Elevating and Empowering with Education and Mentorship
Knutson Alliance Program
The Knutson Alliance Program (KAP) is a long-term development initiative designed to support small and emerging businesses through meaningful partnerships, real project exposure, and professional growth opportunities. KAP helps firms build confidence, strengthen capability, and expand access to work across the construction industry—beyond a single project, and into sustained growth.
Through structured engagement, networking, and learning opportunities, participants connect directly with Knutson teams and industry partners to build relationships, improve readiness, and grow their project portfolios. KAP is built on the belief that when businesses are given access, tools, and trust, they are better positioned to succeed—and so are the projects and communities we serve.
KAP was created in response to a clear need: emerging subcontractors often face barriers to securing consistent work, while project teams benefit from a broader, more reliable network of qualified partners. KAP bridges that gap by strengthening how businesses present themselves and how Knutson identifies and engages capable partners across a range of scopes.
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.
KAP Today
In 2025, we proudly celebrated 14 graduating businesses from the Knutson Alliance Program. Throughout the year, these firms strengthened their operations, expanded their networks, and built the knowledge and confidence needed to pursue larger and more complex opportunities. Their progress reflects the intent of KAP: steady growth built through access, connection, and applied learning.
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].
Understanding Equity and Providing Opportunities
Equity begins with recognizing that not every business starts from the same place. KAP is one of the ways Knutson works to expand access, strengthen capability, and create meaningful opportunity for emerging and diverse businesses in construction.
Rather than treating participation as a one-time engagement, KAP focuses on long-term development—helping firms build the tools, relationships, and experience needed to compete and grow sustainably. We believe that expanding access strengthens the entire industry: improving outcomes for projects, enriching our partner network, and supporting broader economic growth in the communities where we work.
Knutson continues to invest in partnerships with diverse subcontractors, suppliers, and vendors. Through KAP, we help broaden visibility for these businesses and support their ability to compete for future work with greater confidence and readiness.
Building a Culture of Belonging
At Knutson, we are intentional about building a culture where diverse businesses can participate, contribute, and grow. Our commitment is reflected in how we structure relationships, select partners, and support long-term engagement across our projects—not as a trend, but as a core way we do business.
KAP is one of the ways we bring that commitment to life. Through mentorship, exposure, and relationship-building, we help emerging partners strengthen their capacity while also expanding the network of qualified subcontractors we can collaborate with. This approach supports better project outcomes and more resilient partnerships.
Building a culture of belonging remains a strategic priority because we know that diverse perspectives strengthen our teams, improve our work, and broaden how we see opportunity. To learn more about our broader Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion efforts, visit our Diversity page.