By Peggy Newquist, Director of Learning & Development, VP
According to a CNBC survey, employees who are involved in mentoring programs have a 50% higher retention rate than those who are not, and 90% of workers who have a mentor report being happy in their job. A robust mentoring program is an advantage in the competitive labor market of construction. As we celebrate National Mentoring Month, Clune is excited to be kicking off year six of our Mentoring Program. The program is part of our ongoing commitment to our employees’ professional development and career growth and supports our Values of Teamwork, Service and Leadership.
This year-long initiative is open to all employees with at least one year of tenure with Clune. Employees can apply to be either a mentor, a mentee or both. Our participants are diverse and come from all eight of our offices. Mentoring and mentee opportunities are available for employees across various roles and can foster connections between Project Engineers, Project Managers, Superintendents and anyone with a shared desire to learn from each other and expand their professional network. As of year-end 2025, over 120 employees have been in the program, with many mentors serving more than once.
“I got paired with a woman superintendent in mission critical, and shortly after that, I ended up getting transferred to one of our mission critical teams,” shared Rebecca Dwyer, Assistant Project Manager in our New York office. “It was a great opportunity for me to be able to pick her brain on this sector of the industry.”
The group starts with a virtual kick-off session in January, where their matches are revealed. There are supplemental materials available for the teams that prefer a bit of structure, including sample meeting agendas and suggested activities, but the intent is for the pairs to determine their agenda and how to work together best to meet the mentee’s goals.
Clune hosts quarterly open sessions where the group comes together for an informal learning session; past topics have included “How to have a great conversation,” “Helping prep for your mid-year review,” “How to love criticism,” and “Understanding your DiSC styles to improve communication.”
Reflecting on his experience in the program, Senior Project Manager Pasquale Perrini shared, “I think the program is great and both mentor and mentees take something from it at every conversation. It encourages meaningful connections, honest conversations and reinforces a culture of learning across the organization”.
The success of the Clune mentoring program is due to the dedicated employees who have chosen to set time aside to work not only for their own development but also for others. A special shout-out to the mentors who’ve returned year after year to offer their time to a new group of mentees and the mentees who became mentors to pay it forward.
