John Bodary, a veteran of the construction industry, who is the President and owner of Woods Construction and Interiors, a nationwide contractor will serve as one of the keynote speakers at this year’s conference on economic freedom organized and hosted by The PuLSE Institute, Detroit’s national and independent non-partisan anti-poverty think tank.
The poverty-themed national conference will be held virtually this year on Wednesday, September 25, from 8:30 a.m.-12:00 pm and will feature solution-oriented keynote presentations and cutting-edge about how to address the salient issues of poverty and inequality in urban America including Detroit, one of the nation’s largest Black cities, and one of the most impoverished in the country.
The September gathering is the institute’s annual racial and economic justice conference for policy makers, scholars, industry captains and community advocates working towards creating an ethical economy that guarantees equality for all.
The theme for the 2024 conference “Economic Security and Justice for All: An Inclusive Mandate for Closing America’s Racial Wealth Gap,” will examine the state of the economy including the nation’s housing crisis, the state of small business as well as discuss how corporate America must respond to the needs of underserved communities and the need to push for meaningful racial diversity and inclusion in business.
Bodary will join several other speakers already announced for the conference including Gary Torgow, the chairman of the board of directors of Huntington National Bank as well as former Flint Mayor Karen Weaver.
Registration for the conference is now open at eventbrite (https://www.eventbrite.com/e/gary-torgow-chairman-of-huntington-bank-to-keynote-pulse-conference-sep-25-tickets-1007646296197?aff=oddtdtcreator).
Bodary, whose company serves national brands such as Target, Nordstrom, Kohl’s, JCPenney, Meijer, Dick’s Sporting Goods, TJX, PNC Bank and others will discuss the importance of diversifying the construction industry and the need to open the doors for more minorities to enter the industry.
A 2023 report from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) titled, “Building for the Future: Advancing Equal Opportunity in the Construction Industry,” the federal agency noted that women and people of color are underrepresented in the construction industry and especially in the higher-paid, higher-skilled trades.
“Despite a significant increase in women’s employment in construction over the past 10 years, today women make up just 11% of all workers in the construction industry—a figure that includes office and clerical positions—and only about 4% of workers in the trades. Black workers were nearly 13% of the U.S. labor force in 2022 but less than 7% of the construction workforce,” the study stated. “Asian workers also make up a very small percentage of the construction workforce (2.1%) compared to their share of the overall labor force (6.7%). In addition, Black and Hispanic or Latino workers and women are disproportionately concentrated in lower-paying construction jobs.”
Bodary, who has been a longtime member of the Associated General Contractors of America and serves on the GameAbove College of Engineering and Technology Dean’s Advisory Board at Eastern Michigan University, was among a number of corporate leaders, who publicly defended the need for affirmative action after the U.S. Supreme Court ruling against it.
In his guest column published last year by The PuLSE Institute, he stated that businesses cannot sit on the sidelines after the court’s adverse ruling on affirmative action saying, “This is a moment for business leaders and diverse captains of industry to demonstrate that the action of the nation’s high court would have no bearing in our quest for meaningful diversity and inclusion.”
For the upcoming conference, Bodary, will discuss what needs to be done by industry leaders to open the doors of opportunity for minorities to meaningfully participate in an industry where they have long been underrepresented.
“There has never been a better time to actively create a workplace where the employee demographics reflect the diversity of the general population, and where everyone from different backgrounds feels welcomed, respected, and able to thrive without facing barriers due to their differences,” Bodary said in a statement. “We are honored to share insights into our on-going journey at the upcoming Pulse 2024 Economic Conference. The Pulse Institute is a proven national leader and impactful platform in highlighting these important issues affecting people.”
Attorney Tina M. Patterson, the President and Director of Research at The PuLSE Institute underscored the importance of the conference’s theme and the need to put a spotlight on the construction industry.
“At The PuLSE Institute, we are committed to ensuring that issues of inclusion and equity are at the forefront of our forums and conferences. That is why having John Bodary, the President of Woods Construction come and discuss how to expand the construction industry to include those left behind is crucial,” Patterson said. “It is important to hear from the captains of industry themselves about what their vision is regarding the creation of an inclusive economy.”
Patterson, a distinguished attorney with a decade of legal expertise and prolific public commentary on issues shaping this era added, “The participation of African Americans and other racial minorities in the construction industry is not only paramount but should be an imperative for conscientious leaders in the creation of economic progress for all.”
Bankole Thompson, the nationally acclaimed Detroit journalist whose longstanding and influential work on race, democracy and poverty inspired the founding of The PuLSE Institute, said the conference will highlight the important work that needs to be done to close the wealth gap.
“The construction industry is a key facet of our national economy. It is important to discuss what kinds of equitable policies need to be applied to ensure the full participation of groups such as the Black community who have been historically excluded from such an industry,” said Thompson, who serves as executive dean of The PuLSE Institute. “John Bodary is a leader who has a demonstrated commitment to enhancing the industry’s standing among communities of color because he understands that the construction industry cannot practice the notion of equality for all without the action participation of minority groups.”
Thompson, a standard-bearer for economic justice issues, is a twice-a-week opinion columnist at The Detroit News, where his column on the presidency, public leadership, culture and economic issues appear on Mondays and Thursdays in the newspaper. His latest book Fiery Conscience, released last August to wide acclaim about his decades of speaking truth to power received a definitive review in Forbes magazine in April of this year, underscoring the national impact of his work. The book was also listed as a reference for future scholars and students in the Jean Blackwell Hutson Research and Reference Division of the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture in New York, the world’s leading repository on the global Black experience.
“It is not lost on any of us that the doors are still shut for Blacks and other minorities as it relates to certain major industries. That is why the issues that will be tabled at our conference are important to not only summon the conscience of leaders who want to do right, but also who care about addressing the historical inequities that still serve as a hindrance for the advancement of our communities,” Thompson said. “Pushing the nation towards a more perfect union is impossible if minority groups are locked out and repeatedly told that there is no room in the inn of economic opportunity.”
The PuLSE Institute’s high-profile speaker platform over the years has attracted significant public officials and prominent business leaders who have appeared before the organization to discuss important issues. For instance, previous speakers include United Nations Under-Secretary General Dr. Natalia Kanem, former U.S. ambassador to the European Union Anne Derse, Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, Dr. Julius Garvey, the last remaining son of Marcus Mosiah Garvey, DTE Chairman and CEO Jerry Norcia, Strategic Staffing Solutions President, CEO and Founder Cindy Pasky among others.
The institute has a National Advisory Board, made up of national and international luminaries who believe in the mission of the organization and collectively bring more than a century of anti-poverty work and championing equitable policies. They include Sister Simone Campbell, leading social justice voice in the American Catholic Church, who received the 2022 Presidential Medal of Freedom, Rev. Dr. Bernard LaFayette Jr., veteran civil rights leader, and one of the last remaining top lieutenants of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Luba Lukova, internationally celebrated visual artist, Charles E. Blake Sr., Presiding Bishop Emeritus of the Church of God in Christ, the late Dr. Arun Gandhi, the grandson of Mahatma Gandhi, Janis Kearney, former presidential diarist under President Bill Clinton and other leaders.