Building Together: Fortis Construction and Multnomah County Foster a More Inclusive Workforce

Through a strong and evolving partnership with Multnomah County, we have been able to make meaningful progress when it comes workforce diversity on our projects, particularly at the East County Library and Operations Center projects. This collaboration has helped open doors for individuals and businesses that have historically faced barriers in the construction industry.

One of the most encouraging developments has been the growing presence of women in journey-level roles. What was once a significant challenge is now becoming a point of pride, thanks to sustained efforts and shared commitment across teams. When the Operations Center began, the project struggled to meet the 2022 Regional Workforce Equity Agreement goal of 8% journey-level women utilization. Thanks to ongoing efforts from companies including Mill Plain Electric and WPI, the East County Library exceeded the 2023 goal of 9%. In addition to seeing an increase in journey-level women, both projects consistently reported around 50% of apprentice hours performed by women. This far exceeded the County’s aspirational goal of 14%.

Small and emerging businesses are now also seeing greater access to public projects. The East County Library project exceeded its Certification Office for Business Inclusion and Diversity (COBID) participation goal of 25%, reaching a projected 26.26% in April 2025, and the Operations Center surpassed 33% COBID utilization. This reflects a broader effort to ensure that public investments benefit a wider range of local businesses. This wouldn’t have been possible without buy-in from Fortis’ Trade Partners, who are often the ones utilizing COBID contractors and vendors. The positive partnerships with our Trade Partners is key to ensuring opportunities remain open for small and emerging businesses.

These efforts align closely with Multnomah County’s mission to reduce disparities and enhance opportunity. Together, Fortis and the County have worked to create job sites that reflect the communities they serve. This is especially important in East County, where representation and inclusion are central to the library project’s success.

Creating a welcoming and respectful environment has been a shared priority that also helped bolster workforce equity. From anti-harassment training during orientation to ongoing conversations about equity, the focus remains on people—on listening, learning and growing together.

This work is far from finished, but the progress made so far is a testament to what’s possible when partners come together with a shared purpose.