virtual summit takes place throughout October and includes a series of guest speakers and panel discussions on DE&I topics to further Balfour Beatty’s efforts toward a more inclusive workplace for its 4,300 employees nationwide.

This year’s summit theme is “The Power of Conversation” which conveys conversations are the catalyst to spur the actions that are necessary to fuel the progress of the company’s DE&I journey. To drive these vital and powerful conversations the event features highly-regarded keynote speakers and panelists, including Tanya Spencer, chief diversity officer at GE Gas Power, Joe Briggs, Esq., public policy counsel for the NFL Players Association, Adonica-Jo Wada, associate general counsel, privacy for Facebook, Maria S. Salinas, president and chief executive officer of Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce and Kieth Cockrell, Bank of America president in Charlotte, N.C.

All Balfour Beatty employees have the opportunity to participate and learn from panel discussions led by the company’s employee affinity groups Connecting Women, Building PRIDE (People Respecting Inclusivity, Diversity, and Equality), NOBLE (Network of Black Leaders and Executives), and Balfour Beatty’s newly named groups Somos, representing Hispanic/Latin@ teammates, and REGAL (Reinforcing Educating and Guiding Asian Leaders) representing Asian American Pacific Islander teammates. These sessions will cover topics including coming out in the workplace, the Black experience in corporate America, building allyship for women in the construction industry, and more.

“Global Diversity Awareness Month is another opportunity to reinforce the business imperative of diversity, equity, and inclusion and ensure that our company promotes safe and inclusive workplaces where everyone’s voice matters,” said Leon Blondin, Balfour Beatty's chief executive officer. “Our Together Allies Summit theme focuses on our company’s commitment to providing safe spaces for transparent conversations to occur in order to gain a collective understanding and empathy. It is important to foster a collaborative buy-in to the actions that serve our teammates and company in the best way possible.”

In addition to hosting the Together Allies virtual summit, Balfour Beatty is an Associated General Contractor (AGC) Culture of CARE pledge member with over 100 companies nationwide to ensure workplaces are free from harassment, hazing, and bullying. The pledge was designed to help contractors create a more welcoming workplace environment for team members, particularly those from diverse backgrounds, and provide tools and resources to help establish a caring culture.

Balfour Beatty’s Together Allies virtual DE&I summit begins with an opening keynote on Oct. 5 and concludes with a summit capstone on Oct. 26.