The new $41.7 million school headquarters built in the heart of the North Side stands out for its record in hiring women and minority workers and contractors. All hiring and contracting goals for the project were exceeded, according to the construction team of Mortenson Construction and Thor Construction. The goal of hiring a workforce that's 25 percent minority was exceeded by two percentage points, as measured by hours worked. The project also doubled its 5 percent goal for female hours worked. Meanwhile, the project also topped its goals for contracting work out to minority and female-owned firms. Twenty percent of the dollar value of construction contracts went to minority-owned firms, compared to a goal of 15 percent. Woman-owned firms got 31 percent of the work, tripling the goal of 10 percent. Twenty-one minority-owned firms and 23 woman-owned firms got work. The largest minority contract was for $905,000, and was awarded to MAG Mechanical of New Hope. "Score one for the good guys," said Tony Goze, MAG's chief manager. The firm handled piping for hot water and gas, and did sheet metal and other work on the new building at 1250 W. Broadway Av. Goze said that not only is the firm minority-owned---he and his father Michael are members of the Ho Chunk tribe from Wisconsin—but also has a field workforce of 20 workers that's more than half minority. He said the opportunity to win contracts through programs designed to employ minority firms and workers is vital to the five-year-old firm. The company was born in Minneapolis, and is looking to return to the city once it locates a site for an office, warehouse and shop where it can demonstrate products. Lynn Littlejohn, director of community affairs at Mortenson, said that breaking work into contracts of a size on which a smaller firm could bid was one key to hitting contracting goals. Thor and Mortenson also did outreach work to firms. For Minneapolis Public Schools, the headquarters was perhaps its biggest construction project ever. The heavily minority district was intentional about trying to support minority and women businesses, putting a sign reporting minority and female participation up at the Broadway site for the community to see. An outside oversight committee was formed to monitor progress. The district also quizzed potential contractors and suppliers not only on whether they were minority or female-owned but also whether that was reflected in their workforces, said James Burroughs, its executive director of equity and diversity. Louis King, CEO of Summit Academy OIC, which trains construction workers, said Mortenson and Thor are the leading firms in the metro area in getting minority workers on their payrolls for construction work. "They have figured out how to build relationships in this community," King said.