OUR STORY
From humble beginnings to a Global
Movement… the BuildIT Story
In September of 2013 the $2.2 Billion California High Speed Rail’s Northern Terminus Project located in the heart of San Francisco (known at the time as the Transbay Transit Center which later rebranded to become the Salesforce Transit Center) became the first public agency in the United States to hold an outreach event specifically dedicated to inviting LGBT firms in construction services to be a part of the competitive bidding process. There were no goals/no set asides associated with this ‘leap forward’ within the construction industry. Rather it was an opportunity for LGBT businesses, for the first time in history, to be invited to showcase their relevant experience, qualifications, and capacity for potential utilization on a significant mega-infrastructure project.
In 2014 two prominent members of California’s LGBT business community (Rick Hobbs Seeley and Paul Pendergast) began a legislative process which led to California Governor Jerry Brown signing Assembly Bill 1678 in September of 2015. This law became the Nation’s first piece of legislation to require regulated California-based energy, water and telecommunications firms to annually report their total procurement with LGBT businesses to the state legislature. The ‘reality on the ground’ was that LGBT businesses were now invited to actively compete for contracts with approximately 28 utilities based on their qualifications, value-added solutions and cost competitiveness. As of December 2023, reporting to the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) has shown that $394M has been spent with certified LGBT businesses by utilities focused on electricity, gas, energy distribution, water/wastewater and telecommunications. In April, of 2022, the CPUC Commissioners, voted unanimously, to establish a 1.5% aspirational goal for LGBT businesses within the overall ‘spend’ by utilities who are part of the General Order 156. When realized this milestone would equate to an annual spend with LGBT businesses of approximately $600M based on spend analysis in conducted in 2022.
IT'S NOT JUST AN ORGANIZATION
IT'S A MOVEMENT!
In June of 2020, during the COVID-19 Pandemic, twenty-six visionary, successful, and engaging LGBT/Allied business owners, professionals and design/construction industry stakeholders launched BuildOUT California to address the demand by the built communities (consultant firms, general contractors, owners, operators and industry leaders) in order to build the capacity of LGBT /Allied-owned businesses, professional service providers and tradespeople. BuildOUT California is a registered 501C6 non-profit organization with the United States Internal Revenue Service.
The response to BuildOUT California was remarkable and it was global. With unique, and results-driven, programs & services dedicated to connecting, advocating and building capacity to meet the demand of the design/construction industry BuildOUT California’s network quickly expanded on a global level. Robust collaboration agreements (Memorandums of Understanding/MOUs) and joint events were held with design/construction industry associates which gave voice to BuildOUT California’s networks around the globe (THANK YOU, Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, Freehold, Building Equality, Construction Management Association of America, Latinos in Transit, Associated General Contractors of California, and Build with Pride Seattle to name just a few).
CREATING A GLOBAL MARKETPLACE
FROM HEAVY CIVIL TO LGBT/ALLIED
INDUSTRY PIONEERS
Our signature event, Founders Day, held annually near the date of June 1 has grown to the point that it is difficult to find quality venues that can hold our attendees which on May 30, 2024, numbered just over 1,000. In 2025 we anticipate attendance to be 1,200, building on our history of producing the largest event of its kind in the world. Founders Day has become a ‘global marketplace’ of ideas, connections, and inspiration for the design/construction industry.
Our ‘Golden Pitch’ series amplifies the qualifications, experience and cost-effective solutions of our LGBT/Allied firms and professionals. This series has become a national model and we were honored to be invited to present the program’s efficacy to the New York City-based Conference Board on Tuesday, June 12, 2024. The Conference Board is the global, nonprofit think tank and business membership organization that delivers Trusted Insights for What's Ahead™ where, for over 100 years, their cutting-edge research, data, events and executive networks have helped the world's leading companies understand the present and shape the future.
In 2023 the venerable Washington, D.C.-based Construction Management Association of America (CMAA) awarded us with their prestigious industry award for contributions to the construction management industry across the United States. Our forward-looking industry events regularly attract hundreds of remarkably diverse professionals and tradespeople because of their ability to provide an avenue for meaningful team building discussions, empowerment of LGBT/Allied professionals looking for a ‘safe and productive’ space to showcase their authentic selves and discussions regarding topics such as alternative project delivery, meeting the national challenges of our workforce shortage, and providing meaningful solutions to project funding.
RELEASING US FROM GEOGRAPHICAL
BORDERS - THE EVOLUTION TO BUILDIT
With robust growth comes inspiration and evolution. Reaching back to 2022 it became clear that our ‘name’ was simply too limiting for what the industry was calling for us to accomplish. As such we began the process of re-branding the organization to one that has no geographic limitations and continues to ‘speak to’ our unique role within the Architecture, Engineering, Construction-services, Program and Construction Management, material providers and large-scale Real Estate Development Project industries. We are currently engaged with over 8,000 LGBT/Allied businesses, professionals, tradespeople, public agency representatives, industry thought leaders and stakeholders from around the world. We have over 100 significant sponsors and our engagement with industry leaders from the West Coast, North America and Global is simply remarkable. We celebrate each new relationship and we look forward to building opportunity within our amazingly diverse industries.
IT'S TIME TO BUILDIT, BUILDIT, BUILDIT!
BuildIT was chosen as our global brand for a multitude of reasons. It is geographically limitless. It ‘speaks to’ our unique place within the design/construction industries to ‘lift all boat equally’ when it comes to LGBT/Allied businesses, professionals, tradespeople and related vendors/material suppliers. While we have many colleagues which we respect and admire – there is no organization like BuildIT anywhere in the world.
There is much work to be done. The world is a rapidly changing marketplace within the built environment. As we have always said – being part of our ever-growing industry association is NOT a spectator sport. We invite you to ‘join us on the filed’ of opportunity when it comes to your entrepreneurial, professional and trade-specific endeavors. We are not perfect but we use every interaction, meeting, event as an opportunity to ‘process improve’ our offerings to our varied and diverse stakeholders.
FOUNDERS
FOUNDERS EMERITUS
STEVE ADAMS
ELENA ANAYA
