About
Language risk mitigation, founded on the jobsite.
About the Founder
Monique Lewis
Founder & CEO, Next 2 Native, Inc.
Monique Lewis is the Founder and CEO of Next 2 Native, Inc., a language risk mitigation firm serving commercial construction. Native-level bilingual, with a background in workers' compensation law, she helps contractors and safety leaders close the gap between supervisors and crews where language becomes hidden liability.
“Language access is not a soft skill. It is safety infrastructure.”
Letter
A Note from Our Founder
For a long time, I didn't see where my expertise met the construction industry. Then one conversation made it clear, fast. Clear enough that I rebuilt my whole business around it.
Nearly one in three construction workers is Hispanic, and many are foreign born and Spanish speaking. When the safety briefing, the toolbox talk, or the onboarding isn't in a language your crew fully understands, the message doesn't land. That gap shows up in injuries, accidents, and lives lost.
This work is also personal. I know from my own battles with mental health what it feels like to need help that's just out of reach. No worker should be on the far side of that gap because of language.
That's why Next 2 Native exists. You don't have to do it all at once. You just have to start. Because on a job site, Language Is PPE.™
— Monique Lewis, Founder
Awards
Recognized by the industry.
2026 Community Impact Award
Carolinas Associated General Contractors (CAGC)
Recognized for reducing language-related safety risk on commercial construction sites.
2026 Shining Light Through Media Award
Construction Mental Health and Wellbeing Conference
Recognized for shining a light on language risk and its role in worker safety, wellbeing, and belonging.
Recognition
Industry standing.
- Created the bilingual toolbox talk “You Good? / ¿Todo bien?” with CIASP
- Created a Spanish-language 988 crisis line video featured on CIASP's Spanish Toolbox Talks page
- Contributor to CPWR's Spanish-language heat survey
- Founding council member, Project BUILT
Who We've Worked With
Selected organizations that have engaged Next 2 Native for programs, presentations, consulting, or industry initiatives.
- Carolinas Associated General Contractors (CAGC)
- Center for Construction Research and Training (CPWR)
- Construction Industry Alliance for Suicide Prevention (CIASP)
- Weavercooke Construction
- Hispanic Contractors Association of the Carolinas (HCAC)
- Evolution Safety Resources
Language safety gets everyone home.
Every worker has people waiting for them. Clear communication across languages helps crews understand, speak up, and return home safely to their families.
Next Step