Meet Gerri Harris, Following Her Instincts Brings Harris Home to Chicago

Area Director of Economic Inclusion Builds Relationships in the Community

Gerri Harris has good instincts, and following her gut has served her well across a decades-long career in the built environment.

So, when the opportunity came to move back home to her native Chicago, she didn’t just let the strong pull of the Windy Cindy overpower her judgment. Instead, she put her instincts to good use, gauging whether Gilbane was serious about the offer and its commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion. They wanted her to work in the Chicago office as the director of economic inclusion and community affairs.

It’s an important job and work that Gerri feels strongly about, but she needed to know that her potential employer was serious about making a positive long-term impact.

When she asked the tough questions, she was pleased with what she heard and, more importantly, with what she saw. Economic inclusion isn’t one person’s job; it’s a job family across the company, with multiple leaders carrying the banner of diversity, equity, and inclusion through many different lenses.

Gerri followed her instincts.

“Gilbane is walking the walk and talking the talk and not just being performative in what they’re saying,” she said. “There are tangible, measurable actions that the company is taking that anyone can see and that I can stand on when I’m out in the community, representing the company.”

Now on the job for over a year, being out in the community is what Gerri does—and loves—best.

“You can’t sit at a desk in this role and be effective,” she said. “My primary focus is to help drive our commitment to identify and build relationships with women- and diverse-owned businesses and to deepen our relationships in the community. I work to build a bridge to these diverse-owned businesses so they can do business with Gilbane, and I work to widen pathways for workforce inclusion for black and brown people in our community to access construction employment as portals to a higher quality of life and to stimulate positive economic impact.”

Gerri spends much of her time networking and meeting business owners where they are. She attends industry group meetings and public functions to meet diverse-owned business leaders and bring them into the Gilbane fold. One of the strategies for building these relationships is the company’s Rising Contractor Program, which pairs diverse-owned businesses with Gilbane executives and senior leaders in a one-year mentorship commitment upon completing an immersive eight-week business strengthening program.

The program has been well received, in part because Gerri is deeply familiar with the city and its nuances.

“Chicago is a special town. Like any town, for people that are homegrown, it gives you a little bit of an advantage,” she said.

Gerri credits Chicago with a lot of her personal and professional success. Her career path took root in the city’s public schools, where she took two years of required drafting and tacked on a third year because she found it so interesting. That led her to earn a degree in history of architecture and art, followed by a certificate in construction management from the Illinois Institute of Technology—a Gilbane client to this day—and later, she earned an MBA.

Throughout her education and the career stops that followed, Gerri never veered from the built environment. She has knowledge and experience in architecture, construction, paralegal studies, safety, and beyond, and most recently was working for MGM Resorts in Las Vegas.

Gilbane provided the opportunity for Gerri’s career to move full circle.

“I really believe that I’m living within my purpose,” she says, “having been brought back home to work for this 153-year-old builder with a firm commitment to economic inclusion. Gilbane is serious and intentional. They are committed to making a difference and creating a positive impact for women- and diverse-owned businesses in this industry. I am blessed with the opportunity to be a servant leader in the journey.”