June 2022
Keast & Hood Certified by the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council
Keast & Hood, is proud to announce national certification as a Women’s Business Enterprise and Woman-Owned Small Business by the WBENC-East, a regional certifying partner of the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC).
“I’m excited for Keast & Hood to be certified as a WBE because it recognizes the diversity that has been characteristic of the firm for many years. For more than a decade, a significant portion of our technical staff has been female, a rarity in the engineering profession. This certification reflects the firm in addition to its ownership. We value the diversity of our team, and we believe that it benefits both Keast & Hood and our clients.” said Denise Richards, President of Keast & Hood.
On January 1st, 2022, firm veterans Denise Richards, PE, and John Davis, PE, assumed full ownership of the firm with Ms. Richards as the majority shareholder, allowing the firm to pursue certification. After quickly moving through the accreditation process, Keast & Hood is excited to be officially recognized as women-owned. It reflects the firm’s makeup, with 37 percent of the staff female and five licensed female structural engineers. Additionally, the firm is excited to be able to support clients in fulfilling supplier diversity goals, while providing renowned structural engineering services.
The WBENC standard of certification implemented by the WBENC-East is a meticulous process including an in-depth review of the business and site inspection. The certification process is designed to confirm the business is at least 51% owned, operated, and controlled by a woman or women.
By including women-owned businesses among their suppliers, corporations and government agencies demonstrate their commitment to fostering diversity and the continued development of their supplier diversity programs.