The co-op has requested that our general contractor, Watson-Forsberg, their co-contractor Tri-Construction, and all subcontractors make every effort to hire a construction workforce that reflects the neighborhoods around the Friendship store. We are using several metrics which mirror the goals requirements of projects which are funded with public dollars, specifically:
- 10% of subcontracted project dollars to women-owned businesses.
- 10% of subcontracted project dollars to minority-owned businesses.
- 32% of project hours completed by minority workers.
- 6% of project hours completed by women workers.
We are also asking:
- 5% of onsite project hours completed by apprentice labor.
- At least 10 people from the surrounding neighborhoods be employed on the project.
In August, the co-op co-hosted an open meeting with Watson-Forsberg and the local office of HIRED, then participated in a construction jobs open house hosted by the City of Minneapolis. These events were great opportunities for the co-op, HIRED, Watson-Forsberg and Tri-Construction to talk about the project. Both events were successful as HIRED received contact information of a large number of people from the area who are interested in working on the project. HIRED will work with the subcontractors to place as many of those job seekers on our project as possible.