In alignment with the annual celebration of International Women’s Day (IWD), ARC Document Solutions (NYSE: ARC) is announcing the launch of its ARC Women’s Network, a program designed to foster professional growth and leadership for women working throughout the company within the architect, engineering, construction (AEC) industries.
“Providing channels for female employees to advance their careers not only cultivates an inclusive and dynamic culture, but helps promote women leaders within ARC and the AEC community,” said Parag Kothari, director of human resources at ARC.
Serving the construction industry for 30 years, ARC has nearly 2,200 employees nationwide, and nearly a third are women. According to The National Association of Women in Construction (NAWIC.org), women in construction make up 9.1% of the construction industry in the United States. Of those, only 31% in professional and management roles are women.
“Actively developing organizational talent while promoting career advancement and greater representation of women in leadership positions is critical to functioning as a high-performing business,” stated Suri Suriyakumar, CEO at ARC. “Forward-thinking companies that support broader engagement of talented women across the organization, and ensure that men are engaged with education and advocacy, will see stronger results.”
The women’s network will feature forums for developing and strengthening skills, networking channels to connect and share ideas, and mentoring of young professionals. “I’m excited to have access to a group of strong female professionals whom I can connect with and exchange ideas,” said Lauren Garan, regional sales manager in New York.
A group of senior-level women at ARC are leading the program strategy and development of the program, and are actively engaged with national and local construction and facilities associations in the U.S. that promote women in the workplace, including APPA, IFMA and AIIM. Two of these women are featured with other facility management leaders on the homepage of the Pacific Coast Region of APPA (PCAPPA.org) Leadership for Educational Facilities, where they are celebrating women making a difference in facilities for the month of March.