I just wrote an op-ed article that’s featured in Crain’s Chicago Business on the topic of diversity in our boardrooms. It’s something that I really care a lot about, and I think other CEOs need to take a more active role in addressing the barriers that prevent many people from underrepresented backgrounds from becoming members of a company’s senior leadership team.

For me, diversity is a core part of doing business and ensuring that everyone has an equal chance to succeed. We have a responsibility to elevate and support the people who work hard for us each day, and Clayco is proud to have a strong set of diversity initiatives that are some of the most groundbreaking and impactful in the construction industry. We set an example for others to follow, and it’s inseparable from who we are as a company.

Diversity in the boardroom is one of the key areas we have to continue to push forward. Giving people from different backgrounds the opportunity to lead and make a broader impact is the only way that we can address inequality in the workplace. My own board of directors is currently being reconstituted to include a team that is more diversified and qualified than ever before.

I hope that you will take some time to read my thoughts on representation in our boardrooms. Becoming more aware of this issue will go a long way towards encouraging others to open their doors to people who have far too often been shut out of senior leadership positions.

You can read the full op-ed piece that is featured in Crain’s Chicago Business here.