Edgemoor views DEI with the following in mind:

• Our commitment to DEI begins with our inclusive workplace culture and manifests itself on each of our mission-driven projects.
• What we do best is finding creative solutions for our clients, and diversity is the key driver to bring out creativity. Bringing diverse perspectives allows our team to engage with and push each other, ultimately leading to better outcomes.
• Successful DEI implementation brings transformative results. We intend to have a legacy impact on our communities that extends beyond the timeframe of any active project.

Edgemoor Employee Resource Groups

Half of Edgemoor’s team identifies as a woman and/or person of color—a direct result of an intentional effort to recruit employees from historically underrepresented groups. As our group continues to grow in numbers and diversity, Edgemoor formalized two internal employee resource groups: the Women at Edgemoor group and the Black Employees at Edgemoor group. The mission for each of these groups is to provide a space for the members and allies to be able to meet and share goals for the group and each other, while also learning how to advocate for members and communicate the discussions out to leadership as needed.

DEI Minute

To help underscore the importance of diversity, equity, and inclusion in our work, we carve out time during our weekly team meetings for a rotating meeting leader to introduce or expand on any DEI topic of their choosing. We have discussed topics such as development considerations around disabilities, interactive activities regarding women in the workplace, discussions of current events, guest speakers, and case studies of programs advancing DEI on our projects. Our DEI minute gives our group a chance to focus on how we can improve in the DEI space. Starting each week with the DEI minute helps orient our group to our mission and leads to engaging discussions filled with new takeaways and ideas, setting the tone for our interactions with our team, partners, and clients over the course of the week.

DEI in Practice: Kansas City International Airport (KCI) New Terminal Case Study

At the onset of the KCI New Terminal project, the Edgemoor team set goals for Minority-owned Business Enterprise (MBE) and Women-owned Business Enterprise (WBE) participation on the project that were ambitious and historic: 20-percent MBE and 15-percent WBE participation for both professional and construction services contracts. Through the team’s intentional procurement strategy, the Edgemoor team exceeded both goals, awarding 133 minority- and women-owned Kansas City-based firms contracts on the project totaling more than $320 million.

How did we maximize opportunity and exceed participation goals?

Terminal Workforce Enhancement Program

The Edgemoor team developed the Terminal Workforce Enhancement Program (TWEP) was to remove barriers that typically impact small, disadvantaged, minority and women-owned businesses from securing contracts to work on projects of a similar magnitude. These programs were designed to enable small and diverse business owners to build capacity, grow their teams, acquire new capital, and develop the knowledge needed to win contracts on large infrastructure projects in the future.

Daniel Felder, co-owner of Axiom Construction, has significantly grown his concrete firm’s capacity by working on the New Terminal project. Axiom has secured $2 million in working capital and landed two New Terminal contracts totaling more than $14 million. The company’s previous largest contracts totaled $1.2 million. Axiom has renovated its offices and grown its workforce. “The Edgemoor-CWC team has created a culture of inclusion,” said Felder. “All voices being heard, and all having an opportunity to engage.”

Programs developed under the TWEP include:

• Workforce Training Program
• Kansas City Strategic Partnership Program
• Pay Without Delay Program
• Low Interest Loan Program
• Self-Bonding Program
• Supplier Support Program
• Project Internship Program
• Childcare Extended Hours Program
• Transportation Program
• On-Site Healthcare

In 2020, Profiles in Diversity Journal ranked the new terminal project among its Top 10 Innovations in Diversity award winners for keeping diversity, inclusion, and human equity at the forefront.

Edgemoor views diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts as critical to our team and the communities we live and work in. While we are proud of the culture we’ve built, we know there is always room for learning and improvement. From employee engagement surveys to community outreach meetings, we are committed to listening to our employees and community members to ensure that everything from our employee experience to the programs on our projects reflect our values of diversity, equity, and inclusion.