Elevating and Empowering with Education and Mentorship
Knutson Alliance Program
In 2015, Knutson launched the Knutson Alliance Program, also known as KAP. The program is dedicated to engaging, mentoring, and empowering diverse businesses to grow steadily and thoughtfully through competitive opportunities provided within shared markets. Selected program participants attend quarterly professional development presentations as well as numerous networking events designed to increase connection and opportunity between general contractors, like Knutson, and subcontractors eager to expand their project portfolios.
The idea for the program stemmed from the gap our diversity team saw between minority subcontractors who were unable to get work to sustain their businesses and project managers at general contractors, like Knutson, who had difficulty finding partners in various scopes of work. The innovative initiative aims to address both concerns, educating subcontractors on the best ways to present their businesses and allowing Knutson's project managers to more easily access potential project partners with wide scopes of work who may be able to fulfill a need.
Phase One
Ten minority, women, and veteran-owned businesses partook in the program during its introductory round in 2015-2016. After a 10-week bid packaging training process, the program’s full extent was intentioned as a 2 to 5-year commitment, containing continual development opportunities focused on building competitive bidding skills that would allow participants to lock in project partnerships with general contractors like Knutson.
KAP 2.0
The second cohort experienced a delay in its launch due to the COVID-19 pandemic, allowing Knutson’s team to intentionally explore the program’s first installment and adjust processes and expectations while also investing in more well-rounded measurement tools, dedicated to ensuring success for all participants throughout the course of the program. Nearly twenty diverse businesses expect to partake in “KAP 2.0”, launching officially in September 2023.
Understanding Equity and Providing Opportunities
We understand that true equity requires acknowledging that we do not all start in the same place. For this reason, we seek to educate and empower others, providing new and strong opportunity for those seeking it.
The Knutson Alliance Program is one of many initiatives Knutson has taken on in an effort to be an upstander for diversity, equity, and inclusion in the construction industry. We recognize that it is in our best interest as a company and a community to encourage a broad base of subcontractors, suppliers, and vendor relationships, and understand that by utilizing diverse businesses, we are not only contributing to the economic growth and expansion of our local communities but also providing opportunities for deserving businesses who may have initially been sidelined by disadvantage. Knutson continuously seeks ways to partner with diverse talent, suppliers, and subcontractors; within KAP, we are able to assist in broadening the reach of these partners within the greater community, and provide them with the tools they need to grow their business successfully.
The Knutson Alliance Program (KAP) has created an intentional pathway for our company to get to know the team members at Knutson; learn from them; and win work with them as well. As a KAP member, Knutson has gotten to know me, and my business, and suggest specific ideas, tailored to me, about how I can be more successful working with Knutson and other large general contractors.
Many large general contracts talk about diversity and mentorship; however, it often ends with merely talk. My experience is that Knutson has put their money where their mouth is. Knutson has created targeted bid packages for our firm that are right sized; as has also set-aside scopes of work that their firm could have otherwise self-performed. Additionally, Knutson has identified multiple work scopes that are “soft spots” in the marketplace; with minimal competition and recurring opportunity. As a direct result of Knutson’s engagement, we have been able to grow our business, hire more people, and have a greater impact in our community.
Paul Edlund, CEO
J. Benson Construction
Get Involved
For more information on the KAP, or to apply for participation in the next phase, please contact Ana Lowery, by email at [email protected].
Building a Culture of Belonging
We are proud of our steadfast internal efforts to build and maintain a culture that wholly supports diversity. We have strived to increase our percentage of supplier/subcontractor relationships and bolster our commitment to working with diverse businesses on projects, not because it is a contemporary business strategy but because it is the right thing to do. Our continuous work mentoring and partnering with those businesses through initiatives like KAP helps set our diverse partners up for success while also allowing Knutson to continue to improve diversity workforce participation.
Building this culture of belonging is and will continue to be one of our strategic corporate goals, because we know a diverse workforce positively impacts our people, projects, and point of view. To learn more about our trailblazing efforts in diversity, equity, and inclusion, visit our Diversity page.