In September, Ron Unterreiner celebrated a birthday he didn't expect to see when he founded People of Construction back in 2013.

Around the time he founded his nonprofit, which introduces minority- and women-owned businesses to the broader construction industry, he was diagnosed with ALS.That's normally a death sentence, but Unterreiner is not someone who is easily stopped.

He successfully explored alternative medical treatments and today is mostly symptom free. The nonprofit organizations he founded are also enjoying robust health. When he's not attending his grandchildren's cross country meets, Unterreiner might be working on a book (he's written six so far), or raising money for a nonprofit that exposes young people to construction.  

Ron Unterreiner calls PEOPLE “a non-funded, non-profit, non-organization established for the primary purpose of introducing the minority contracting community to the majority contracting community.” PEOPLE is among other things, a focused networking event allowing minority contractors to mix it up with  majority-owned GCs. subcontractors, professional organizations and owners and get to know each other and ultimately to work together on meaningful commercial construction projects.

On the eve of his retirement from a six-decade career in construction, Unterreiner looked at the lack of equity and capacity for minority firms in the industry and decided to do something about it. He made it his mission to level the playing field so every small business has access to commercial construction project opportunities.  PEOPLE organization meets in person during non-COVID times and on Zoom in the last two years. Some meetings attract as many as 240 attendees. Unterreiner also sends out monthly newsletters with tips and strategies for the minority owners. 

After his success with People in Construction, Unterreiner started Women-Owned Business Enterprises of Design & Construction (WBEDC) in March 2020, a similar organization dedicated to women-owned construction firms.