CEAT/OMP Outreach Initiatives

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CEAT/OMP Outreach Initiatives Minosca Alcantara
and David LangeDepartment of Civil and
Environmental EngineeringUniversity of Illinois
at Urbana-Champaign In collaboration with Joseph
Depa, OMP January 12, 2006
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OMP Outreach Program

• Fostering Positive Attitudes about Engineering
• Encouraging Under-Represented Student Groups
• Transferring Technology within the Profession
• Encouraging MBE/WBE Contractors

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Fostering Positive Attitudes About Engineering

• Pre-college/ high school students
• Mc4West Project Chicago Students interested in
  Engineering Majors
• Bridge Building competition on June 21, 2005

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Encouraging Under-Represented Student Groups

• CEAT Summer Interns 2005
• Work with current OMP and FAA research projects
• Faculty and Graduate Student Mentors

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FAA Outreach Project for Under-Represented
Students

• HBCU Summer Internship Program
• Summer Interns during 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004,
  2005
• Supports students from Historically Black
  Colleges and Universities (HBCU) at UIUC
• Goal is to increase the number of
  under-represented minorities obtaining advanced
  degrees in civil engineering
• 3 former interns are in graduate studies at UIUC
  (2 Ph.D. 1 M.S.)

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Transferring Technology within the Profession

• Brown Bag Seminar Series at OMP
• Workshop on Airport Pavement Instrumentation and
  Analysis at UIUC on May 17, 2005
• Professional Development Hours

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Encouraging MBE/WBE Contractors

• OMP Contractor Open House
• January 12 and May 20, 2005
• OMP Diversity Committee Meeting
• November 3, 2005
• Minority Contractor Capacity Evaluation
• Compile information from other agencies
• Matrix of MBE/DBE/WBE contractors in Chicago
• Assess workload in future
• Programs to Help Achieve Diversity Goals
• OMP/CEAT/City of Chicago MBE/WBE/DBE Joint
  Committee
• Construction Partnering/Protégé/Mentoring
  Initiative
• Establishing an OMP Contractor Development/Trainin
  g Center

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What are the Strengths of Women Businesses in
Illinois?

• As of 2004, there are an estimated 459,147
  privately-held, 50 or more women-owned firms in
  Illinois, accounting for 50.1 of all privately
  held firms in the state
• Women Businesses employ 917,908 people and
  generate nearly 112B in sales
• Construction Women Businesses employ 29,210
  people and generate nearly 4.3B in sales
• Between 1997 and 2004, Women-Owned Firms in
  Illinois increased by 18.1, employment grew by
  22.9 and sales increased by 30.9
• Data extracted from U.S. Census Bureau, 1997
  Economic Census, Survey of Minority-Owned
  Business Enterprises and the Center for Womans
  Business Research, Women-Owned Businesses in
  Illinois, 2004, Fact Sheet.

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What are the Strengths of Minority Businesses in
Illinois?

• As of 1997, there are approx 110,340 minority
  privately-held firms in IL, accounting for 12.5
  of all privately held firms in the state
• Minority-Owned Businesses employ 191,442 people
  and generate 24B in annual sales
• Construction Minority-Owned Businesses employ
  7,854 workers and generate nearly 1.1B in annual
  sales
• Black-Owned Firms employ 35,034 workers and
  generate 4B
• Hispanic-Owned Firms employ 31,010 workers and
  generate nearly 5B
• Native American Firms employ 3,945 workers and
  665M

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Percent of Construction Industry Minority and
Women Illinois Firms and Sales
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Minorities and Women Contributions to the OMP

• Construction needs diversity to sustain and
  develop growth
• Provide General Contractors with a broader base
  to select competent suppliers and contractors
• MWBEs tend to employ more minorities and women,
  providing an economic infusion in the diverse
  communities
• Successful minority and women supplier and
  contractor development programs establish
  relationships, which allow the MWBEs to grow and
  increase their core business competencies
• Incorporating diversity practices into the OMP
  operation will increase community building profit
  and market share
• Diversity of ideas, talent and competency add to
  the competitive advantage

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2006 - Programs to Help Achieve Diversity Goals

• OMP/CEAT/City of Chicago MBE/WBE/DBE Joint
  Committee
• Provide oversight, monitoring and enforcement of
  all EEO concerns
• Construction Partnering/Mentor/Protégé Initiative
  
• Create independent women and minority general
  contractors by creating partnerships between them
  and majority general contractors
• Prepare minority companies to eventually work as
  a stand alone prime contractor on large projects
• OMP Contractor Development/Training Center
• Assist firms with creating and enhancing
  technical managerial skills
• Create networking opportunities

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2006 IMPLEMENTATION PLAN

• OMP/CEAT/City of Chicago MBE/WBE/DBE Joint
  Committee
• Responsibilities of the Committee
• Provide oversight, monitoring and enforcement of
  all EEO concerns
• Be an ally to MWB/WBE/DBE firms working or
  desiring to work with OMP
• Assist the OMP in the adoption of guidelines for
  the EEO program
• Evaluate Contractors Minority Proposals to
  ensure minority/women targets are met
• Address issues from working capital for small
  contractors, to pay cycle issues, DBE/WBE/MBE
  recruitment, to employment reporting
• Promote Minority Business Participation in the
  OMP Program
• Selection of Committee Members
• 11 members appointed by OMP Executive Director
• Two year terms
• Key members of the Minority Community
• Meet monthly to review EEO progress

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OMP/CEAT/City of Chicago MBE/WBE/DBE Joint
Committee

• Potential Committee Members
• Rosemarie Andolino, OHare Modernization Program
• Joseph Depa, OHare Modernization Program
• David Lange, University of Illinois
• Richard Daley, City of Chicago
• Perry Nakachi, Association of Asian Construction
  Enterprises
• Florence Cox, Black Contractors United
• Tracye E. Smith, Chicago Minority Business
  Development Council
• Joan Archie, Chicago Urban League
• Gloria Bell, Cosmopolitan Chamber of Commerce
• Elizabeth Perino, Federation of Women Contractors
• Cesar Hernandez, Hispanic American Construction
  Industry Association
• D. Lorenzo Padron, Latin American Chamber of
  Commerce
• Juan Ochoa, IHCC Mexican American Chamber of
  Commerce of Illinois
• Debbie Gidley, National Association of Women
  Business Owners
• Hedy Ratner, Women's Business Development Center

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Construction Partnering/ Mentor/ Protégé
Initiative

• Work with OMP/ City of Chicago to launch program
• Need to Establish
• General Policy
• Incentives for Mentor Participation
• Measurement of Program Success
• Mentor Firms qualified to participate
• Protégé firms qualified to participate
• Selection of Protégé Firms
• Mentor Requirements and Evaluation
• Reports
• Program Review
• Internal Controls
• Developmental Assistance
• Obligation
• Application and Agreement Process for Mentor
  Firms to participate

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Contractor Development Center

• Small businesses need education, training, and
  capacity building opportunities
• Provide Training seminars, courses and workshops
  such as
• OSHA Training, Estimating, Scheduling
• How to develop spreadsheets using Excel, enhance
  presentations by learning Power Point, read a
  Financial statement
• Technical/Cost Proposal Preparation
• Assist minority firms to successfully bid on OMP
  Projects
• Access to Capital and Other Financing
  methodologies
• Bond Packaging and Insurance
• Business Planning (Business start-ups, Bank loan
  presentations, etc)
• A semi-annual Vendor Fair for vendors to learn
  about OMP contract award process
• The OMP/CEAT will leverage existing resources
  from the City of Chicago and minority
  organizations to offer these programs