If you visit a Webcor jobsite in the near future, you'll be just as likely to see a "Speak Up for Unity" banner as you'll be to see one reminding employees to "Speak Up for Safety."

The creation of these banners and other signage was a collaborative effort that began with Webcor's Senior Safety Manager Kendall Cantave.

"The idea was triggered when a police officer killed George Floyd on May 25, followed by all the media coverage of nationwide protests," Kendall said. "That woke me up. As an African Haitian American, this is nothing new to me; I've witnessed social injustice my entire life. But this was a reminder and a flashback to all the pain I've experienced.

"When you work for a big company like Webcor, with its Core Values we strive to live up to, it's important that we lead by example and let those values set the tone."

The Core Value of "trust" in particular resonated with Kendall.

"It's important that we gain the trust of the communities in which we work. Part of that comes from our own behavior. Are we helping out? Creating job opportunities in the community? Showing the community that we care and are opening the door to minorities? Making a big impact toward addressing the oppression some of them are suffering?"

With the Core Value of "bold" also top of mind, Kendall said, "We need to have the courage to make a difference and speak up when we see inequality. Webcor leads the industry in various aspects of construction. We have led with safety. We can also lead with diversity and inclusion."

After creating a concept for a banner that included all the national flags representing the nationalities of Webcor employees, Kendall shared it with Senior Vice President Greg Chauhan and Senior HR Business Partner Tim Wortham, among others.

"My first ideas got shot down," he said, but the idea of a visual reminder of Webcor's commitment to unity caught on quickly. The conversation grew with more and more ideas for the visual aid. Employees from Southern California also joined the discussions, with Tim guiding the effort.

"Greg Chauhan ultimately approved the final design, which covers the range of minorities," Kendall said. For example, the rainbow color scheme reflects the LGBTQ community.

In addition to being used on project banners, Kendall envisions the graphic appearing on t-shirts and safety vests, among other items.

"The symbol covers everything," he said. "The last thing we want is for it to be just about Black and white. We want equality for all because that's who we are here at Webcor."

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