A National Infrastructure Leader Launches a Partner Alliance to
Deepen Relationships with Minority- or Women-Owned Businesses

CLIENT’S CHALLENGE

In 2014, a 50-year-old national gas and energy infrastructure construction solution company with 6,000 employees across 28 states found it challenging to identify qualified minority- or women-owned businesses for key supplies and services. As a result, it decided to establish, as a charitable endeavor, a stand-alone alliance comprised of contractors seriously committed to advancing diversity and inclusion within the infrastructure construction industry.  

As a WBENC-certified woman-owned business, Strategia became a card-carrying member of the organization’s Chicago Chapter. “We have always been deeply committed to opening doors across Chicagoland,” explains Lissa Druss, Strategia’s CEO and founder, “for people and organizations that haven’t always had a chance to compete on a level playing field.” Druss points to her firm’s track record of supporting the parent organization,” Druss continues, “and throwing our weight – our time, our resources, our network – into this alliance,” she adds, “was a natural extension of our services and the principles that help drive our firm’s mission, purpose and culture.” 

THE STRATEGIA SOLUTION

The Partner Alliance requires each of its members to commit to one meeting each quarter – eight hours that include four dedicated to sharing ideas, resources, and connections and the other four to volunteering their teams’ time to local organizations in need of support, usually those that are too small to receive federal funding. The morning sessions often include guest appearances by subject-matter experts in areas such as law, HR, security, healthcare and marketing. In the afternoon, all participants “head into the field.” Over the years, the Partner Alliance has planted trees, made care packages for victims of domestic violence, and cleaned stables for an organization that provides horses or horse rides for children who are blind or otherwise disabled, among dozens of other projects.

IMPACTS + OUTCOMES

With COVID in the rear-view mirror, the Partner Alliance is now growing its membership – and expanding its impacts via long-term sustainable relationships that promote diversity, inclusion, and equity. These relationships benefit not only local Chicago communities but also the infrastructure construction industry.  Outcomes extend well beyond just the championship of diversity and inclusion. They also include, for example, a core emphasis on improving performance against safety and quality standards, helping small businesses “get up on their feet” and contribute to the local economy, and educating business owners about industry-related innovations.