Northwestern Mutual announced it is exceeding the hiring commitments for construction of the Northwestern Mutual Tower and Commons, according to the first quarter 2015 report submitted by Prism Technical Management & Marketing Services, LLC to the city of Milwaukee.

The company promised to tap small business enterprises for 25 % of the project costs and utilize city residents through the Resident Preference Program for 40 % of the hours worked on the project. The report is scheduled to be discussed by Milwaukee Common Council’s Zoning, Neighborhoods and Development Committee on Tuesday, Sept. 15.

According to the report, Northwestern Mutual has contracted with SBEs for $98.7 million in contracts and commitments, or 29.6% of total value of applicable construction and professional services contracts, through March 31, 2015. More than 46% of the construction hours were performed by Milwaukee residents from the RPP program, exceeding the goal by 8,864 hours. The report also shows that 213 city of Milwaukee residents, including 35 apprentices, worked on the project through March 31.

“We’ve embraced the commitments we made to the city of Milwaukee. We wanted to reinvest in our community by growing our own workforce in Milwaukee and also by creating opportunities for small businesses and residents during the construction of the project,” said Sandy Botcher, Northwestern Mutual vice president and project leader.

Botcher said the SBEs and Milwaukee residents are performing a variety of construction-related services that range from design and engineering to steel erection, masonry, electrical, transportation and other services.

The 32-story, 1.1 million-square-foot office tower and public space will be completed in 2017 and will preserve 1,100 downtown jobs while adding 1,900 new ones. It will also welcome residents and visitors to the city and anchor Milwaukee’s lakefront development.