Steve Lamar is an entrepreneur with over 20 years of experience in construction, real estate development, diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI). As a native Californian, he is strongly focused on urban redevelopment and construction diversity, making him a powerful asset for any team looking to use the built environment to drive community and economic impact.

As the Director of Diversity for National Facilities Services (NFS) for the $80 billion health care organization Kaiser Permanente (KP), Steve drove the strategy and annual direct spend of $350M - $550M with diverse vendors, including minority, veteran and women owned businesses.

To help increase impact, he worked with some of the largest construction, architecture, engineering and real estate companies in the U.S to develop a strong subcontracting (2nd Tier) program. With an annual capital spend of $1B - $2B, he ensured all diversity goals and requirements for NFS were not only met, but exceeded. These efforts contributed significantly to KP becoming the first healthcare provider to join the Billion Dollar Roundtable (BDR), which includes companies like Microsoft, Dell, IBM, JP Morgan Chase, Merck, Apple, Johnson & Johnson and GM. BDR companies commit to spending at least $1 billion annually with minority, women, veteran, and LGBT owned companies.

Recently, Steve served as the President of ARGO Systems, a Maryland-based General Contractor. Throughout his career Steve has also been a construction Project Manager; Corporate Community Relations Manager; Program Coordinator; Regional Green Champion for Swinerton Builders, Curtom Building and Development and Catholic Charities. He has a wide range of experience in developing corporate DEI programs, DEI Trainings and contracting plans that focus on sustainability, vendor and labor diversity as well as community engagement while also administering small-business outreach. In 2020, he formed his own company, Forward Planning and Solutions, which specializes in DEI Consulting, Construction Services and Construction Inspection Services. Collectively, these experiences have allowed him to see programs and systems from a small, medium and large business perspective, including as an owner and a vendor.

As an early adopter of green construction, Steve became a LEED accredited professional and a green building advocate. He is well versed in sustainable design and construction and formerly served on the board of directors for the US Green Building Council, Los Angeles chapter. Steve also co-founded the National Forum for Diversity in Construction (NFDC), serves on the advisory board for the National Association of Minority Contractors (NAMC) and is an active member of National Minority Supplier Development Council (NMSDC), Women Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC), National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) and a wide array of other Trade and Professional organizations.