The UP Companies received a Workforce Diversity and Inclusion Award from MOKAN, a St. Louis-based advocate organization and facilitator for the inclusion of minority and women-owned businesses on construction projects.
Minority-owned UPCO – which consists of Power Up Electrical Contractors, Square UP Builders and Hustle UP – employs a diverse, skilled, union workforce that consistently meets or exceeds minority participation requirements on every project. UPCO currently employs over 75 union apprentices and has grown its workforce from an initial 30 to more than 250, which includes 20 percent minorities.
UPCO has also initiated several programs aimed at recruiting a diverse workforce and encouraging young minorities to pursue careers in skilled labor. Company representatives regularly visit high schools, technical high schools, trade schools and universities throughout the St. Louis area to recruit minority students for training at the Carpenters Union and Electricians Local 57.
“UPCO has continued to realize the value in mentoring young minorities and is striving to give disadvantaged youth throughout the St. Louis area the opportunity to pursue a lifelong, respectable career in skilled labor,” said UPCO Owner Michael Kennedy Jr. “Not all high school graduates go on to college. There are plenty of skilled labor jobs available right here in St. Louis with competitive salaries and benefits just waiting for them.”
