Customer Feature: Amanda Finnerty & Commodore Builders for Construction Safety Week 2022

Customer Feature: Amanda Finnerty & Commodore Builders for Construction Safety Week 2022

To close out Construction Safety Week 2022, we wanted to feature one of our top customers and the admirable efforts they are undertaking regarding mental and emotional health in the construction industry. Read below for more on Amanda Finnerty and Commodore Builders.


 

COMMODORE BUILDERS

Amanda Finnerty - Director of Internal Operations
 


Who?


Founded in 2002, Commodore is a $500 million dollar, veteran-owned, commercial construction management firm based in Boston. In January 2020, Commodore entered an enterprise relationship with OpenSpace less than 60 days after an initial site walk — an unusually fast turnaround given that it normally takes 6 to 12 months to finalize an enterprise agreement with a software provider.
 

Amanda Finnerty, Director of Internal Operations at Commodore, is passionate about addressing the stigma surrounding substance use disorder and has her own personal experience with overcoming addiction.
 


What and When?

  • In 2019 Commodore rolled out an innovative, next-level employee assistance program to combat the disease of addiction, empower people affected by it, and foster wellness and recovery.
     
  • In 2020, Commodore expanded its free employee services to each of the more than 500 subcontractors/tradespeople working on Commodore Builders' construction sites. Anyone on any Commodore site can participate in this program free of charge.  The goal is to help people recover, get back to work, and live healthy, productive lives.
     

“As a person in long-term recovery, I really admire and appreciate this program. I was working at Commodore when my substance use got out of control. When I decided to do something to help myself, Commodore was right behind me.”
-- Amanda



Why?

  • The opioid epidemic was discussed during an AGC meeting, as the construction industry has one of the highest rates of substance abuse disorder. People employed in this industry only get paid if they work, so if they get hurt, they tend to work through the pain and use opioids as a crutch to hide the pain.
     
  • Commodore became interested in this issue because several people within Commodore have dealt with substance use disorders. One of Amanda’s colleagues thought outside the box and reached out to The Herren Project, a national nonprofit that provides support for the treatment, recovery, and prevention of substance use disorder. The Herren Project and Commodore developed a partnership that allows Commodore to offer completely confidential recovery and general wellbeing assistance to their employees and their entire families.
     
  • This program is not only helping individuals who are struggling with substance use disorders, but also with stress and mental health issues that are especially prevalent since the onset of the pandemic.

 

 

Thank you for sharing your story with us @afinnerty! Your efforts with Commodore are inspiring.