Our Story

Diversity Construction Group was founded in 2011 by James A. Keaney, Jr. James has over 30 years experience managing large construction projects. Prior to starting Diversity Construction Group, he was responsible for managing the set-aside program for the City of Hartford that yielded over $100 million dollars of contracts being awarded to set-aside firms on a first tier basis. He was instrumental in developing a program that eliminated the bonding requirement and also expedited the payment process to assist set-aside firms.

“Over the years, James found it increasingly frustrating to see that many minority contractors – despite various opportunities afforded in set-aside programs – could not seem to grow their business to a sustainable level.”

He found that several factors contributed to this problem. The single biggest issue for minority-owned firms was not being able to generate enough business to sustain the overhead required to satisfy the more sophisticated client. For minority firms these sophisticated clients are typically the larger construction managers, general contractors and subcontracts that seek to hire minority-owned businesses.

By creating Diversity Construction Group, James objective was to help small minority-owned business remain viable by providing business development, administrative and management services as well as mentoring initiatives.

After a period of time however, it became evident that Diversity Construction could more effectively assist a greater number of firms by focusing on increasing its own market share within the industry. Diversity Construction is committed to diversity and inclusion. They boast a diverse workforce, and consistently seek out minority and women-owned businesses for sub-contracting opportunities. They promote social responsibility by supporting community-based outreach initiatives. We are an Equal Opportunity Employer.