GULFPORT, Fla — In honor of Pride Month we are highlighting a local LGBTQ leader who's helping spearhead the way toward more inclusion in the industry of construction.
Tommy Whitehead is the President and CEO of TomCo Solutions.
"I am a contractor. I am a philanthropist. I am a dad. I am a husband. That's how I describe myself. I just happen to be LGBT as well," Whitehead explained.
He said he's passionate about creating more inclusion throughout the industry because he knows firsthand the adversities people face.
It's why he formed the Pride Construction Coalition last June.
"The Pride Construction Coalition is there to bring a group of LGBT professional’s together so that we can see and collaborate with other professionals in our industry. It's to show that we are just another group of professionals ready to get the job done," Whitehead added.
According to the Construction Employers Association just two percent of all construction workers identify as LGBT.
"Forty percent of the construction workforce is retiring in the next six years. We don't have enough people to replace them. If we do not represent ourselves as a diverse and inclusive industry, entity or organization, then we're not going to have enough people to build houses for tomorrow," Whitehead said.
Whitehead just wants to be known as a hard worker who welcomes everyone, but his colleagues said what he's doing is bigger than that.
They told us he is creating space for them to show up and be themselves.
"I very much learned to closet my life for a long period of time. One of the nice things working with Tom, I don't have to do that anymore. I can completely be myself. I can introduce my husband. We can live our lives and prosper at work," Matt Klaus with TomCo Solutions concluded.
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