(L – R) Some of The Carolina team, including Eric Calabrese, Mark Trashaj, Jeannine Britt and Josh Elkin

We shared a story on our website last week about Jeannine Britt – one of our local hires from Essex Crossing. Through our partnership with the Lower East Side Employment Network (LESEN), Jeannine is now a full-time employee at L+M and working on our Carolina building in Harlem as a laborer. Jeannine’s story is one example of our commitment to fostering employment opportunities for residents and the broader community.

Another example is a story we shared last year about James Shell. James came to L+M through the NYCHA Resident Economic Empowerment & Sustainability program and worked his way up from a laborer at one of our sites to a superintendent on one of our properties in the Bronx.

One of L+M’s core values is that community-based development extends beyond housing and goes hand in hand with social responsibility. Part of that commitment is hiring local workers on our projects and connecting them to a career pathway. Hiring from the communities where we’re working brings a wide range of experiences, views, and values to the team as well as some original ideas to the forefront.

Connecting residents to jobs is more than connecting a candidate to a role. It is developing a strategy that engages people at different stages of their career development.  That might mean hosting free OSHA training workshops for people just starting out or wanting to upskill. It also means having a presence at job fairs or community meetings to engage with people who are looking for a new opportunity or to pivot into the construction industry. We are also proud to partner with numerous workforce organizations that are equally committed to linking residents to job training and meaningful employment opportunities.

Both Jeannine and James’ stories are evidence of this commitment in action and our approach to create jobs and career paths for local workers.  I’m proud to say that Jeannine and James’ stories are two of many, and since 2017, we’ve filled new jobs for more than 500 people in NY and NJ. I look forward to continuing this trend and connecting more people to career paths in the construction industry.