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Margarita Polanco
National Trade Partner Diversity Manager — Suffolk Construction
Margarita has two years’ industry experience and has played a vital role in seeing that Suffolk projects offer benefits to the local community. As National Trade Partner Diversity Manger at Suffolk, Margarita spends 100 percent of her time working with project teams and trade partners to ensure established compliance plans are implemented on the company’s projects.
Margarita has built strong relationships with countless local MBE, WBE, and DBE firms, providing mentoring, coaching, and introducing them and their work to Suffolk’s project management teams. Together with Suffolk’s Director of Trade Partner Diversity, she hosts Suffolk’s Trades Partnership Series (TPS)—a program designed for disadvantaged, minority, veteran, and woman-owned trade partner firms to foster relationships with Suffolk. It is offered exclusively to both union and non-union trade partners that are certified as a Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE), Minority Business Enterprise (MBE), Women-Owned Business Enterprise (WBE), and Veteran Business Enterprise (VBE) and have been in business for a minimum of two years. TPS is structured in an interactive format with a focus on providing an overview of Suffolk’s construction management procedures and processes, enabling trade partners to obtain a better understanding of how to successfully work on projects with Suffolk.
Margarita and the entire Suffolk organization place a high emphasis on giving back to the communities in which we live and work. She demonstrates a steadfast commitment to providing equal access and opportunity for all qualified, experienced trade partner firms. Her community involvement includes serving as a board member for the Dudley Street Neighborhood Initiative, participant in the Urban Land Institute Pathways to Inclusion program, and former positions as an Alumni Board Member and Student Mentor for Year Up.
